Indulgences: For real or just a motivator?

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Hi. Can somebody help me please.
I don’t understand indulgences. I know there are two kinds (plenary and partial) but, who chooses the type of indulgence for x activity? How are they determined? Why at one point a couple years ago (can’t remember exact details) did the Vatican (Pope) say you could get such-and-such (say, for example, graces of all sacraments before you die) if you did all the following: pray, go to communion, go to Eucharistic Adoration, and go to confession. Or take the promises of the rosary. For example, Mary will intervene on your behalf at death and you will not have purgatory- if you say the rosary everyday. Are these to be taken literally? And what if you have two of the same type of indulgences…does it strengthen them or do they become irrelevant?? Who decides? How is it decided? Why is it decided a certain way? How come Pope has authority to do it? Did he talk to God? Are all indulgences given revealed to us via saints? Help me get it. Many Thanks, Lisa
 
flowerfresh said:
Hi. Can somebody help me please.
I don’t understand indulgences. I know there are two kinds (plenary and partial) but, who chooses the type of indulgence for x activity? How are they determined? Why at one point a couple years ago (can’t remember exact details) did the Vatican (Pope) say you could get such-and-such (say, for example, graces of all sacraments before you die) if you did all the following: pray, go to communion, go to Eucharistic Adoration, and go to confession. Or take the promises of the rosary. For example, Mary will intervene on your behalf at death and you will not have purgatory- if you say the rosary everyday. Are these to be taken literally? And what if you have two of the same type of indulgences…does it strengthen them or do they become irrelevant?? Who decides? How is it decided? Why is it decided a certain way? How come Pope has authority to do it? Did he talk to God? Are all indulgences given revealed to us via saints? Help me get it. Many Thanks, Lisa
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The “promises of the rosary” are not an indulgence, however praying the rosary is an indulgenced act.

Many partial indulgences may be obtained on the same day.

The Catholic Church has determined what the indulgenced acts are and how they may be obtained. These norms are periodically revised, and the current norms are in the Enchiridion Indulgentarium fourth edition.

vatican.va/roman_curia/tribunals/apost_penit/documents/rc_trib_appen_doc_20020826_enchiridion-indulgentiarum_lt.html

The* Indulgentarium Doctrina of Pope Paul VI,* explains the doctrines:

vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-vi_apc_19670101_indulgentiarum-doctrina_en.html

That document states:The Church, aware of these truths ever since its origins, formulated and undertook various ways of applying the fruits of the Lord’s redemption to the individual faithful and of leading them to cooperate in the salvation of their brothers, so that the entire body of the Church might be prepared in justice and sanctity for the complete realization of the kingdom of God, when he will be all things to all men.
The Apostles themselves, in fact, exhorted their disciples to pray for the salvation of sinners.(23) This very ancient usage of the Church has blessedly persevered,(24) particularly in the practice of penitents invoking the intercession of the entire commu-nity, (25) and when the dead are assisted with suffrages, particularly through the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice.(26)
…

The bishops, therefore, prudently assessing these matters, established the manner and the measure of the satisfaction to be made and indeed permitted canonical penances to be replaced by other possibly easier works, which would be useful to the common good and suitable for fostering piety, to be performed by the penitents themselves and sometimes by others among the faithful.
Catechism:1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of Penance.
What is an indulgence?
"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints."81
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin."82 The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.83
 
Part of understanding indulgences in understanding the “guilt of sin” and the “punishment due to restore justice”. See my site concerning the reason of purgatory for insight in to guilt being forgiven and punishment to restore justice.
softvocation.org/2014/09/24/the-last-things-part-i/

When you receive an indulgence, someone else actually “suffered a kind of punishment”. And that punishment “paid in excess” is applied to your debt. So when you receive an indulgence, do not think it was easy for the Saint from whom the suffering came.
 
Understanding the Sacraments we can understand most fully how the Church is Christ’s instrument. The authority Christ gave the Church (“binding and loosing”) is how one can understand how God communicates the power of indulgences.

