Atonement.

[FireFromHeaven]

I’m having trouble understanding the catholic idea of atonement. Is it that Jesus sacrifice allows us to atone for and do penance for sins? But if his sacrifice was atonement, why is penance still necessary? Any good articles would be nice.

 

[JerryZ]

Atonement is the final repair of the break that ocurred between man and God when Adam sinned.
We could not repair the damage by ourselves “Death was the price to pay” and God came down as man and payed the price for us.
He also at the same time payed for all our sins past present and future.
However there is a catch, we have to be repentant from them and we need to make restitution (penance) or do you think that we can just enjoy the free ride on Jesus sufferings.
Penance should be our focusing on the great price that bought our forgiveness so that we might strive more fervently to sin no more.

Peace!

 

[FireFromHeaven]

Atonement is the final repair of the break that ocurred between man and God when Adam sinned.
We could not repair the damage by ourselves “Death was the price to pay” and God came down as man and payed the price for us.
He also at the same time payed for all our sins past present and future.
However there is a catch, we have to be repentant from them and we need to make restitution (penance) or do you think that we can just enjoy the free ride on Jesus sufferings.
Penance should be our focusing on the great price that bought our forgiveness so that we might strive more fervently to sin no more.

Peace!

Why is there a catch? What role do indulgences play in this?

 

[Zekariya]

Christ’s Atonement saved us from eternal punishment. Only those who die in a state of grace are in purgatory.

Baptism washes away our eternal and temporal punishment. When you commit a sin after baptism, there is a temporal punishment you must pay.

An example: A lapsed Catholic murders a man. His temporal punishment is life in prison. He confesses the sin (with true repentance) and is absolved. He still must pay the temporal punishment either in prison for life or in purgatory.

We can offer our penance, sufferings, prayers, and indulgences on behalf of our sins or others’ sins to lessen purgatory.

An indulgence pays for our temporal punishments that we earn from sin that we commit. When we die, if we have not paid for all of our temporal punishments, we will pay for them in purgatory.

A partial indulgence remits part of our temporal punishment. A plenary indulgence remits all of our temporal punishment we have earned up to that point.

Note: Baptism remits all sins and temporal punishment. Confession remits only sins.

We can gain indulgences for the poor souls in purgatory and pray for them.

 

[ready]

We need to make reparation for every sinful thought, word, deed, and omission on our part. Jesus Christ has redeemed every one of us by His death on the cross, but we still need to atone for all the sins we have committed after our baptism – we obtain indulgences, accept penances/trails patiently, do voluntary penances and good works to make reparation for our sins. Jesus redeemed all of us by dying on the cross, but by his death he did not obtain salvation for each and every one of us – this requires our own cooperation. Jesus’ death freed man from his sins and reopened the gates of Heaven, His redemption was universal; but redemption continues to this day on an individual level with the application of the merits of Jesus’ death towards every individual who enters newly into the world, through our co-redeeming meritorious prayers and works said and done for souls in union with the merits of Christ Passion and Death. God bless you.