Plenary Indulgence: Reading Sacred Scripture

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Nelka

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This indulgenced work is 30 minutes of reading Sacred Scripture, does this have to be 30 minutes without stopping? If you get interrupted half way through can you carry on where you left off or do you have to start all over again?

Thanks.
 
Please, carry on where you left off. God isn’t watching over your shoulder with a stopwatch.
 
Even if you don’t read it for 30 minutes, you still get a partial indulgence.
 
  1. Reading of Sacred Scripture (Sacrae Scripturae lectio)
    A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful, who with the veneration due 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.
Thats the enchiridon indulgences wording.
 
I try to do it uninterrupted when I do that. Sometimes I have done it taking time in between readings to watch the USCCB video reflections, but in order to make sure I had a half hour of reading I spent about an hour and a half doing a reading, then watching the reflection, then next reading, then next reflection, etc. I figured God would consider the USCCB reflections to be “allowed” interruptions.
 
The key here is ‘with the veneration due…’. If you’re taking time to reflect on scripture, using the catechism etc., it all counts. Reading for 30 minutes without taking time to savour and explore what the scriptures are saying is of little use.
 
Curious - if one reads sacred scripture and does so for the proper length of time, with the veneration due it…but is not aware of any indulgence attached to the act…do they still receive the benefit of the indulgence when the time comes? Or is that something we just don’t know?
 
CradleJourney said:
Curious - if one reads sacred scripture and does so for the proper length of time, with the veneration due it…but is not aware of any indulgence attached to the act…do they still receive the benefit of the indulgence when the time comes? Or is that something we just don’t know?
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According to the Handbook of Indulgences:
  1. 1.To be capable of gaining indulgences a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the time the prescribed works are completed.
    2. Actually to gain indulgences the person must have at least the general intention of doing so and must perform the acts enjoined at the time stipulated and in the manner required according to the tenor of the grant.
So, a person has to have “at least the general intention.”

Which, of course, is not to say that a person who reads and prays with Scripture for a half hour without being aware of the indulgence is left out in the cold with no spiritual benefits.
 
Joe_5859 said:
According to the Handbook of Indulgences:
  1. 1.To be capable of gaining indulgences a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the time the prescribed works are completed.
    2. Actually to gain indulgences the person must have at least the general intention of doing so and must perform the acts enjoined at the time stipulated and in the manner required according to the tenor of the grant.
So, a person has to have “at least the general intention.”

Which, of course, is not to say that a person who reads and prays with Scripture for a half hour without being aware of the indulgence is left out in the cold with no spiritual benefits.
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Thank you answering my question 🙂
 
Joe_5859 said:
According to the Handbook of Indulgences:
  1. 1.To be capable of gaining indulgences a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the time the prescribed works are completed.
    2. Actually to gain indulgences the person must have at least the general intention of doing so and must perform the acts enjoined at the time stipulated and in the manner required according to the tenor of the grant.
So, a person has to have “at least the general intention.”

Which, of course, is not to say that a person who reads and prays with Scripture for a half hour without being aware of the indulgence is left out in the cold with no spiritual benefits.
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The benefit of merit for the act is still obtained, just not the indulgence.

Indulgentarium Doctrina, Pope Paul VI

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.

newadvent.org/library/docs_pa06id.htm
 
Joe_5859 said:
According to the Handbook of Indulgences:
  1. 1.To be capable of gaining indulgences a person must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the time the prescribed works are completed.
    2. Actually to gain indulgences the person must have at least the general intention of doing so and must perform the acts enjoined at the time stipulated and in the manner required according to the tenor of the grant.
So, a person has to have “at least the general intention.”

Which, of course, is not to say that a person who reads and prays with Scripture for a half hour without being aware of the indulgence is left out in the cold with no spiritual benefits.
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There are many morning offering prayers that make it easy to petition for indulgences by containing words that ensure a general intention is spoken each day. The following is just one of many similar variations:
G. P. Geoghegan, "A Collection of my Favorite Prayers"
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the altars throughout the world, joining with it the offering of my every thought, action and suffering of this day. O my Jesus, I desire today and every day of my life to gain every indulgence and merit I can, and offer them together with myself, to Mary Immaculate, that She may best apply them to the interests of Thy most Sacred Heart.
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Many then add:
Precious Blood of Jesus, save us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Amen.
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Vico said:
The benefit of merit for the act is still obtained, just not the indulgence.

Indulgentarium Doctrina, Pope Paul VI

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.

newadvent.org/library/docs_pa06id.htm
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Thanks for pointing that out, 👍 That is an important point we do not want to overlook.
 
Do not read into the enchiridon what is not there! 30 minutes is 30 minutes. The Lord is not going to punish you or deny you an indulgence simply because the phone rang or your baby woke up! And, do not read with one eye on the clock! Ours is a faith of love, not of inflexible laws and technicalities. Indulgence or not, we rely 100% on God’s mercy for our salvation. We can do nothing to earn it - to place ourselves in a position where God “owes us” salvation. And, why worry about 30 minutes? Do a holy hour, reading in our Lord’s presence!

God is infinitely more loving than to watch for a small error and punish us! He knows our hearts.
 
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