Catechism Research – Section D
Section D
DEACON, DIACONATE: A third degree of the hierarchy of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, after bishop and priest. The deacon is ordained not to priesthood but for ministry and service. Deacons are ordained to assist the bishop and priests in the celebration of the divine mysteries, above all the Eucharist, in the distribution of Holy Communion, in assisting at and blessing marriages, in the proclamation of the Gospel and preaching, in presiding over funerals, and in dedicating themselves to the various ministries of charity. While the Churches of the East have always had a functioning order of deacons, in the West the permanent diaconate was reestablished by the Second Vatican Council.
character imprinted on deacons in Holy Orders, 1570 diaconate as a degree of the sacrament of Holy Orders, 1554 as a help to the bishop and priests, 886, 1554, 1569, 1596 ordained “to the ministry,” 1538, 1569-71 permanent diaconate, 1571 respect for, 896, 1554 solemnity in ordaining, 1572-74 tasks of, 1256, 1570, 1588, 1596
DECALOGUE: The Ten Commandments (literally, “ten words”) given by God to Moses on Sinai. In order to be faithful to the teaching of Jesus, the Decalogue must be interpreted in the light of the great commandment of love of God and neighbor (2055, 2056). See Commandment.
DEFINITION, DOGMATIC: A solemn declaration by an ecumenical council or by the Pope that a doctrine is revealed by God and must be believed by the universal Church; such definitions are called infallible, and must be adhered to with the obedience of faith (891).
DEVIL/DEMON: A fallen angel, who sinned against God by refusing to accept his reign. Satan or the devil, the Evil One, and the other demons were at first good angels, created naturally good, who became evil by their own doing.
apostles and their power to cast out, 1506 Baptism as renunciation of the devil, 1237 deliverance from the Devil, 2850, 2853-54 exorcisms for casting out, 517, 550, 1237, 1673 fallen angels, 391, 392, 414 idolatry and recourse to, 2113, 2116-17 Jesus and His power over, 421, 447, 539, 550, 566, 635-36, 1086, 1708 Jesus and temptations of the Devil, 538-40, 566, 2119 man s struggle against the power of darkness, 407, 409 meaning and etymology of the word “Devil,” 2851 origin of evil, 397, 413, 1707, 2583, 2851 works of the Devil, 394-95, 398, 2851-52
DEPOSIT OF FAITH: The heritage of faith contained in Sacred Scripture and Tradition, handed on in the Church from the time of the Apostles, from which the Magisterium draws all that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed (84; cf. 1202).
DESCENT INTO HELL: An article in the Apostles’ Creed referring to the victory over death and sin which Christ won by being “raised from the dead.” Jesus, like all people, experienced death and in his soul joined the others in the realm of the dead, where he descended as Savior, proclaiming the Gospel to the spirits imprisoned there in order to free the just ones who had gone before him (632).
DESPAIR: The abandonment of hope in salvation and the forgiveness of sins (2091).
causes for the loss of hope, 844, 1501 consequences of, 2091
DETRACTION: Disclosure of another’s faults and sins, without an objectively valid reason, to persons who did not know about them, thus causing unjust injury to that person’s reputation.
DEVELOPMENT, DOCTRINAL: Growth in the understanding of God’s revelation, which continues though the contemplation and study of believers, theological research, and the preaching of the Magisterium (94).
DIACONATE: See Deacon, Diaconate.
DIOCESE: A “particular church,” a community of the faithful in communion of faith and sacraments whose bishop has been ordained in apostolic succession. A diocese is usually a determined geographic area; sometimes it may be constituted as a group of people of the same rite or language. In Eastern churches, an eparchy(833).
DISCIPLE: Those who accepted Jesus’ message to follow him are called his disciples. Jesus associated his disciples with his own life, revealed the mystery of the Kingdom to the disciples and gave them a share in his mission, his joy, and his sufferings.
experience of the disciples before the reality of the risen Jesus, 643-44 first, 949 Holy Spirit, sent by Jesus to his disciples, 696, 730, 788, 2623 Last Supper and, 1339 manifestation of the risen Christ to, 645, 647 miracles performed by disciples in the name of Jesus, 434, 1506 mission of, 542 prayer taught to, 2701, 2722, 2759 proclamation of, 425 reaction of, 1336 witness of the Resurrection historically confirmed by, 656
DIVINE OFFICE: The Liturgy of the Hours, the public prayer of the Church which sanctifies the whole course of the day and night. Christ thus continues his priestly work through the prayer of his priestly people (1174).
DIVORCE: The claim that the indissoluble marriage bond validly entered into between a man and a woman is broken. A civil dissolution of the marriage contract (divorce) does not free persons from a valid marriage before God; remarriage would not be morally licit.
consequences of divorce between Catholic spouses, 1650, 1664, 2384-85, 2400 definition of, 2384 indissolubility of marriage and, 2382 innocence of an unjustly abandoned spouse, 2386 legitimacy of civil, 2383 works of charity for those who have undergone, 1651
DOCTRINE/DOGMA: The revealed teachings of Christ which are proclaimed by the fullest extent of the exercise of the authority of the Church’s Magisterium. The faithful are obliged to believe the truths or dogmas contained in divine Revelation and defined by the Magisterium .
Doctrine
Christian doctrine
brief formulae of, 186 goals of, 25, 78, 98 Gospel, unparalleled doctrine, 127
initiative of lay Christians, necessary for permeating social realities with the demands of, 899
Jesus teaching as the Father’s teaching, 427 Sermon on the Mount as teaching for life, 2764 summary of Christian teaching, 9-10 teaching, 5, 11, 427, 2179 texts for sacred song in conformity with Catholic teaching, 1158 truth of Christian doctrine in the witness of martyrdom, 2473 See also Catechesis
social doctrine of the Church, 2419-25
course of history explained in light of the Gospel (as found) in, 2421-22 development of, 2412-22 guidelines for action offered in, 2423-25 temporal aspects in, 2420
Dogma
definition of dogma by the Church’s authority, 88 of the faith, 88-90 of the Immaculate Conception, 491 formation of dogma of the Holy Trinity, 249-52 of the Holy Trinity, 253-56
DOXOLOGY: Christian prayer which gives praise and glory to God, often in a special way to the three divine persons of the Trinity. Liturgical prayers traditionally conclude with the doxology “to the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit”; the final doxology of the Lord’s Prayer renews the prayer’s first three petitions in the form of adoration and praise.
final, 2855-56 origin of, 2641 as thanksgiving and praise, 1003