Particular help with two specific Indulgences

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Jaberwocky

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I have two questions I would like some help with regarding Indulgence.

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The first is with respect to the Plenary Indulgence granted for adoration in front of the Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour.

ourladyswarriors.org/indulge/g3.htm

Are there other conditions for this plenary indulgence? I do plan to go to confession before adoration. Is that sufficient? How often can it be obtained?

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My second question is regarding plenary indulgence offered for the soul of a particular dead person. The understanding I have is that one plenary indulgence = one soul released from purgatory.

So my question is why do we continue to pray and perhaps offer another plenary indulgence at a later time for that same soul?

The answer that came to my mind was that this is because although we may offer the indulgence for a particular person, God may not apply it to that soul. Is that understanding correct (as in possible)? What happens to that particular plenary indulgence in that case? Does God apply it to another soul? And do we continue to pray and offer indulgences for that person with the hope of God answering our prayers and releasing him/her from purgatory (by applying our indulgence if he chose to at a later time)?
 
catholic.org/clife/prayers/indulgc.php
“To acquire a plenary indulgence,” says the Enchiridion, “it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached and to fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent.”
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The greatest hurdle is the last. Making a good confession is not particularly difficult, and going to Communion and praying for the Pope’s intentions are easier still. It’s being free from all attachment to sin that’s hard and it’s quite possible that even evi-dently good people, who seek plenary indulgences regularly, never, in their whole lives, obtain one, because they are unwilling to relinquish their favorite little sins.
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This is my understanding regarding your second question. We do not know who might need purgatory, and since those in purgatory are beyond earth’s space and time, it is not possible to know how long anyone might be there. However, God is not limited by time, and God can take our prayers of a lifetime and apply them to the needs of loved ones at the time of their death. We may pray or have Masses offered for our loved ones that have passed away as long as we wish. If those we pray for are in heaven, we can be sure God applies the prayers to someone else who does need them. We just do our part by praying and having the Masses offered, then leave the matter in God’s providential care.
 
PerlaDelRosario said:
This is my understanding regarding your second question. We do not know who might need purgatory, and since those in purgatory are beyond earth’s space and time, it is not possible to know how long anyone might be there. However, God is not limited by time, and God can take our prayers of a lifetime and apply them to the needs of loved ones at the time of their death. We may pray or have Masses offered for our loved ones that have passed away as long as we wish. If those we pray for are in heaven, we can be sure god applies the prayers to someone else who does need them. We just do our part by praying and having the Masses offered, then leave the matter in God’s providential care.
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That does seem reasonable. The problem I had was that if one plenary indulgence is enough, then a Catholic might say I offered one already for that person and therefore need not worry about it ever again.

But that seemed to be incompatible with what the Church asks us to do for our loved ones. At least I was taught to pray for the persons I know that have passed away pretty much indefinitely. My parents still offer masses and indulgences for their parents every year.

That is what got me thinking on the reason why plenary indulgences would be offered repeatedly.
 
Jaberwocky said:
My second question is regarding plenary indulgence offered for the soul of a particular dead person. The understanding I have is that one plenary indulgence = one soul released from purgatory.
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No. The Church doesn’t have jurisdiction over the souls of the dead, so she can’t decree that these souls are absolved or not. Any plenary indulgence in this case is offered “per modum suffragii”, so if you gain a plenary indulgence, the Church and you can only ask God to have mercy of these souls.
newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-indulgences-are-offered-for-dead.html

And a good prayer for the deceased is always generous and generic, so to speak: you don’t just say “God, I’m praying for the soul of X”, but “I’m praying for the soul of X and all the deceased; Your will be done”, because you acknowledge that no indulgence can earn points in heaven for X - an indulgence is simply something that the Church and you “offer up”.
 
vames said:
No. The Church doesn’t have jurisdiction over the souls of the dead, so she can’t decree that these souls are absolved or not. Any plenary indulgence in this case is offered “per modum suffragii”, so if you gain a plenary indulgence, the Church and you can only ask God to have mercy of these souls.
newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2011/11/how-indulgences-are-offered-for-dead.html

And a good prayer for the deceased is always generous and generic, so to speak: you don’t just say “God, I’m praying for the soul of X”, but “I’m praying for the soul of X and all the deceased; Your will be done”, because you acknowledge that no indulgence can earn points in heaven for X - an indulgence is simply something that the Church and you “offer up”.
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Thank you!!! I think that settles my question 2 as well. I recently discovered the site you cited as well and I love the content on it. Wish I had discovered it earlier 🙂

Thanks again!
 
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