Confused by the Year of Mercy indulgence

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I’m a new convert (confirmed last Easter Vigil). I have read about the indulgence for the year of mercy and I’m confused. What exactly do I do, and what exactly will happen? I see lots of “remission of temporal plenary indulgence” stuff that I don’t understand. When we sin, then go to confession, we’re forgiven, but there is time in purgatory given anyway as punishment? So, if I go through the cathedral doors, and pray a Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be, my time in purgatory for past sins will be totally wiped out? Please, explain it like I’m five. Too much “church vocabulary” confuses it for me - I need it in plain English. Thanks!
 
BobRoss said:
I’m a new convert (confirmed last Easter Vigil). I have read about the indulgence for the year of mercy and I’m confused. What exactly do I do, and what exactly will happen? I see lots of “remission of temporal plenary indulgence” stuff that I don’t understand. When we sin, then go to confession, we’re forgiven, but there is time in purgatory given anyway as punishment? So, if I go through the cathedral doors, and pray a Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be, my time in purgatory for past sins will be totally wiped out? Please, explain it like I’m five. Too much “church vocabulary” confuses it for me - I need it in plain English. Thanks!
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Your sins are forgiven with the sacrament of Reconciliation. Purgatory is not a physical place, and time ‘there’ does not exist. Indulgences are not really comprehensible. You can find the official explanation in the Catechism. Here is the link.

vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
 
BobRoss said:
I’m a new convert (confirmed last Easter Vigil). I have read about the indulgence for the year of mercy and I’m confused. What exactly do I do, and what exactly will happen? I see lots of “remission of temporal plenary indulgence” stuff that I don’t understand. When we sin, then go to confession, we’re forgiven, but there is time in purgatory given anyway as punishment? So, if I go through the cathedral doors, and pray a Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be, my time in purgatory for past sins will be totally wiped out? Please, explain it like I’m five. Too much “church vocabulary” confuses it for me - I need it in plain English. Thanks!
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The partial indulgence is not measured in time anymore. For a partial indulgence, the Church also adds and **equal amount **of merit to that of the indulgenced act.

At one time, indulgences were given in days or years, Catholic Encyclopedia explains “To say that an indulgence of so many days or years is granted means that it cancels an amount of purgatorial punishment equivalent to that which would have been remitted, in the sight of God, by the performance of so many days or years of the ancient canonical penance. Here, evidently, the reckoning makes no claim to absolute exactness; it has only a relative value.”

In 1967 the indulgences on penances were reformed and the measure is now in “proportion to the degree to which the charity of the one performing the act is greater, and in proportion to the degree to which the act itself is performed in a more perfect way”.

(Indulgentarium Doctrina)

“Since by their acts the faithful can obtain, in addition to the merit which is the principal fruit of the act, a further remission of temporal punishment in proportion to the degree to which the charity of the one performing the act is greater, and in proportion to the degree to which the act itself is performed in a more perfect way, it has been considered fitting that this remission of temporal punishment which the Christian faithful acquire through an action should serve as the measurement for the remission of punishment which the ecclesiastical authority bountifully adds by way of partial indulgence.”

newadvent.org/library/docs_pa06id.htm
 
BobRoss said:
I’m a new convert (confirmed last Easter Vigil). I have read about the indulgence for the year of mercy and I’m confused. What exactly do I do, and what exactly will happen? I see lots of “remission of temporal plenary indulgence” stuff that I don’t understand. When we sin, then go to confession, we’re forgiven, but there is time in purgatory given anyway as punishment? So, if I go through the cathedral doors, and pray a Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be, my time in purgatory for past sins will be totally wiped out? Please, explain it like I’m five. Too much “church vocabulary” confuses it for me - I need it in plain English. Thanks!
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Yes, there is punishment for sins already forgiven. You can find this in the Bible in the incident of King David’s sin with Bathsheba. (See 2 Samuel 12:13-14)

Here’s why there’s still punishment. Imagine I was angry at you and threw a rock through your window, breaking it. Later I’m sorry, and you, being the wonderful person you are, forgive me.

Are we done? No, there’s still a broken window that needs to be repaired. In all fairness, who should have to pay for it? I should, shouldn’t I?

When we sin, we cause damage, and that damage needs to be repaired. That is why atonement is necessary. Now, as for your question about a Hail Mary, Our Father, and Glory Be totally wiping out any punishment, that would depend on how much sin you’re talking about. Most likely that would be a partial indulgence, but there are plenary indulgences which wipe out all punishment due to sin.

Here’s a link if you want to know more about indulgences:
catholic.org/prayers/indulgc.php

And here’s a link about plenary indulgences:
ourladyswarriors.org/indulge/plenary.htm

Hope this helps! 🙂
 
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