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L Labarum, n.; L. The banner of the cross carried by Constantine in bis campaigns. A staff with a banner attached, used as a Christian symbol. Lacticinia,(lak-tee-see-neea) n.; L. A word from the Latin meaning milk foods, such as butter and cheese, which are also called "white meats." Formerly the law of the Church obliged those who fasted to abstain from lacticinia; the code of canon law (1917) abolishes this prohibition. (Obs.) Lady-day, n.; A.S. A name applied to the Feast of the Annunciation, March 25. Laetare (Sunday) (lay-tar-ray), n.; L. The fourth Sunday of Lent, so named because of the first word in the Latin antiphon before the introit. Laicization, n.; L. (1) Reduction of ecclesiastical persons or things to a non ecclesiastical or lay condition by Church authority. (2) The appropriation of Church property by civil authorities contrary to the rights of the Church. Laity, n.; L. The entire group of lay people, lay men and women. A term distinguishing members of the faithful from the clergy. (Cf. Layman.) Lamb, n.; A.S. A symbol of our Lord as the Eucharistic victim. Lamentabili, n.; L. Decree of the Holy Office condemning heretical propositions of Modernism, issued in 1907, so called from the first word in the Latin version. Lamentations, n. pl.; L. Parts of the five poems appearing at the end of the prophecies of Jeremias which appear in the breviary at Matins in the last three days of Holy Week, consequently they are a part of the Tenebrae service. Lammas-day, n.; A.S. A name applied in the early days of the Church to the Feast of the chains of St. Peter, celebrated on August 1. Lamp, n.; Gr., L. A vessel in which a wick soaked in oil burns; a means of giving light by the burning of oil; used in a church to denote the fact that the Blessed Sacrament is reserved there; a sanctuary lamp. Lance (the holy), n.; L., Fr. The spear's head now preserved in St, Peter's, Rome, which, according to tradition, was used at the crucifixion of Christ to open His side. Lance, n.; L., Fr. A small knife used in the Greek liturgy to separate the parts to be consecrated from the holy loaf; the knife used to symbolize the piercing of Christ's side. Language (of the Church), n.; L., Fr, In general the Church uses dead languages in celebrating the Mass, administering the sacraments, and other services.; the Latin language is the most generally used, consequently the Latin language has come to mean in the Roman Church the language of the Church. Other languages used in the liturgies of the Eastern Churches are: Greek, Arabic, Slavonic, Syriac, Roumanian, Armenian, Coptic Gheez, and Georgian. Lappet, n.; L., Gr., A.S. One of the flaps or bands of cloth which hang from the back of a mitre. Lapsed, n.; L. (Lapsi, in Latin.) Under this title were placed all those who gave up the faith under persecution; a special penance was imposed on the lapsed Christians. La Salette, n.; Fr. A shrine in Southern France commemorating the appearance of the Blessed Virgin in 1846 to two children. Last Day, adj.; A.S. The day when the created world will come to an end; die day of the general Judgment; the day when signs will be given to denote the end of the world, as in Matt. 24 and Luke 21. Last Things, adj.; A.S. Death, judgment, heaven, and hell are said to be the last things; the eschatology. (Cf. Eschatology.) Lateran Church, n.; L. The church in Rome called St. John Lateran, so named after the family of Laterani; it is the cathedral church of Rome. The five general councils held in the church are called Lateran Councils. (See Appendix, Ecumenical Councils.) Latin, n.; L. The language of ancient Rome which is the language of the Traditional Roman rite of the Church. Latria, n.; Gr., L. The highest form of worship and which can be offered to God alone; the sacrifice of the Traditional Latin Mass is the chief act of latria. Latrocinium, n.; L. Literally, robbery. The name conferred hy Pope Leo I on the heretical council of Ephesus held in 449. Latten, n.; O.Fr. The sheet brass upon which sepulchral memorials were engraved from the thirteenth to the sixteenth centuries. Lauda Sion, n.; L, The first Latin words and title of the sequence in the Traditional Mass of Corpus Christi it was composed by St. Thomas Aquinas on the occasion of the institution of the feast in A.D. 1264. Lauds, n. pl.; L., O.Fr. The second hour or part of the traditional Breviarium Romanum; literally translated it means praises. It is so called because the Psalms used begin with either of the Latin words Lauda or Laudete. Laura, n.; L. A group of individual cells or rooms occupied by monks; it was centered around the church; while living in the laura the monks maintained a community life. The name is still applied to any big monastery of the Byzantine rite. Lavabo (lav-ar-bo), n.; L. Literally: I will wash. That part of the Mass at which the server pours water on the thumbs and index fingers of the priest, the parts of his hands than will touch the host; it occurs after the Offertory of the Mass and it derives its name from the first word of verse six of psalm 25 which is recited by the priest at this time. Law, n.; A.S. The rule of reason by which a person is moved to act or