For Catholics, a Door to Absolution Is Reopened

[JRPV]

JR:

Are you suggesting that they (the vast majority of Catholics) don’t know about plenary indulgences because the Church intentionally kept it a secret? Is that what you are saying? Because if it is, you are totality incorrect.

This is where my discussion with Giliam lead. I have no reason to believe it was kept a secret, but I can guarantee you virtually no Catholic I knows of them, has taken them or pays them any mind at all.

JR:
During those special years I mentioned in a previous post, the Plenary Indulgences were well publicized.

I have no reason to believe this is not true, except my experience, which is limited to, of course, MY experience.

JR:
Or are you saying that the people in charge of catechizing the children of the Church did a really bad job and that’s why Plenary Indulgences are the best kep secret in the solar system? If that is what you are saying, I have to admit that from 1965 to roughly 2000 Catholic kids certainly did get the short end of the stick when it came to being properly catechized.

Well, this was certainly me. We were left behind (no pun intended) and continue to be left behind, which is why I have to fight for every piece of understanding I have.

JRleanary Indulgences have never been hidden away or kept secret, so it is no new thing that is being announced, no change in Standard Operating Procedures. It is just a slow news day for the TImes.

My guess is that it was not a slow news day. In the end, let’s not kid ourselves, the idea of paying to get into Heaven (as it used to be in practice) is sickening; the idea of doing good works as a feature distinguishing Catholics from the pre-destinarians is part of the beauty of Catholicism. So while the good works and emphasis on personal sin is much needed and quality lessons to be extolled, the idea of contribution is clearly more problematic.

Thank you for your thoughtful responses.

Peace.

 

[JAGCath28]

I saw this article when a friend posted it up on facebook. He’s Lutheran and so the comment for the article was time to nail up the theses again.

I am a new Catholic so I will admit that indulgences were not touched on during my RCIA classes (possibly because I did it through the military). Anyway, I had heard about them before so recently I bought the Manual of Indulgences. My husband asked me why because he thought the church had done away with indulgences. He was a CCD kid.

Based on some of the information in the posts, it sounds like indulgences are given each year because of a special celebration. In the Old Testiment times, the Jews had special feast years such as the feast of Jubilee, ect. Would you say that the practice of indulgences might have originated from these traditions?

 

[Marsha_Adams]

Well, this was certainly me. We were left behind (no pun intended) and continue to be left behind, which is why I have to fight for every piece of understanding I have.

JP:

I also am a convert, I received instruction from a priest and did not go through RCIA. Thank God, that you have been willing to fight to learn your faith where the RCIA program left Gaps. Being an adult convert you were willing to hunt down answers to your questions. Kids in CCD often lack that maturity and determination. I suspect that a lot of CCD instructors and maybe some RCIA instructors too, are going to have a very disappointing hereafter for their betrayal of the trust of the souls given into their care for instruction.

 

[Verbum_Caro]

I have no reason to believe it was kept a secret, but I can guarantee you virtually no Catholic I knows of them, has taken them or pays them any mind at all.

Exactly, JRPV. That is why I used the term “malpractice” to describe those who taught your friend. The fact is that the teaching on indulgences never went away. The official modern book dealing with indulgences is in its ***4th ***edition (last updated in 1999). And, as has been mentioned, Papal references to indulgences, including special grants, are periodically made every few years or so.

All in all, the Church’s teaching on indulgences is “open and notorious”. (not “notorious” in a pejorative sense, rather in the legal sense).

Those who held themselves out to teach the Church’s doctrine had a duty to know and teach about indulgences (and there really was no excuse for the teachers not to know). This applies, also, unfortunately to parents as the primary educators of their children regarding the faith.

I have no reason to believe this is not true, except my experience, which is limited to, of course, MY experience.

Understood. But, again, these personal experiences indict either ourselves or our teachers for not *learning *about indulgences, not the Church, who has consistently taught them.

Well, this was certainly me. We were left behind (no pun intended) and continue to be left behind, which is why I have to fight for every piece of understanding I have.

Good for you! Keep at it! We all try to do the same.

God bless,
VC

 

[JRPV]

Thank you all for your thoughtful (name removed by moderator)ut. While my struggle likely differs from most of yours, in some sense it is likely quite similar. The hard time I have normalizing historical information and current practice is perhaps simply a burden I seek to bear because it gives me teaching … better yet learning moments. I neither know all or understand all, but I try to incorporate what comes my way, like the Plenary Indulgences. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

God Bless,
JRPV

 

[Nordar]

On Divine Mercy Sunday, if you attend Church for the exposition of The Blessed Sacrament at 3’0clock go to Confession and be free from sin. There is a plenary indugence that wipes ways ALL temporial punishment for all your past and present.

 

[Cider]

The newspaper and the very poorly catechized are the only ones not aware of this.

Yep, that pretty much sums it up.

 

[Marsha_Adams]

On Divine Mercy Sunday, if you attend Church for the exposition of The Blessed Sacrament at 3’0clock go to Confession and be free from sin. There is a plenary indugence that wipes ways ALL temporial punishment for all your past and present.

