HHabit: (1) A disposition to do things easily, given with grace (and therefore supernatural) and/or acquired by repetition of similar acts. (2) The garb worn by Religious. Hagiography: Writings or documents about saints and other holy persons. Hail Mary: A prayer addressed to the Blessed Virgin Mary; also called the Ave Maria (Latin equivalent of Hail Mary) and the Angelic Salutation. In three parts, it consists of the words addressed to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel on the occasion of the Annunciation, in the Infancy Narrative (Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women.); the words addressed to Mary by her cousin Elizabeth on the occasion of the Visitation (Blessed is the fruit of your womb.); a concluding petition (Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.). The first two salutations were joined in Eastern rite formulas by the sixth century, and were similarly used at Rome in the seventh century. Insertion of the name of Jesus at the conclusion of the salutations was probably made by Urban IV about 1262. The present form of the petition was incorporated into the breviary in 1514. Hallel: Psalms of Praise, Ps 113-118 Hamartology: “Study of sin”, the section of theology that studies sin and its effects. Hapax legomenon: only once read: words which appear only one in Scripture Heaven: The state of those who, having achieved salvation, are in glory with God and enjoy the beatific vision. The phrase, kingdom of heaven, refers to the order or kingdom of God, grace, salvation. Hell: The state of persons who die in mortal sin, in a condition of self-alienation from God which will last forever. Henotheism: Belief in one god without denying the existence of others. Heptateuch: 7 books= the group Genesis to Judges Heresy: A sectarian group (Acts 5:17) or disruptive faction and opinion (1Cr 11:19). Now, the obstinate post-baptismal denial or doubt by a Catholic of any truth which must be believed as a matter of divine and Catholic faith (c. 751, of Canon Law). Formal heresy involves deliberate resistance to the authority of God who communicates revelation through Scripture and tradition and the teaching authority of the Church. Heretics automatically incur the penalty of excommunication (Canon 1364). Heresies have been significant not only as disruptions of unity of faith but also as occasions for the clarification and development of doctrine. Hermeneutics: The theory and practice of interpretation of the Bible. Hermetism refers to a Greco-Egyptian pagan mystical sect, based on the HermeticCorpus, also known as the Hermetica, a group of 18 tracts composed in Hellenic Alexandria in the first century C.E. To be distinguished fromits Renaissance and modern offshots, generally known as Hermeticism The Hermetists were Platonists who had absorbed the allegorical techniques of Alexandrian Jewry,and who developed the Jewish speculation concerning the first Adam, the Anthropos or Primal Man, called the Adam Kadmon in Kabbalah , and 'a mortalgod' by the Hermetists. Hermit: See Anchorite. Heroic Act of Charity: The completely unselfish offering to God of one’s good works and merits for the benefit of the souls in purgatory rather than for oneself. Thus a person may offer to God for the souls in purgatory all the good works he performs during life, all the indulgences he gains, and all the prayers and indulgences that will be offered for him after his death. The act is revocable at will, and is not a vow. Its actual ratification depends on the will of God. Heroic Virtue: The exemplary practice of the four cardinal virtues and three theological virtues; such virtue is sought in persons considered for sainthood. Hesychasm: means “quiet”, a way of prayer and ascetic life typical of eastern Christianity, also called “prayer of the heart”, which produces tranquility conducive to contemplation. Heterodoxy: False doctrine teaching or belief; a departure from truth. Hexateuch: The first six books of he Bible, from Genesis to Joshua Hierarchy: The hierarchy of order who carry out the sacramental, teaching, and pastoral ministry of the Church; the hierarchy consists of the pope, bishops, priests, and deacons; the pope and the bishops give pastoral governance to the faithful. Hierarchy of Truths: A principle for interpreting truths of faith according to their nearness to the central mystery, the Trinity, as revealed in Jesus Christ. It is important for ecumenical dialogue (UR 11). High Christology: Christology that highlights Christ’s divinity. Holy Father: A title used for the pope; it is a shortened translation of the Latin title Beatissimus Pater, “Most Blessed Father” and refers to his position as the spiritual father of all the Christian faithful. Holy Orders: The Sacrament of Ordination, imparting a share in Christ’s priestly ministry. Holy See: (1) The diocese of the pope, Rome. (2) The pope himself and/or the various officials and bodies of the Church’s central administration at