restrained from acting. In the Church this has the meaning of an action which ought to follow upon recognition of a precept, but the action need not always take place, because the person is free and can refuse obedience. In moral theology the necessity which follows upon law is called moral necessity. Laxism, n.; L. That system in moral theology which declared that even a slightly probable opinion may be followed in the exercise of one's freedom to act or not act; this system of interpretation has been condemned by the Church. Laxist, n.; L, One who follows a lax interpretation of moral obligation; a person of easy moral conscience. Lay Baptism, adj.; O.Fr., L. The administration of Baptism by a lay person, done out of necessity according to the prescribed form, when no priest is available. i.e. Whilst pouring water upon the head of the person, pronounce the words of Baptism: "I Baptise thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. For the Baptism to be valid, the person pouring the water must also pronounce the words of baptism and use the "Trinitarian" form as above. Lay Brothers and Sisters, adj.; O.Fr., L. Those who enter religious life,receiving habits and taking vows, but who engage themselves chiefly in manual labor and do not assume the choir duties, study, or other functions of the religious, and who do not receive Holy Orders. Lay Communion, adj.; O.Fr., L. The state to which a cleric is sometimes reduced with the forfeiture of the right to perform his office but without loss of ordinary spiritual privileges of a Catholic. (Obs.) layman, n.; O.Fr., L. A person who has not been admitted to the ranks of the clergy; one having no ecclesiastical title; a member of the faithful. Lectern, n.; O.Fr., L, Lacturn, lettern. The reading desk or stand with a slanting top used to support a book before one while reading. Lection, n.; L. Lesson. A reading taken from the scriptures or from the writings of the early fathers; lections appear in the Mass, e.g., the Gospel and Epistle, and in the Breviarium. Lectionary, n.; L. (1) A book containing selections from Sacred Scripture to be read at divine services, (a) The portions of Sacred Scripture to be read or chanted by the deacon, subdeacon, or lector. The comes. (3) The book containing the lessons for matins. (4) The book containing all the liturgical lessons. Lector, n.; L. (1) A reader; a cleric whose office it is to read the writings of the Fathers of the Church in public, but not during Mass. He also should sing the epistle in a missa cantata. (2) The second of the minor orders, a sacramental. Legate, n.; L., O.Fr. An ecclesiastical person sent by the Sovereign Pontiff to represent him either for an occasion or by way of a permanent office. (Cf. Nuncio, Delegate Apostolic.) Legend (Golden), n.; L., O.Fr. A book containing the lives of the saints and treatises on feasts of the Church written by Jacopo de Voragine in the late thirteenth century. Legitimation, n.; L. The act both under civil law and the law of the Church which legitimatizes a child born out of wedlock. Lent, n.; A.S. From the Anglo-Saxon word, lencten, meaning spring. A time of fast before Easter as penance and preparation for the Feast of the Resurrection; the period of six and one half weeks from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Leonine (Prayers), adj.; L. The prayers (three Hail Marys; the Salve Regina, and the Prayer to Michael, the archangel) ordered by Pope Leo XIII to be said after a traditional private Mass. Lesser Litanies, n. pl. The ceremony held on the three rogation days before Ascension Thursday. It is in no way different from the ceremony of the Greater Litanies held on April 25, the term lesser merely indicates that; this ceremony is not as old as the other. (Cf. Greater Litanies.) Lesson, n.; L., O.Fr. A reading from Sacred Scripture; a lection, as the epistle read at Mass.(Cf. Lection.) Levite, n.; Heb. The descendants of the patriarch Levi who were the hereditary ministers to the priests of the Jews; sometimes used today as a name for a cleric. Leviticus, n.; Heb.; Bib. The third book of the Old Testament written by Moses. Libellatici (Lee-bell-ah-tee-chee), n.pl; L. Those who abjured their faith by obtaining a certificate during a time of persecution, denoting that they had offered sacrifice to the pagan gods. (Obs.) Liberdiumus (Lee-ba-joo-moos), n.; L. A collection of formularies used in the early Church and compiled shortly after A.D. 714. (Obs.) Libera Me, (lee-berra may) n.; L. The response sung by the choir after a Traditional Requiem Mass and before the absolution of the corpse or at the catafalque. Liceity, n.; L. In moral and canonical language, the lawfulness of a good or indifferent act. The term goes further than external legality in the sense that it denotes also the absence of sin or moral guilt in those who perform the act. Licentiate, n.;L., O.Fr. An academic degree conferred by universities for studies in theology, philosophy, Scripture, or canon law. Lie, n.; A.S. An expression of thought contrary to intellectual conviction; a sin against the eighth commandment of God. Ligamen, n.; L, The bond of marriage existing and so prohibiting another marriage; a canonical term meaning the existing previous