Nordar:

You can also get a plenary indulgence for saying the rosary. I clipped the following from the Catholic Company site.

Marsha

What indulgences can be gained by praying the rosary?

Indulgences are often a source of confusion for Catholics and non-Catholics alike, so let’s take a minute and make sure everyone is clear about the definition of “indulgence”.

In the bible, sin is viewed as having two basic consequences: guilt and punishment. Guilt is washed away when a person seeks forgiveness, however the need for punishment remains. To completely clear away sin the person must perform an action that will work towards healing the wounds his sin has caused. For example, if a child takes a piece of candy from the store he must apologize to the store manager (to cleanse his guilt) and also pay for the candy (to satisfy the punishment).

The bible also views punishment as having two basic categories: eternal (forever) or temporal (for a short time). For example, when the Jews disobeyed God during their time in the desert the Lord became angry with them and wanted to destroy them (an eternal punishment). Moses pleaded with God who agreed to allow the Jews to live. He forgave their sins (their guilt) but the need for punishment remained. No one in that generation would be allowed to enter the promised land (a temporal punishment).

So… after a person repents and his guilt has been forgiven, an indulgence cleanses the temporal punishment required because of sin. A plenary (complete) indulgence means the temporal punishment is totally cleansed. A partial indulgence means that some of the temporal punishment is cleansed.

Both a plenary and partial indulgence is available for praying the rosary. To gain a plenary indulgence the faithful must complete the following:

Be in a state of grace (free from mortal sin)
Be free from attachment to venial sin.
Go to confession several days before or after praying the Rosary.
Receive Holy Communion on the day you pray the Rosary.
Say a prayer for the Pope.
Pray the rosary in a church or family group, or religious Community.
Pray the five decades during one session
Pray vocally, announcing the Mysteries of the Rosary and then meditating on them.

To gain a partial indulgence individuals may pray the rosary in whole or in part.

 

[LilyM]

At the risk of looking totally ignorant, I thought once you confessed the sins and did your penance, you were free of the punishment. I read this article too and was confused. If you get punished after confession and completion of your penance what’s the point? Did I miss something here? Please tell me some twit at the AP didn’t do their homework.

When someone repents, God removes his guilt (Is. 1:18) and any eternal punishment (Rom. 5:9), but temporal penalties may remain. One passage demonstrating this is 2 Samuel 12, in which Nathan the prophet confronts David over his adultery:

“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan answered David: ‘The Lord on his part has forgiven your sin; you shall not die. But since you have utterly spurned the Lord by this deed, the child born to you must surely die’” (2 Sam. 12:13-14). God forgave David but David still had to suffer the loss of his son as well as other temporal punishments (2 Sam. 12:7-12). (For other examples, see: Numbers 14:13-23; 20:12; 27:12-14.)

Protestants realize that, while Jesus paid the price for our sins before God, he did not relieve our obligation to repair what we have done. They fully acknowledge that if you steal someone’s car, you have to give it back; it isn’t enough just to repent. God’s forgiveness (and man’s!) does not include letting you keep the stolen car.

Protestants also admit the principle of temporal penalties for sin, in practice, when discussing death. Scripture says death entered the world through original sin (Gen. 3:22-24, Rom. 5:12). When we first come to God we are forgiven, and when we sin later we are able to be forgiven, yet that does not free us from the penalty of physical death. Even the forgiven die; a penalty remains after our sins are forgiven. This is a temporal penalty since physical death is temporary and we will be resurrected (Dan. 12:2).

For more read: A Primer on Indulgences

also see: Purgatory

Good answer - I just wanted to add an example to clarify the distinction between temporal and eternal consequences of sin. It’s an often-used one, so forgive me if you see or hear it somewhere else.

Let’s say a child is playing ball and breaks a window in their parent’s house. Of course, since they love their parents, they will apologise for breaking the window. And the parent, being a good parent, will accept the apology, if sincere, and heartily forgive them. That is confession and the penance resulting from it - our expression of sorrow for our sin (by token of prayer as well as sacramental confession) and God’s forgiveness, through absolution.

Now to keep going with the analogy - there nonetheless remains the matter of the hole in the window, which needs to be repaired somehow. That’s the temporal consequences of our sin - the physical or psychological damage done to us and others by them.

The child who truly wants to put themselves at rights with their parents will do what they can to repair the damage, and not just apologise and go on their merry way.

The child who doesn’t have the money to do so might find a generous neighbour who wants to help the child and its parents, and says ‘ok, I’ll give you the money to pay for the repairs, but in return I want you to do something for me - mow my lawn’.

That in essence is what an indulgence is - the infinite merits of the Church are applied to reducing our temporal punishments, and in return we offer the prescribed prayers and do the prescribed acts.

 

[JimG]

Wow, I’m amazed that anyone thought that indulgences had ever gone away. They are a great treasure of the Church, although perhaps not taught very well. Here is an article from This Rock magazine. catholic.com/thisrock/1994/9411fea1sb2.asp