Vatican City — the Roman Curia —which act in the name and by authority of the pope. Holy Spirit: God the Holy Spirit, third Person of the Holy Trinity, who proceeds from the Father and the Son and with whom he is equal in every respect; inspirer of the prophets and writers of sacred Scripture; promised by Christ to the Apostles as their advocate and strengthener; appeared in the form of a dove at the baptism of Christ and as tongues of fire at his descent upon the Apostles; soul of the Church and guarantor, by his abiding presence and action, of truth in doctrine; communicator of grace to human beings, for which reason he is called the sanctifier. Holy Water: Water blessed by the Church and used as a sacramental, a practice which originated in apostolic times. Holy Year: A year during which the pope grants the plenary Jubilee Indulgence to the faithful who fulfill certain conditions. For those who make a pilgrimage to Rome during the year, the conditions are reception of the sacraments of penance and the Eucharist, visits and prayer for the intention of the pope in the basilicas of St. Peter, St. John Lateran, St. Paul and St. Mary Major. For those who do not make a pilgrimage to Rome, the conditions are reception of the sacraments and prayer for the pope during a visit or community celebration in a church designated by the bishop of the locality. Pope Boniface VIII formally proclaimed the first Holy Year on Feb. 22, 1300, and the first three Holy Years were observed in 1300, 1350 and 1390. Subsequent ones were celebrated at 25-year intervals except in 1800 and 1850 when, respectively, the French invasion of Italy and political turmoil made observance impossible. Pope Paul II (1464-1471) set the 25-year timetable. In 1500, Pope Alexander VI prescribed the start and finish ceremonies — the opening and closing of the Holy Doors in the major basilicas on successive Christmas Eves. All but a few of the earlier Holy Years were classified as ordinary. Several — like those of 1933 and 1983-84 to commemorate the 1900th and 1950th anniversaries of the death and resurrection of Christ —were in the extraordinary category. Pope John Paul has designated Jubilee Year 2000 to be a Holy Year ending the second and beginning the third millennium of Christianity. Homiletics: The branch of pastoral theology dedicated to preaching. Homily: Originally, reflection on the readings during liturgy. Now, the preaching on the readings during Mass. On Sundays, it is obligatory, on weekdays it is recommended. It should be given by an ordained minister (canon 767). Homosexuality: The condition of a person whose sexual orientation is toward persons of the same rather than the opposite sex. The condition is not sinful in itself. Homosexual acts are seriously sinful in themselves; subjective responsibility for such acts, however, may be conditioned and diminished by compulsion and related factors. Hope: The theological virtue by which a person firmly trusts in God for the means and attainment salvation. Horizontalism: reduces Christianity to the dimension of the love of neighbor. It arises from the fact that the accent in Christian morality was placed too exclusively on religious obligation and the social obligation of the Christian was perhaps not sufficently emphasized. But through overreaction Horizontalism has minimized the "vertical dimension" of the love of God, of worship, of prayer, with the purpose of reducing Christianity to a form of social service Hosanna: A Hebrew word, meaning ‘O Lord, save, we pray’. Host, The Sacred: The bread under whose appearances Christ is and remains present in a unique manner after the consecration which takes place during Mass. (See Transubstantiation.) Human Dignity: The inherent worth of all human persons as they are made in God’s image and likeness and they alone — of all God’s creatures on earth — have an immortal soul. Humanism: A world view centered on man. Types of humanism which exclude the supernatural are related to secularism. Humility: A virtue which induces a person to evaluate himself or herself at his or her true worth, to recognize his or her dependence on God, and to give glory to God for the good he or she has and can do. Hylomorphism: (Greek υλο- hylo-, "wood, matter" + -morphism < Greek -μορφη, morph, "form") is a philosophical concept that highlights the significance of matter in the composition of being, regarding matter to be as essential to a being as its form. Hylomorphism served as a useful tool in medieval philosophy from (at least) Avicebron to (at least) Thomas Aquinas. Hyperdulia: The special veneration accorded the Blessed Virgin Mary because of her unique role in the mystery of Redemption, her exceptional gifts of grace from God, and her pre-eminence among the saints. Hyperdulia is not adoration; only God is adored. Hypostatic Union: The union of the human and divine natures in the one divine Person (hypostasis) of Christ.
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