Plenary Indulgence for Reading the Bible?

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I read this earlier on this website: drbo.org/catechism.htm#lesson14
  1. Besides ordinary benefits, what do those gain who read portions of the Bible every day?
    “A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who with the veneration due to the divine word make a spiritual reading from Sacred Scripture. A plenary indulgence is granted, if this reading is continued for at least one half an hour.” (Enchiridion of Indulgences. Authorized English edition. 1969. Catholic Book Publishers. New York. Page 68. # 50)
Is this an official Church teaching that still stands? What other requirements would be necessary?
 
Is this an official Church teaching that still stands? What other requirements would be necessary?
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Yes it still stands. I have the “Manual of Indulgences” by the USCCB dated 1999. Section 1 pg. 100 reads:
A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who read the Sacred Scriptures as spiritual reading, from a text approved by competent authority and with the reverence due to the divine word, for at least a half an hour; if the time is less, the indulgence will be partial.
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We need to go to confession within 20 days before or after performing the indulgenced exercise, receive holy communion, pray for the intention of the Pope, and have no attachment to sin. You can gain one plenary indulgence per day, which would be about 40 days before going to confession again.

If you perform other exercises that are granted a plenary on the same day of receiving communion, only one can be obtained, regardless of how many additional exercises you perform. These others will be partial.

EDIT: You can purchase this through the EWTN Catalog here for $20.
 
Does non-attachment to sin mean that the person cannot be in a state of mortal sin? what does that really mean?
 
Well, he would not be in mortal sin if he has just gone to confession and communion. 😉

I believe it means that in our hearts, we are not aware of willingly holding affection for any particular sin, whether venial or mortal, that we would not want to give up if it was not for God’s having forbidden it. We love Him so much that we would not want to offend Him deliberately.

Of course, inadvertently, we may fall into sin from time to time without full reflection or willingness to indulge our selfish passion; but at the time of performing the indulgenced exercise, we should not be aware of clinging to anything sinful if we want to please Him.

Example: We are in a relationship that leads us into mortal sin repeatedly, and we do not want to forsake the “occasion of sin.” That’s an attachment, I believe, that needs to be surrendered.
 
Sirach2 said:
Yes it still stands. I have the “Manual of Indulgences” by the USCCB dated 1999. Section 1 pg. 100 reads:

We need to go to confession within 20 days before or after performing the indulgenced exercise, receive holy communion, pray for the intention of the Pope, and have no attachment to sin. You can gain one plenary indulgence per day, which would be about 40 days before going to confession again.

If you perform other exercises that are granted a plenary on the same day of receiving communion, only one can be obtained, regardless of how many additional exercises you perform. These others will be partial.

EDIT: You can purchase this through the EWTN Catalog here for $20.
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I probably need to look up indulgences, but why should someone get credit for doing something they should be doing on a regular basis anyway?
 
I forgot to mention that one other thing is needful as we perform an exercise for an indulgence — the person must have the intention of gaining the indulgence. Therefore, if you regularly do these things anyway, but without that intention, you do not gain the indulgence. Nevertheless, God blesses our works with an increase in grace and virtue, so they are never without some personal merit.

One seldom remembered advantage is that we can apply our indulgences to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. How much they suffer in their ardent desire to be with God! Many of our loved ones who have died are able to be helped by these indulgences, however we do not know whether God will apply a full plenary, or if it will just be partial. We just trust Him to apply suffrage to them as He wills.
 
Sirach2 said:
I forgot to mention that one other thing is needful as we perform an exercise for an indulgence — the person must have the intention of gaining the indulgence. Therefore, if you regularly do these things anyway, but without that intention, you do not gain the indulgence. Nevertheless, God blesses our works with an increase in grace and virtue, so they are never without some personal merit.

One seldom remembered advantage is that we can apply our indulgences to the Poor Souls in Purgatory. How much they suffer in their ardent desire to be with God! Many of our loved ones who have died are able to be helped by these indulgences, however we do not know whether God will apply a full plenary, or if it will just be partial. We just trust Him to apply suffrage to them as He wills.
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Okay. And this is all in the CCC?

My head hurts.
 