bond of marriage; an impediment to marriage. Ligature, n.; L., Fr. In Gregorian music, a succession of notes which are joined together and are to be sung over one syllable; these may consist of more than one such group of notes. (Cf. Neum.) Lights, n.pl., A.S. Candles or lamps which are used in the liturgy of the Church; vigil lights are small candles inserted in glass cups which are then burned for an intention or in veneration or some saint. Limbo, n.; L. The place where the just who died before man's redemption by Christ were retained. It is also that place wherein the souls of unbaptized infants live in a happy eternity. Literally, threshold of the nether world. Litany, n.; L., O.Fr. A prayer in the form of alternate ejaculations or statements and petitions; a formula of prayer consisting of a series of supplications and responses; a prayer of petitions in sequence. It may be sung. Little Office (of the Blessed Virgin), n.; L., A.S. A short form of breviary in which psalms, lessons, and hymns are recited in honor of the Blessed Virgin; as a prayer it is divided into the seven hours as is the breviary. Liturgical (function) adj. (n.); Gr. A ceremony which forms part of the official worship of the Church and is, therefore, treated of in one of the official liturgical books, Liturgy, n.; Gr. (1) The worship of God by the Church, comprising the offering of the Sacrifice of the Mass, the recitation, of the Divine Office, and the administration of the sacraments. (2) In Eastern Churches, the Mass. Originally, a public service; in the early days it was applied to the solemn service of the Church. The liturgy is: (a) all forms or rites and services in any language in the Church in celebrating the Eucharist; (b) the rites, official services, ceremonies, prayers, sacraments of the Church, as opposed to private worship. Loci Theologici, n.pl.; L. Literally, "theological places or "sources." The sources of theological arguments; the scientific and philosophical arguments used in presenting theology. They are: (1) the authority of Sacred Scripture; (2) the authority of traditions, of both Christ and the Apostles; (3) the authority of the Catholic Church; (4) the authority of the Councils of the Church; (5) the apostolic authority of the Roman Church; (6) the authority of the ancient Fathers; (7) the authority of the scholastic theologians and canonists; (8) of natural reason; (9) the authority of the philosophers; 10) the authority of human history. Loculi, n.pl.; L. Literally, places. The receptacles or cavities in the walls of the catacombs for the dead. Logothete, n.; Gr. An office resembling that of chancellor in the service of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Longanimity, n,; L. The virtue whereby one perseveres for a protracted length of time in striving for some good, while resisting the inclinations to yield to sadness; one of the fruits of the Holy Ghost. Lord's Prayer, n.; A.S. The prayer which our Lord taught His disciples (Matt- 6:9-13); the prayer which in Ladn is the Pater Noster and in English the Our Father, and which is said in the Mass. (Cf. Pater Noster.) Loreto, n.; Fr. The city of Loreto, Italy, whose chief church contains under its central dome the traditional house occupied by our Lord at Nazareth; a celebrated shrine of the Blessed Virgin near Ancona in France. Loreto (Litany of), n.; It. The litany which is recited in honour of the Blessed Virgin. Lourdes, n.; Fr. A small town in the south of France celebrated because of the apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858; the grotto and shrine erected there at the spring which arose at the time of the apparitions and where many miracles have been performed through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin; a place of modern pilgrimage. Love, n.; A.S. The theological virtue of charity. Low Mass, n.; L.,A.S. The common form in which Mass is celebrated, a Mass which is neither a High Mass nor a sung Mass. (Cf. Mass.) Low Sunday, n.; A.S. The first Sunday after Easter is known by this name; it closes the octave of Easter. Also, White Sunday or quasimodo. Lucernarium, n.; L., Fr. An ancient evening office; name applied to Vespers but no longer used. Referred to sometimes as the blessing of fire on Holy Saturday and the lighting of the Paschal candle. Luna, n.; L. The small case with a hinged side, into which the lunette is placed; it is the receptacle in which the Host for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is reserved. (Cf, Capsula.) Lunette, n.; L. A circular case which fits into the enclosed center of the monstrance and in which the Blessed Sacrament is held while being exposed. Lust, n.; A.S. The excessive appetite for carnal pleasure, especially that experienced in sexual gratification. It is excessive and unreasonable when such pleasure is sought in a way that is not in keeping with the end for which the appetite is given to man, as the procreation of children, or when the appetite is indulged to excess. It is one of the capital sins or vices because it so easily leads to other sins. Its contrary virtue is chastity. (Cf. Capital sins.) Lustral (water), adj. The hallowed water which is called "blessed" by the Church. Ordinarily called holy water.