Indulgences: Meaning of Temporal Punishment

[dts]

I am trying to clarify my understanding of indulgences. I have read the catechism and this article in the Catholic Encyclopedia:

newadvent.org/cathen/07783a.htm
"An indulgence is the extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment due, in God’s justice, to sin that has been forgiven, which remission is granted by the Church in the exercise of the power of the keys, through the application of the superabundant merits of Christ and of the saints, and for some just and reasonable motive. "

I am having difficulty comprehending the meaning of “temporal punishment due, in God’s justice.” I can’t seem to conceptualize or categorize it.

Can someone give me some examples of temporal punishment due in God’s justice? Clearly death is a temporal punishment due in God’s justice, but no indulgence can remit that.

 

[Genesis315]

Temporal punishment purifies us. If we don’t receive it in this life, we receive it before entering Heaven in Purgatory:

Heb. 12:5 And you have forgotten the consolation, which speaketh to you, as unto children, saying: My son, neglect not the discipline of the Lord; neither be thou wearied whilst thou art rebuked by him.

6 For whom the Lord loveth, he chastiseth; and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 Persevere under discipline. God dealeth with you as with his sons; for what son is there, whom the father doth not correct? 8 But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are made partakers, then are you bastards, and not sons. 9 Moreover we have had fathers of our flesh, for instructors, and we reverenced them: shall we not much more obey the Father of spirits, and live? 10 And they indeed for a few days, according to their own pleasure, instructed us: but he, for our profit, that we might receive his sanctification.

11 Now all chastisement for the present indeed seemeth not to bring with it joy, but sorrow: but afterwards it will yield, to them that are exercised by it, the most peaceable fruit of justice.

 

[OraEtLabora]

Imagine a child playing ball in the front yard, and he throws the ball through the window of the house, breaking it. His father comes home, and seeing how sorry the boy is for breaking the window, he reasures him that it is okay and he will pay to have the window fixed. So we have the sin (the breaking of the window), the repentance (the boy is sorry), and the forgiveness (the father will pay for the window), but the window is still broken. The temporal punishment due corresponds to the actual repair of the window.

Sin damages the soul, and even though we are forgiven our sins, the soul is still damaged. It is as though our soul is a fine piece of wood, and when we sin we drive nails into it. When we are forgiven, the nail is removed, but it leaves a small hole. This is the neccesity for purgatory. Any blemish on our soul will be completely repaired when we suffer temporal punishment in purgatory.