Catholic Dictionary
Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.
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ADJURATION
Using the name of God or of a saint or the mention of some holy thing to confirm a command or a request. At the trial of Jesus the high priest said to him, "I put you on oath by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God" (Matthew 26:63). Many of the liturgical prayers of the Church end with the adjuration "through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever."
To be licitly employed, and adjuration must be made in the name of the true God or of some truly sacred person or object; there must be a lawful purpose in mind; and the occasion should be of some importance to warrant the solemn invocation of God or some sacred name.
