Indulgences Granted for Reading Scripture?

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Fair_Lady

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For the purpose of this thread, I am referring to the answer of one the Quick Questions from The Rock:
catholic.com/thisrock/quickquestions/?qid=290

The following statement really grabbed my attention:
“The Church even grants indulgences for reading the Bible. The Handbook of Indulgences explains, “A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who read Sacred Scripture with the veneration due God’s word and as a form of spiritual reading. The indulgence will be a plenary one when such reading is for at least one-half hour” (p. 80).”

Can someone please explain that?
 
Fair_Lady said:
For the purpose of this thread, I am referring to the answer of one the Quick Questions from The Rock:
catholic.com/thisrock/quickquestions/?qid=290

The following statement really grabbed my attention:
“The Church even grants indulgences for reading the Bible. The Handbook of Indulgences explains, “A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who read Sacred Scripture with the veneration due God’s word and as a form of spiritual reading. The indulgence will be a plenary one when such reading is for at least one-half hour” (p. 80).”

Can someone please explain that?
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This is what the Catechism teaches on what an indulgence is:
X. INDULGENCES
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
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"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
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The punishments of sin

1472 To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin. On the other hand every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the “temporal punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.84
**
**
1473 The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin, but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the “old man” and to put on the "new man."85
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scborromeo.org/ccc/p2s2c2a4.htm

When reading the Holy Scriptures, if we do it to seek God’s wisdom and become more Christ-like, we then are blessed with graces. As we seek more and more time with God and the Scriptures, we are blessed, as stated through the Catholic Church, with a special grace called an indulgence.

My understanding (and perhaps someone could clarify too) is that while Jesus Christ died for all of our sins, we are still “stained” with our sins when we die: our souls and hearts are not yet perfect after we die. An indulgence could help you (or a deceased loved one) spend less “time” in Purgatory (Purgatory is where we have “temporal punishment due to sin” and is where God is refining our hearts for heaven.
 
Congratulations FL. You just found one of the best antidotes to the allegation that we Catholics are not encouraged to read our Bibles. 👍

That indulgence wouldn’t be attached to Bible reading if the Church didn’t want us reading it. 🙂
Have a blessed new year!
 
I found this in my Confraternity NT. This is the only other that I read besides the Douay and the Latin Vulgate.

Pope Leo XII granted to the faithful who shall read at least a quarter of an hour the books of the sacred scripture with the veneration due to the Divine Word and as spiritual reading an individual indulgence of 300 days - Preces et Pia Opera 645.

I would also read encyclicals Providentissimus Deus by Pope Leo XII and Spiritus Paracletus by Pope Benedict XV
 
Black_Knight said:
Congratulations FL. You just found one of the best antidotes to the allegation that we Catholics are not encouraged to read our Bibles. 👍
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That is something really shocking about what some of my Protestant friends say to me about being Catholic: that I must not read the Bible. :confused: One ex-Catholic/Protestant lady told me “We stopped being Catholic because they don’t read the Bible, you know?” and I told her “No I don’t know what you’re talking about— when was the last time you went to Mass?”

I mean we have three separate readings from the Bible, as well as many other prayers and movements based on Biblical teaching.

What’s nice though is that Catholics are SO devoted to the Christian faith that we also read sacred writings from the Saints and Church Fathers! If anything, other Christian groups are missing out on the faith. 👍
 
Angelic_Rose said:
That is something really shocking about what some of my Protestant friends say to me about being Catholic: that I must not read the Bible. :confused: One ex-Catholic/Protestant lady told me “We stopped being Catholic because they don’t read the Bible, you know?” and I told her “No I don’t know what you’re talking about— when was the last time you went to Mass?”
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👍 Good response!
I mean we have three separate readings from the Bible, as well as many other prayers and movements based on Biblical teaching.
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Which tells you that she didn’t know much about either the Word of God or her Catholic faith to begin with doesn’t it? No wonder she’s been led astray.:hmmm:
What’s nice though is that Catholics are SO devoted to the Christian faith that we also read sacred writings from the Saints and Church Fathers! If anything, other Christian groups are missing out on the faith. 👍
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Exactly! They seem to forget that the Christian faith has been around about 4 times as long as the reformation based denominations and while they wrongly claim that all they do and believe is based solely on the Bible the closer one investigates that, the more clearly it proves to be untrue…just like her remark to you.

You might point out that the New Testament, the Catholic Church, and the early church all agree on the Eucharist and then ask her how she can claim to follow the Bible she claims we never read for a faith community that agrees with none of the above. You might print a copy of this article, originally posted here on CAF, and see if that opens any doors for you and the Holy Spirit. The Eucharist IS Scriptural
 
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