TrueLight said:
I probably need to look up indulgences, but why should someone get credit for doing something they should be doing on a regular basis anyway?
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You could also gain indulgences for those in purgatory.
 
Yes, it’s in the Catechism:

**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.” “An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin.” The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.

1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor of individual Christians and opens for them the treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission of the temporal punishments due for their sins. Thus the Church does not want simply to come to the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them to works of devotion, penance, and charity.

1479 Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted.

God bless your hurting head and give you peace. It will get easier, I promise. 😉
 
Here’s a good summary of popular indulgences.
ourladyswarriors.org/indulge/plenary.htm

Note: In the old days, you’d need to:

Receive Communion and …
Say prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father …
On the same day you perform the indulgenced act. You also …
Went to confession within the octave (8 days before or after the indulgenced act.) …
While striving to be free from sin and attachment to sin at the time of doing the indulgenced act.

Personally, I’d try to go to confession as near as possible to the date of doing the indulgenced act. It’s hard to be free from sin.

So, as Confession is often offered on a Saturday, you could be crafty and go to confession, then the vigil Mass to receive Communion, then do the indulgenced act and say the prayers for the intentions of the Holy Father.

That leaves little time for sinning, see? 😉

You can get indulgences for the Holy Souls (e.g. your deceased relatives) as well as yourself. You can’t get them for another living person besides yourself.
 
Inquisitor Max, I noticed from your link that a plenary is obtainable from a papal blessing. It would be great if many of us received that blessing on January 1st as we began the new year. Pope Benedict stated his blessing would bestow a plenary for all those in his presence, and everyone watching that broadcast via television. AMEN!

We are able to receive a special plenary very soon this year as we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy, the first Sunday after Easter. 👍
 
Sirach2 said:
Inquisitor Max, I noticed from your link that a plenary is obtainable from a papal blessing. It would be great if many of us received that blessing on January 1st as we began the new year. Pope Benedict stated his blessing would bestow a plenary for all those in his presence, and everyone watching that broadcast via television. AMEN!

We are able to receive a special plenary very soon this year as we celebrate the Feast of Divine Mercy, the first Sunday after Easter. 👍
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Dear Sirach2,

There are load of indulgences available. Like you can get one from the Pope’s Urbi et Orbi blessing or the Portiuncula Indulgence: wdtprs.com/blog/2010/08/2-august-portiuncula-indulgence/

The ‘Read Sacred Scripture for Half An Hour’ one is great, as you can do it anywhere. ‘Visiting the Holy Sacrament for Half An Hour’ is another fairly easy one.

What’s important is that you get all the the conditions attached to the indulgence right. That’s why it’s dangerous to follow stuff on the internet or pamphlets.

I also forgot another important condition:

You have to have the intention of getting the indulgence.

I bought a copy of this book. The Enchiridion is authoritative:
google.co.uk/search?q=enchiridion+of+indulgences
 
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InquisitorMax:
I bought a copy of this book. The Enchiridion is authoritative:
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However, it is dated 1968. The USCCB Manual of Indulgences is indeed authoritative yet thirty years more current. There are a lot more indulgences mentioned in my copy than the website you posted, and which are fairly easy to perform - such as praying the rosary in church, or saying the stations in church.
 
Roman Catholic Doctrine Vs. The Doctrinal Teaching of the Word of God

Eternal life is a merited reward [1821, 2010]. - Roman Catholicism
Eternal life is the free gift of God (Romans 6:23)

No one can know if he will attain eternal life [1036, 2005] - Roman Catholicism
The believer can know that he has eternal life by the Word of God (1 John 5:13)

The Roman Catholic Church is necessary for salvation [846]. - Roman Catholicism
There is salvation in no one but the Lord Jesus Christ, “for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12)

Purgatory is necessary to atone for sin and clean the soul [1030-1031]. - Roman Catholicism
Purgatory does not exist. Jesus made purification for sins on the cross (Hebrews 1:3)

Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception (the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception) [490-492].
Mary, a descendant of Adam, was born in sin (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12)

Mary is the Mother of the Church [963, 975]. - Roman Catholicism
Mary was the earthly mother of Jesus ( John 2:1)

The Magisterium is the authoritative teacher of the Church. [85-87]. - Roman Catholicism
The Holy Spirit is the authoritative teacher of the church (John 14:26; John 16:13, I John 2:27)

The pope, as the Bishop of Rome, is the successor of Peter [882, 936] - Roman Catholicism
Peter had no successor, nor was he a pope.

