Indulgences

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jhigh

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Could someone please explain these to me, or point me to somewhere where I can do some research? It’s one of the larger points that I’m having an issue. It just seems kind of ludicrous to me that I can be granted indulgences based on what seem to be totally arbitrary metrics such as, “read your Bible for fifteen minutes.”

Help?
 
Everything truly good we do for God has value before God.

A prayer, a glass of water… an aspiration to the love of God… nothing is lost…

It is no surprise then, that indulgences are given to such works. Penances due for sins are great. When others make up part of the penance for us, we must be very grateful. 🙂

Partial indulgences are much smaller in these days than they used to be. We need everything we can get.
 
I guess maybe I’m a little confused, also, on the difference between penance and indulgences…
 
jhigh said:
Could someone please explain these to me, or point me to somewhere where I can do some research? It’s one of the larger points that I’m having an issue. It just seems kind of ludicrous to me that I can be granted indulgences based on what seem to be totally arbitrary metrics such as, “read your Bible for fifteen minutes.”

Help?
Click to expand...
I would start by reading the following, then, if you still have questions, get back to us, please:

catholic.com/library/Primer_on_Indulgences.asp

catholic.com/thisrock/2006/0609fea3.asp

catholic.com/thisrock/1994/9411fea1sb3.asp

catholic.com/library/Myths_About_Indulgences.asp

catholic.com/thisrock/2006/0609fea3sb.asp

catholic.com/thisrock/1994/9411fea1sb1.asp
 
jhigh said:
Could someone please explain these to me, or point me to somewhere where I can do some research? It’s one of the larger points that I’m having an issue. It just seems kind of ludicrous to me that I can be granted indulgences based on what seem to be totally arbitrary metrics such as, “read your Bible for fifteen minutes.”

Help?
Click to expand...
Lets start at the beginning. Someone dies and receives immediate judgment. If they go to heaven they are a Saint. If they go to hell they are lost. Otherwise it is purgatory where they have their soul cleaned (temporal punishment). If you do works defined as indulgence you serve some piece of their punishment.
jhigh said:
I guess maybe I’m a little confused, also, on the difference between penance and indulgences…
Click to expand...
Penance is for you before you die and thus reduces your temporal punishment, indulgence is for the souls in purgatory, it reduces their temporal punishment. When someone dies and you attend their rosary, your time in pray for them reduces that person’s individual temporal punishment. If you do a rosary not dedicated it is plenary and reduces the temporal punishment of an un-named soul in purgatory.

Now if you die with repented sins but a lack of penance you go to purgatory not heaven. If you do more penance than you needed then the excess goes to plenary indulgences and helps souls in purgatory.

At least this is my understanding
 
jhigh said:
Could someone please explain these to me, or point me to somewhere where I can do some research? It’s one of the larger points that I’m having an issue. It just seems kind of ludicrous to me that I can be granted indulgences based on what seem to be totally arbitrary metrics such as, “read your Bible for fifteen minutes.”

Help?
Click to expand...
The church declaring an indulgence is a bit like the church declaring someone to be a saint. It’s not that their saying so creates the reality, they are just passing on what the Holy Spirit guides them to teach.

As you know, there are many saints in heaven who are not canonised, because it is not God’s pleasure to reveal to us that they are with Him in heaven. Doesn’t change the fact that they are there, and doesn’t prevent us from praying to anyone we believe might be in heaven. Doesn’t mean that they are less worthy of being prayed to than the canonised saints either. It’s a matter of how much the Church can find out about their life, for one thing - they want to have a reasonably detailed picture of a person before they are canonised. And some people simply live quieter, less well-recorded lives that make this difficult or impossible.

In the same way, there are many things we do (like reading the Bible for five or ten minutes) that doubtless are very pleasing to God. It’s just that He and the Holy Spirit don’t wish to teach us that they are indulgenced.

Why not? Well, perhaps simply because they want to encourage us to spend more time than five or ten minutes with Scripture when we do read it. 🤷
 
jhigh said:
It just seems kind of ludicrous to me that I can be granted indulgences based on what seem to be totally arbitrary metrics such as, “read your Bible for fifteen minutes.”
Click to expand...
Well they had to pick some particular measurement of time. Two minutes would be too easy (and not enough time for what you’ve read to have much influence) and 6 hours would be too hard/inconvenient for the average busy working person (and your eyes would glaze over and you’d fail to absorb most of the spiritual message of your reading).

Just like the speed limit on the roads is an arbitrary figure, but it’s obvious that going too fast is dangerous and going too slow will inconvenience others.
 
jhigh said:
Could someone please explain these to me, or point me to somewhere where I can do some research? It’s one of the larger points that I’m having an issue. It just seems kind of ludicrous to me that I can be granted indulgences based on what seem to be totally arbitrary metrics such as, “read your Bible for fifteen minutes.”

Help?
Click to expand...
Induglences are the remission of the temporal punishment due to our sins. When we die, we must go through a purgation (cleansing) of our soul, which is marked and marred by a life of sin, before we can enter Heaven, since only purity can be in Heaven (and deservedly so). Whenever we suffer for the sake of our Savior, whether it is by fasting, praying or almsgiving, we are making up for the damage our sins have caused to mankind, hence, the need for purgation after death is taken away or lessened.

“Induglence” is just the fancy word for “removal of the punishment necessary to cleanse our souls in preparation for Heaven”. You can either cleanse yourself on earth (by praying, fasting, almsgiving) and receive “indulgences”, or you can do it in purgatory after you die. God, in His great mercy and love for us, has afforded us the opportunity to get it done on earth so our time in purgatory may be lessened, or even eliminated altogether.

There are many ways to gain indulgences (either partial or penary [total remission]). You could visit with the Blessed Sacrament for one hour; say a group Rosary; go to Stations of the Cross on Fridays during Lent; the list goes on and on. These acts of adoration to our Lord are for our benefit. He recognizes our meeger acts of love and rewards us greatly for them.

Remember how Jesus told the thief on the cross next to him, how he would be in Heaven with Him that day. Our God is a merciful God, and our grossly inadequate shows of affection go a long way! Indulgences are a wonderful gift from God and should be taken advantage of by everyone!

This, too, is the purpose of our penance when we go to confession - to make up for the sins we’ve committed. Although our penance may not be sufficient in light of the damage our sins may have caused, indulgences help.

FYI… you can offer your indulgences for the souls in purgatory, or you may keep them for yourself.
 
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