Plenary Indulgence and Purgatory

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catholic03

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Pax Christi:

The magisterial teachings of the Holy Roman Church state that a plenary indulgence removes all guilt due to sin. This means that, although hard to gain, if gained, then a plenary indulgence removes all time in purgatory (for all sins committed up to gaining the plenary indulgence). This contrasts with a partial indulgence which removes some of the time in purgatory.

This does not seem to be emphasised. Is this right? Does a plenary indulgence remove all time in purgatory. I.e., if you die just after receiving a plenary indulgence, will you go straight to heaven?

It seems confusing that people are not working for such an indulgence more often!

God Bless.
 
catholic03 said:
Pax Christi:

The magisterial teachings of the Holy Roman Church state that a plenary indulgence removes all guilt due to sin. This means that, although hard to gain, if gained, then a plenary indulgence removes all time in purgatory (for all sins committed up to gaining the plenary indulgence). This contrasts with a partial indulgence which removes some of the time in purgatory.

This does not seem to be emphasised. Is this right? Does a plenary indulgence remove all time in purgatory. I.e., if you die just after receiving a plenary indulgence, will you go straight to heaven?

It seems confusing that people are not working for such an indulgence more often!

God Bless.
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An indulgence does not remove guilt. It removes temporal punishment due to sin already forgiven. Guilt is removed upon forgiveness, such as from absolution after confession of mortal sin.
 
catholic03 said:
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Regarding partial indulgences, with the abolishment of the former determination of days and years, a new norm or measurement has been established which takes into consideration the action itself of the faithful Christian who performs a work to which an indulgence is attached.

Since by their acts the faithful can obtain, in addition to the merit which is the principal fruit of the act, a further remission of temporal punishment in proportion to the degree to which the charity of the one performing the act is greater, and in proportion to the degree to which the act itself is performed in a more perfect way, it has been considered fitting that this remission of temporal punishment which the Christian faithful acquire through an action should serve as the measurement for the remission of punishment which the ecclesiastical authority bountifully adds by way of partial indulgence.
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n. 2—An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due sin.
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https://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-...-vi_apc_01011967_indulgentiarum-doctrina.html
 
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catholic03 said:
This does not seem to be emphasised. Is this right? Does a plenary indulgence remove all time in purgatory. I.e., if you die just after receiving a plenary indulgence, will you go straight to heaven?

It seems confusing that people are not working for such an indulgence more often!
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Yes, your understanding of a plenary as expressed above is correct. Someone else already addressed the “guilt” business in the earlier part of your post.

All kinds of people are working for plenary indulgences. Many people who diligently try to get them are giving them to poor souls, however. There is a plenary available at the moment of death for people who “are properly disposed and have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime” so there’s not really much motivation to run around getting a plenary for yourself every day.

Some people’s reticence to do plenaries is because they feel it’s impossible to meet the condition of “no attachment to sin, even venial sin” that’s required for the plenary, so they just don’t bother to try. I personally think the condition is not that hard and even if you don’t meet the condition you could meet it 90 percent or 99 percent so why not give it a try. For all we know, God might make up the percentage you miss.

Other people find indulgences to be too technical or it reminds them of Martin Luther or something.
 
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What’s your understanding of no attachment? A complete lack of interest? The ability to unwaveringly resist temptation toward? Desire but no fixation? I’ve never clearly understood.
 
It’s pretty much what this “orthodox Catholic” guy states in his blog. I’ve read/ heard it from priest sources too, same as how he says several priests have told him the same thing on this. I can’t find a priest source on Google right now though.


I say a short prayer before every Communion rejecting sin. I pray, “Lord, I don’t want to sin, I reject sin, help me not sin.”
 
Tis_Bearself said:
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catholic03:
This does not seem to be emphasised. Is this right? Does a plenary indulgence remove all time in purgatory. I.e., if you die just after receiving a plenary indulgence, will you go straight to heaven?

It seems confusing that people are not working for such an indulgence more often!
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Yes, your understanding of a plenary as expressed above is correct. Someone else already addressed the “guilt” business in the earlier part of your post.

All kinds of people are working for plenary indulgences. Many people who diligently try to get them are giving them to poor souls, however. There is a plenary available at the moment of death for people who “are properly disposed and have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime” so there’s not really much motivation to run around getting a plenary for yourself every day.

Some people’s reticence to do plenaries is because they feel it’s impossible to meet the condition of “no attachment to sin, even venial sin” that’s required for the plenary, so they just don’t bother to try. I personally think the condition is not that hard and even if you don’t meet the condition you could meet it 90 percent or 99 percent so why not give it a try. For all we know, God might make up the percentage you miss.

Other people find indulgences to be too technical or it reminds them of Martin Luther or something.
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I’m not of the opinion that the “no attachment to sin” requirement is that difficult. And even if it is, if this condition is not met, a partial indulgence is still given, and partial is still better than none.

And while I’m loath to bring numbers into matters of faith, even if 99.99% of temporal punishment were remitted, it’s still partial. Of course we have no means of determining how much temporal punishment is remitted; I’m only saying that God cannot be outdone in mercy and generosity. Even if an attachment to venial sin still exists, if God still grants you a partial indulgence of 99.99% remission, you’ll end up with, what, five seconds in purgatory?
 
Right, and besides, as the blog post I linked in my other post discusses, the Church didn’t intend to make it impossible or very difficult to earn a plenary indulgence.

The Church attaches indulgences to activities, other than Mass, that it wants Catholics to do.
It attaches plenary indulgences to the activities that it most wants Catholics to do.
If you are trying to get a plenary every day or on most days, you will find yourself doing lots of prayerful things, because nobody wants to do the same thing every day so you will likely change it up. And you will be also going to a lot of Masses to collect the required Holy Communions. It’s benefitting you greatly.

Furthermore, let’s not forget that even if you perform an act for a partial indulgence “with at least inward contrition”, the Church gives you in essence “double coupon value” as provided in N4 of the Norms on Indulgences in the current manual:
N4. The faithful who perform with at least inward contrition an action to which a partial indulgence
is attached obtain, in addition to the remission of temporal punishment acquired by the action itself,
an equal remission of punishment through the intervention of the Church.
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Such a deal!
 
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