But we need to properly understand what an indulgence is.

We go to Sacramental confession and our sins are forgiven.

End of story, right? God forgives so we no longer risk damnation. Forgive and forget? It’s all good lets go have a beer!

Not if we have any sense of the damage sin can cause.

For those whose sins are forgiven {by Sacramental confession} that does not wipe away the after effects of many sins. There can be consequences.

Say you steal the TV from your neighbor and you get caught. The neighbor may forgive you; but there is at least the consequence of needing to make restitution. You give the TV back; or if it was damaged buy a new one. There may be more consequences depending on the sin.

The lingering consequences can be understood as temporal punishment.
The penalty that God in his justice inflicts either on earth or in Purgatory for sins, even though already forgiven as to guilt.
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So when one is forgiven of sin and follow the path God has called us Catholics (we best learn these from the Teaching Authority of the Church) - we can lessen or remove these temporal punishments. God also allows us to offer this for souls in purgatory. God offers us the ability to help each other. To lessen another’s pain. A child, a parent, a brother or a sister, a friend, or even strangers. It’s the beauty of the Communion of Saints. And the beauty of God to desire only our good - when we don’t merit it.
 
To answer the question in the thread title, as with many Catholic things, it’s “and/both.” It’s an real and a motivator.

The bishops have authority to grant indulgences due to the authority given them by Christ to bind and lose (Matt. 18:18). The Pope is the supreme bishop so he of course has supreme authority in this regard.

What an indulgence is conditioned on solely in the discretion of the Pope o bishop granting the indulgence, provided that the condition is not sinful.

Here’s the most thorough explanation of indulgences I think you’ll find. It’s also a very dry and somewhat tedious read:
archive.org/details/cu31924029399080

Just to add, the Catholic Church teaches there to be three parts to repentance:
  1. contrition
  2. confession
  3. satisfaction (aka bringing forth fruits worthy of repentance).
Indulgences apply to the obligation of #3, to make satisfaction or to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.
 
I love indulgences! I am a lowly sinner, and I need all the help I can get!

Just today, I’ve applied prayers/acts towards the (hopefully) plenary indulgence of praying for Christ the King, ““Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer – Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King.” PLENARY INDULGENCE when this prayer is publicly recited on the feast of our Lord Jesus Christ King. Otherwise the indulgence is partial.” (Source)

The usual conditions must ALWAYS be met:

  1. *]Reception of the Eucharist (which means you must receive it AND not be in mortal sin without confessing)/(on the prescribed day, such as Christ the King, if so indicated)
    *]Confession, within a week before or after the indulgenced act
    *]Hail Mary, Our Father, said for the intentions of the Pope

    Plenary (full) indulgences of punishment must also have no attachment to any sin, even venial. Otherwise, it’s a partial.

    Divine Mercy Sunday was my last application for a Plenary Indulgence.

    I am confident in my soul and heart, from our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, through the Catholic Church, that indulgences are real.
 
ccmcmg said:
I love indulgences! I am a lowly sinner, and I need all the help I can get!

Just today, I’ve applied prayers/acts towards the (hopefully) plenary indulgence of praying for Christ the King, ““Most sweet Jesus, Redeemer – Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Jesus Christ King.” PLENARY INDULGENCE when this prayer is publicly recited on the feast of our Lord Jesus Christ King. Otherwise the indulgence is partial.” (Source)

The usual conditions must ALWAYS be met:

  1. *]Reception of the Eucharist (which means you must receive it AND not be in mortal sin without confessing)/(on the prescribed day, such as Christ the King, if so indicated)
    *]Confession, within a week before or after the indulgenced act
    *]Hail Mary, Our Father, said for the intentions of the Pope

    Plenary (full) indulgences of punishment must also have no attachment to any sin, even venial. Otherwise, it’s a partial.

    Divine Mercy Sunday was my last application for a Plenary Indulgence.

    I am confident in my soul and heart, from our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit, through the Catholic Church, that indulgences are real.
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  1. It’s even good when confession is about 20 days before or after the indulgenced act!
 
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