Glossary

Terms starting with M — browse A–Z or jump to the blog.

Terms — M

26 terms

Glossary
Magi

The Magi are the Gentile scholars from the East who followed a star to worship the infant Jesus — whose gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh identify him as King, God, and the one who will die for humanity.
Glossary
Marian Apparitions

Marian apparitions are reported appearances of the Virgin Mary — some approved by the Church as 'worthy of belief' after rigorous investigation — though no Catholic is required to accept even approved apparitions.
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Martin Luther

Martin Luther was the Augustinian friar whose Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 began the Protestant Reformation — challenging indulgences, papal authority, and the doctrine of justification.
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Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a 16th-century German monk and theologian whose protest against Church practices led to the Protestant Reformation.
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Martyr

A martyr is a Christian who freely chooses death rather than deny the faith — the supreme witness to Christ and the highest form of charity, following Christ's own self-giving to the end.
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Mary

Mary is the Mother of God — the woman who freely said yes to the Incarnation, cooperated in our redemption, and now intercedes for the Church as its Mother and Queen.
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Mary (Mother of God)

Mary is the Mother of God (Theotokos) because she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man.
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Mary as Mediatrix

Mary as Mediatrix is the traditional title for her role in bringing graces from Christ to the faithful — entirely subordinate to Christ's unique mediation, flowing from her cooperation in the Incarnation.
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Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene is the Galilean woman who followed Jesus, stood at the cross, and was first witness of the Resurrection — called the 'apostle to the Apostles,' sent to announce the risen Christ.
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Mary Magdalene

Mary Magdalene was a devoted disciple of Jesus and the first witness of His Resurrection.
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Materialism

The belief that matter is the fundamental substance in nature.
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Matrimony

Matrimony is the sacrament of Christian marriage — a permanent, faithful, and fruitful covenant between a man and a woman, reflecting Christ's love for the Church.
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Matrimony

Matrimony is the sacrament of marriage, a covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life.
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Melchizedek

Melchizedek is the mysterious king-priest of Genesis who offered bread and wine and blessed Abraham — a type of Christ's eternal priesthood and of the Eucharistic offering.
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Mercy

Mercy is God's loving compassion toward sinners and the suffering — his willingness to forgive and restore — the most characteristic expression of his love that runs through all of Scripture.
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Merit

Merit is the concept that good actions performed in a state of grace have genuine value before God — not because we deserve heaven independently, but because God honors his grace at work in us.
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Merit

Merit is the right to a reward from God for good works performed with the help of His grace.
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Messiah

Messiah is the Hebrew word meaning 'Anointed One,' the title of the promised Savior of Israel, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
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Miracles

Miracles are signs worked by God alone — events exceeding natural powers — that confirm divine revelation, authenticate Christ's mission, and point to the breaking in of God's Kingdom.
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Miracles

Miracles are sensible effects that surpass the powers of nature, performed by God to confirm His revelation.
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Moral Law

Moral Law is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Moral Relativism

The view that moral judgments are relative to particular standpoints.
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Mormonism / LDS

The religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement.
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Moses

Moses is the liberator of Israel, the mediator of God's covenant at Sinai, and the lawgiver who received the Ten Commandments — a type of Jesus Christ, the new and greater Moses.
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Mount Sinai

The mountain where God gave the Law to Moses.
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Mystagogy

Mystagogy is the liturgical and catechetical period following the sacraments of initiation in which the new Christian enters more deeply into the mysteries of the faith.