The pope is infallible in his authoritative teaching [891]. - Roman Catholicism
God alone is infallible (Numbers 23:19)

Scripture and Tradition together are the Word of God [81, 85, 97, 182]. - Roman Catholicism
Scripture is the Word of God (John 10:35, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, 2 Peter 1:20-21). Tradition is the words of men (Mark 7:1-13).

The sacrificial work of redemption is continually carried out through the Sacrifice of the Mass. [1364,1405, 1846]. - Roman Catholicism
The sacrificial work of redemption was finished when Christ gave His life for us on the cross (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 1:3).

God desires that consecrated bread and wine be worshiped as divine. [1378-1381] - Roman Catholicism
God forbids the worship of any object, even t hose intended to represent Him (Exodus 20:4-5, Isaiah 42:8)

Justification is lost through mortal sin [1033, 1855, 1874] - Roman Catholicism
Justification cannot be lost. Those whom God justifies will be saved from the wrath of God (Romans 5:8-9).

Justification is furthered by sacraments and good works [1212, 1392, 2010] - Roman Catholicism
Justification is the imputation of the perfect righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). In Christ the believer has been made complete (Colossians 2:10).

Salvation is attained by cooperating with grace through faith, good works, and participation in the sacraments [183, 1129, 1815, 2002]. - Roman Catholicism
Salvation is attained by grace through faith apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9). Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation (Ephesians 2:10).

Mary, “the All-Holy,” lived a perfectly sinless life [411, 493]. - Roman Catholicism
Mary was a sinner; God alone is sinless (Luke 18:19, Romans 3:23, Revelation 15:4).

Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Christ [496-511]. - Roman Catholicism
Mary remained a virgin until after the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1:25). Later she had other children (Matthew 13:55-56, Psalm 69:8).

Each Sacrifice of the Mass appeases God’s wrath against sin [1371, 1414]. - Roman Catholicism
The once-for-all sacrifice of the cross fully appeased God’s wrath against sin. (Hebrews 10:12-18).

The Bishops, with the Pope, as their head, rule the universal church. [883, 894-896]. - Roman Catholicism
Christ, the head of the body is the Head of the Church. (Colossians 1:18).

The faithful receive the benefits of the cross in fullest measure through the Sacrifice of the Mass [1366, 1407]. - Roman Catholicism
Believers receive the benefits of the cross in fullest measure in Christ through faith (Ephesians 1:3-14).

God has exalted Mary in heavenly glory as Queen of Heaven and Earth [966]. She is to be praised with special devotion [971, 2675]. - Roman Catholicism
The name of the Lord is to be praised, for He alone is exalted above heaven and earth (Psalm 148:13). God commands, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3).

Mary is the co-mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions 9 968-970, 2677] - Roman Catholicism
Christ Jesus is the one mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions (1 Timothy 2:5, John 14:13-14, 1 Peter 5:7).

Mary is the co-redeemer, for she participate with Christ in the painful act of redemption [618, 964, 968, 970]. - Roman Catholicism
Christ alone is the Redeemer, for He alone suffered and died for sin (1 Peter 1:18-19).

The sacrifice of the cross is perpetuated in the Sacrifice of the Mass [1323, 1382] - Roman Catholicism
The Sacrifice of the cross is finished (John 19:30).

Indulgences dispensed by the Church for acts of piety release sinners from temporal punishment [1471-1473]. - Roman Catholicism
Jesus releases believers from their sins by His blood. (Revelation 1:5).

The Magisterium has the right to define truth found only obscurely or implicitly in revelation. [66, 88, 2035, 2051]. - Roman Catholicism
No one has the right to go beyond what is written in Scripture (1 Corinthians 4:6, Proverbs 30:5-6).

Scripture and Tradition together are the Church’s supreme role of faith [80, 82]. - Roman Catholicism
Scripture is the church’s rule of faith (Mark 7:7-13, 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
 
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