Amidah: also known as the "Eighteen Benedictions" or "standing prayer"; part of the daily service at the synagogue during the 1^st Century.

Anathema: a formal ecclesiastical ban or curse; something that is intensely disliked.

Anchorite: a religious hermit, living in solitude.

Apocalyptic: dealing with the end times, originating from a Greek word meaning to reveal; also suggests a worldview familiar to the early Christians. God ordered creation in the beginning and sin brought chaos. Apocalyptic thought looks both forwards to God reestablishing order at the end of time, yet God is already in the business of ordering chaos. This order is seen (and lived) in the community of believers during the Liturgy and Eucharist.

Apophthegmata: "the sayings tradition"; especially those sayings attributed to the desert Abbas & Ammas living an ascetic life in the desert; compiled in approx. the 4^th C.

Asceticism: The word asceticism comes from the Greek askesis which means practice, bodily exercise, and more especially, athletic training. The early Christians adopted it to signify the practice of the spiritual things, or spiritual exercises performed for the purpose of acquiring the habits of virtue.

Benedictine: religious order of the Roman Catholic Church, following the rule of St. Benedict; & emphasizing prayer and work.

Bowing: a gesture of profound respect and awe done during the doxology in acknowledgement of God's presence; also used (during the sharing of the peace) as a formal gesture to honor Christ's presence in one another.

Calling: A conviction that God has a purpose for your life and work. More specifically, a "calling" may refer to your occupation or your role as you use your gifts.

Catechesis: shaping the faith through liturgy, Sacraments, study of the Word, Christian conversation and community, service, etc. Catechesis encompasses formation, instruction, and education (Westerhoff).

Cenobitic: forms of monasticism that are completely characterized by communal life

Centering prayer: A spiritual discipline in the contemplative tradition described as Divine Therapy. Father Thomas Keating is the leading authority. The practice of centering prayer develops sensitivity to God's presence that is normally clouded by the things one thinks, plans, senses, or worries about.

Cistercian: A monk of the Benedictine order established in 1098 in France by Robert, abbot of Molesme. For two hundred years the Cistercians followed the Rule of St. Benedict in its entire rigor. Known for austerity and a vow of silence. (syn: Trappist)

Commensalism: sharing a table (fellowship of eating together)

Connubium: to be married, to have sex together, sharing a bed

Contemplative: As a spiritual tradition, contemplative does NOT mean morbidly thoughtful. The contemplative tradition emphasizes meditation that frees the body from activity to experience the presence of God.

Discernment: generally referring to a time of seeking God's will through prayer and exploration. (This is common for people who are contemplating a change in career or roles in the Church, society, etc.)

Divine Indwelling: Part of the Theology of the Incarnation. God is present in His creation through the Spirit. "Abide as me as I abide in you." John

Ecclessial ministry: service related to the parish community or the Church at large

Enactment: the belief that creation participates in the actual, timeless experience of God. We are part of a greater reality that is not perfectly clear to us.

Eschatology: the study of the end times or, more broadly, awareness that our present moment is part of a greater timeline of God's work in history. That sensibility connects us with the Saints of the past, present, and future.

Eschaton: the kingdom revealed in its perfection and the order of creation restored.

Eucharist: the Christian sacrament commemorating the Lord's Supper

Eucharistic theology: exploring the mystery of the divine power to transform my life and strengthen me through the actual Jesus present in the bread and wine of the Eucharist.

Endogamy: marriage within a specific tribe or similar social unit.

Exogamy: marriage outside a specific tribe or similar social unit.

False self: In psychology and centering prayer, this term bring to our awareness the fact that we spend a great deal of energy perpetuating bad habits we have picked up earlier in our lives. Identifying those layers simplifies our lives and helps us become more honest with who God has called us to be.

Formation: The image of God the potter and we the clay. The shaping and strengthening of the relationship with God for service to others. Incorporating every experience as an opportunity to grow with God.

Hermitage: a place of solitude to be honest, vulnerable, and alone with God.

Laconic: sparing of words; terse

Icons: "windows into heaven"; these beautiful works of prayer-art are a spiritual discipline to create. They are meant to slow us down from the hectic pace of life and lead us into contemplating the mysteries of heaven and earth connected.

Incarnational presence: God has a habit of breaking into history to restore order in the midst of chaos. The pinnacle was Jesus in the flesh. Today Jesus is present to us in the Eucharist, in our selves, and in the people around us. The implications for life together are profound.

Incense: a scented smoke that symbolizes a sacred space, a prayer being lifted up, and provides a mysterious calming effect.

Intention: a prayer request offered to God.

Lectio Divina: a spiritual discipline of praying the Scriptures. The Word bridges the relationship between God and a person. Lectio Divina actively embraces the Word as an invitation and leads to a resting in God's embrace and comfort.

Liturgy of the Hours: a rhythm of daily prayer grounded in the Scriptures (especially the Psalms). This rhythm breaks the monotony of the days task and urgencies are reestablishes a sense of ongoing Sabbath into our routines.

Liturgy: the greatest mystery of God's created order in the middle of the world's chaos. The unifying moment of worship draws together communities of believers from all time - heaven and earth. It truly is a "foretaste of the feast to come". The high point is the banquet of the Eucharist. Liturgy is full of teaching, anticipating, hoping, growing, praying, praising, involving, and nurturing. God is at work in the mystery.

Mass: the celebration of the Eucharist.

Midrash: Jewish commentaries on the Hebrew Scriptures compiled between AD 400-1200 including parables, exegesis, and legends.

Monasticism: not an ESCAPE from the world, but a deliberate commitment to simplify and order one's life to live in a Christian community. All the energy that most people spend in accumulating and maintaining wealth and emotionally committing to a spouse is free to us in service to other people.

Mysticism: a spiritual tradition resting in the mysteries of God. Mystics are conscious of an ultimate reality or presence of God.

Oblate: a lay person associated with a particular monastery, committed to living the principles of the monastery's rule, but not bound by monastic vows.

Polemics: the art or practice of argumentation or controversy.

Proleptic: something existing before its proper historical time (eternity has already happened, yet our history and time is still unfolding)

Purgation: spiritual cleansing; healing of emotional hurts and unmet needs, identifying and releasing burdens through prayer and experience

Scripture: not only the simple writings of the Hebrews and Christians, but the SACRED and authoritative revelation of God through the experiences of faith communities.

Shema: central prayer of the synagogue service; "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and will all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your hear. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deut. 6:4-7, 9

Spiritual direction: a spiritual discipline of submitting oneself to the mentoring of another person; requires an appreciation for God working through the lives of other people to make himself know to me; a form of accountability and conversation between Christians

Synaxis: an assembly for religious worship, esp. for the celebration of the Eucharist.

Talmud: a collection of ancient Rabbinical teachings; the oral Torah passed on from generation to generation; recorded by the rabbis in the 5^th & 6^th C.

Vocation: the calling to us one's gifts in the service of God at home, in the community, workplace, and Church; a person's unique and necessary (Barna) role in God's kingdom