Glossary

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

Terms — P

35 terms

Glossary
Papal Infallibility

Papal infallibility is the dogma that the Pope is preserved from error when solemnly defining a doctrine of faith or morals.
Glossary
Paraclete

The title of the Holy Spirit, meaning 'Advocate,' 'Counselor,' or 'Comforter.'
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Paraclete

Paraclete is Jesus's title for the Holy Spirit — the 'Advocate' or 'Helper' he promised to send after his Ascension to continue his presence, teach all truth, and support the Church before the world.
Glossary
Paradise

The state of supreme happiness in Heaven and the restoration of humanity's union with God.
Glossary
Paradise

Paradise is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Parousia

The second coming of Christ in glory.
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Particular Judgment

The particular judgment is the individual reckoning each soul faces immediately at death — the personal encounter with God that determines whether the soul goes to Heaven, Purgatory, or Hell.
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Patmos

The Greek island where St. John the Apostle was exiled and where he received the visions of the Book of Revelation.
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Patriarch

Patriarch is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Patristic

Patristic is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Patron Saints

Patron saints are the special intercessors and protectors of particular people, places, occupations, and situations — chosen based on the connection between the saint's life and the group they patronize.
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Penance

Penance encompasses both the interior sorrow for sin and the exterior acts that express it — including the Sacrament of Penance by which sins after Baptism are forgiven.
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Penance

Penance is the interior conversion of the heart and the outward acts of reparation for sin.
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Pentecost

The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and the birth of the Church's mission.
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Pentecost

Pentecost is the feast of the Holy Spirit's descent upon the Apostles — the birthday of the Church and the beginning of the universal mission to bring the Gospel to all nations.
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Perjury

Perjury is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Person

Person is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Pharisees

The Pharisees were a Jewish sect in the time of Jesus known for their strict adherence to the oral and written Law.
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Pharisees and Sadducees

The Pharisees were devout lay scholars of the Law; the Sadducees were the priestly aristocracy who controlled the Temple — both in conflict with Jesus, for very different reasons.
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Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate was the Roman governor of Judea who presided over the trial of Jesus and condemned Him to death.
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Pontius Pilate

Pontius Pilate is the Roman governor who condemned Jesus despite finding him innocent — the only person besides Mary named in the Nicene Creed, anchoring the Crucifixion in historical time.
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Prayer

Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God or the requesting of good things from God.
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Prayer

Prayer is the raising of the mind and heart to God — the living relationship of God's children with their Father — expressed in adoration, contrition, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession.
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Predestination

Predestination is God’s eternal plan for the salvation of all people, which includes human cooperation and freedom.
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Presumption

Presumption is a sin against hope in which one either hopes to save oneself without help from God or hopes to obtain God's forgiveness without conversion.
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Private Revelations

Private revelations are visions or messages received by individuals after the close of the New Testament, which do not belong to the deposit of faith.
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Problem of Evil

The problem of evil is the challenge of reconciling an all-good God with the reality of suffering.
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Profession of Faith

Profession of Faith is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Prophet

A prophet is a person chosen by God to speak His word and call the people to conversion.
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Protestantism

Protestantism is the family of Christian churches originating in the 16th-century Reformation — sharing certain common principles while differing from the Catholic Church in doctrine and sacraments.
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Providence

Providence is God's continuous governance of all creation — sustaining every creature in being and guiding all events toward their ultimate end in his wisdom and love.
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Providence

Providence is a significant concept in Catholic theology or moral teaching.
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Prudence

Prudence is the cardinal virtue of practical wisdom — discerning the true good in every situation and choosing the right means to achieve it — called the 'charioteer of the virtues' that guides all the others.
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Purgatory

Purgatory is the state of final purification for those who die in God's grace but are still imperfectly purified.
Glossary
Purgatory

Purgatory is the state of final purification after death for those who died in God's grace — a merciful completion of what was not fully resolved in this life.