Terms of Reference | The Things That Catholics Say

  1. Asperges: nothing to do with asparagus. Asperges refers to the rite of sprinkling the congregation and/or objects with holy water. The name comes from the first word of Psalm 51 in Latin (Asperges me) that is sung during the traditional form of the rite.
  2. Aspergillum: not to be confused with Aspirin, a painkiller. An aspergillum is an implement for sprinkling holy water.
  3. Curia: nothing to do with relief from disease. An an assembly, council, or court of church officials responsible for governance.
  4. Hypostatic: nothing to do with an electric charge built up when a priest walks across carpeting in the sanctuary. The Hypostatic Union refers to the union of the human and divine natures in Jesus Christ.
  5. Mantilla (man-tee-yuh): not for men, i.e., not a man-tilla. A traditional female liturgical lace or silk veil or shawl worn over the head and shoulders, often over a high hair ornament called a peineta.
  6. Nun. Not to be confused with 'none', i.e., someone who is religiously unaffiliated (or an agnostic or an atheist) or a liturgical hour of the Office of None (noh-na; ninth), around 3pm. A member of a religious community of women, especially a cloistered one, living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
  7. Paraclete (pah-rah-kleet): does not refer to a spike on soccer boots or golf shoes, nor to a tropical bird capable of mimicking human speech. Paraclete is a term that occurs five times in the Johannine texts of the New Testament. In Christian theology, the word commonly refers to the Holy Spirit and is translated as advocate, counsellor, or helper.
  8. Pew (pyoo): not an exclamation concerning the incense or the scent of a congregant. A church bench that typically includes a kneeler.
  9. Relics: does not refer to the oldest members of the congregation. Objects of religious significance, typically the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other holy person, preserved for veneration.
  10. Surplice: not to be confused with surplus. The surplice is a loose white linen vestment varying from hip-length to calf-length, worn over a cassock by clergy, acolytes, and choristers.
  11. Tintinnabulum: nothing to do with a French cartoon album. A bell that is mounted on a pole and carried in processions.
  12. Zucchetto (zoo-ket-to): not a type of frozen dessert nor the name of a character in a story about a puppet that comes to life. A skullcap worn by clergy.

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JAMES 4: 13-17

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and get gain”; whereas you do not know about tomorrow. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and we shall do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

PSALM 54

Behold, God is my helper : the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.

ST THÉRÈSE OF LISIEUX

Let us not grow tired of prayer: confidence works miracles.

THOMAS SOWELL

It is amazing how many people think that they can answer an argument by attributing bad motives to those who disagree with them. Using this kind of reasoning, you can believe or not believe anything about anything, without having to bother to deal with facts or logic.

MARCUS AURELIUS

There is but one thing of real value - to cultivate truth and justice, and to live without anger in the midst of lying and unjust men.