Indulgences and the Year of the Eucharist
To understand what an indulgence is, we have to know what our sin does to ourselves and the world. When we commit sin, two things happen. First, we kill the life of grace within us. This deserves punishment. Spiritually, a sinner is a dead man, walking. Second, by removing grace from ourselves, we also remove grace from the created universe. Thus, each sin, no matter how venial, attacks both the moral order of the universe and the very material of creation itself.
Forgiveness
When God pours out mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, He does something we have no right to expect – He forgives our sins and restores the life of grace within us, resurrecting us from death. As a result, we must act (penance) to change our life and renew our way of living (amendment of life). However, though we have been resurrected, we still deserve punishment for the attack we made on God’s creation. Further, the horrible consequences of our attack, which removed grace from creation, continue to affect the world even if we ourselves have been healed through the sacrament. God expects us to help repair the damage.
II. Repair Work
We can do this repair work either here on earth or in Purgatory. Since God intended us to live with our bodies united with our souls, it is much easier to do this repair work here. In Purgatory, our bodies and souls are separate. The suffering of Purgatory is always much more painful than suffering on earth because it’s harder to do the necessary repair work when the body isn’t around to help.
III. The Storehouse
John Cardinal Newman said, “ The smallest venial sin rocks the foundations of the created world.” That is, even our smallest sin can cause devastating consequences in creation... However, through God’s grace, the holiness of even the lowliest saint far exceeds the harm that even the greatest sinner could do. Further, Christ’s work on the Cross is infinitely greater in merit than that of the greatest saint in Christendom, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thus, the graces won by Christ and the saints are an infinite treasure that can be used to heal the wounds of the world. God intends us to use this treasury – indeed, we could not help wipe out the effects of our sin without the divine treasury God established. An indulgence, then, applies the graces won by Christ and the saints to the world so as to heal the wounds I caused by my sins. When I perform an indulgenced act, I act in obedience to God through His Church. The Church responds to my obedience by making available the grace necessary to render my punishment unnecessary and heal the world. The effects of my sin in the world… can be brought to an end. A plenary indulgence heals all of the effects of one person’s sins. A partial indulgence heals part of the effects. I can win indulgences only for myself or those in Purgatory, who have need of assistance because they currently lack bodies. Indulgences cannot be applied towards other living persons. Every living person is supposed to do his own acts of obedience to help heal the worldly effects of his own sinfulness. (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1471-1473)
The Three Classes of Indulgenced Works
Prayer
The Christian who, during the performance of his duties and endurance of the difficulties of life, raises his mind in humility and trust to God while making, at least mentally, a pious invocation (may earn a partial indulgence).
Almsgiving
The Christian who, due to his faith, devotes himself or his possessions in loving service to men in need (partial indulgence).
Fasting
The Christian who, in penitence, voluntarily abstains from something which is permitted and pleasing (partial indulgence).
A plenary indulgence can be obtained any day of the year by doing any one of the following:
· Adoring the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour,
· Devoutly reading Scripture for at least one half hour,
· Devoutly performing the Stations of the Cross,
· Reciting the Rosary with members of the family, or in a church, oratory, religious community or pious association.
For a partial indulgence, the work must be done while in a state of grace and with the general intention of earning an indulgence.
Requirements for obtaining a plenary indulgence:
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Do the work while in a state of grace
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Receive Sacramental confession (several plenary indulgences may be earned per reception)
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Receive Eucharistic communion (one plenary indulgence may be earned per reception)
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Pray for the Pope’s intentions (Our Father and Hail Mary, or other appropriate prayer, is sufficient)
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Have no attachment to sin (even venial) – i.e., the Christian makes an act of the will to love God and despise sin.
Notes:
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Only baptized persons in a state of grace who generally intend to do so may earn indulgences.
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Indulgences cannot be applied to the living, but only to the one doing the work or to the dead.
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Only one plenary indulgence per day can be earned (except for the prayer at the hour of one’s own death).
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Several partial indulgences can be earned during the same day.
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If only a part of a work with plenary indulgence attached is completed, a partial indulgence still obtains.
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If the penance assigned in confession has indulgences attached, the one work can satisfy both penance and indulgence.
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Confessors may commute the work or the conditions if the penitent cannot perform them due to legitimate obstacles.
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In groups, indulgenced prayer must be recited by at least one member while the others at least mentally follow the prayer.
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If speech/hearing impairments make recitation impossible, mental expression or reading of the prayer is sufficient.
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For an indulgence attached to a particular day requiring a church visit, the day begins at noon the day before and ends at midnight.
Special Plenary Indulgences for the Eucharistic Year
The Pope has instituted special indulgences for the Year of the Eucharist (October 2004 through October 2005) to re-emphasize the importance of this ancient teaching.
1) Each time the faithful participate attentively and piously in a sacred function or a devotion undertaken in honor of the Blessed Sacrament, solemnly exposed or conserved in the tabernacle, and satisfy the usual conditions, they may earn a plenary indulgence.
2)All who are obligated by law to recite the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as those who customarily recite the Divine Office out of pure devotion, each and every time they recite - at the end of the day, in company or private - vespers and night prayers before the Lord present in the tabernacle, and satisfy the usual conditions, may earn a plenary indulgence.
Those legitimately unable to attend devotions but who make a spiritual visit with the heart’s desire, hold a spirit of faith in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar and pray the Our Father and the Creed, adding a pious invocation to Jesus in the Sacrament (for example, “May the Most Holy Sacrament be blessed and praised forever”), or those unable to do even this who unite their sufferings to Christ in the sacrament and intend to accomplish the three conditions as soon as possible, may also earn the plenary indulgence.
(Portions of this text are reproduced with permission, Copyright, Bridegroom Press, 2004, www.bridegroompress.com. Taken from the “Keys to Grace, Calendar of Indulgences.” Nihil Obstat: Msgr. Stephen P. Rohlfs, Censer Librorum. Imprimatur: Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, Catholic Diocese of Peoria. The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book is free of doctrinal and moral error. No implication is contained herein that those who have granted the nihil obstat and imprimatur agree with the content, opinions, or statements expressed.)