Plenary indulgences

[RichardG]

I have read there are several conditions which are to be meet to be able to receive plenary indulgences. I want to receive one for someone else, a departed soul. However, unfortunately I am currently not in a state of Grace. One condition is that you should be in a state of grace and have received the sacrament of reconcilliation within the last 10 days, and there is also a condition of having received in Communion. Now my question: I also read that the ‘10 day condition’ can also apply if it is done in the future, so that the requiments are also fullfilled if the condition is meet within 10 days in the future. Does that mean that even though I am not in a state of Grace right now (so I don’t meet the conditions) the works for the conditions can still be done, and the plenary indulgence is received AFTER I confessed? Or should I wait with doing the works after confession.

 

[tstrong728]

You shouldn’t be putting off your reconciliation… go to confession and receive Jesus’ mercy. Why are you worrying about anything else besides getting right with God now!?!

 

[larsont7]

Hopefully this helps. From: catholic.org/clife/prayers/norms.php

N.7. To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached and to fulfill three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to sin, even to venial sin, be absent. If this disposition is in any way less than complete, or if the prescribed three conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence will be only partial, except for the provisions contained in No. 11 for those who are "impeded."

N.8. The three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work; nevertheless** it is fitting that Communion be received and the prayers for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff be said the same day the work is performed.**

N.9. A single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences, but Communion must be received and prayers for the Supreme Pontiff’s intentions recited for the gaining of each plenary indulgence.

N.10. The condition of praying for the Supreme Pontiff’s intentions is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary; nevertheless the individual faithful are free to recite any other prayer according to their own piety and devotion toward the Supreme Pontiff.

N.11. While there is no change in the faculty granted by canon 935 of the Code of Canon Law to confessors to commute for those who are “impeded” either the prescribed work itself or the required conditions [for the acquisition of indulgences],** local Ordinaries can grant to the faithful over whom they exercise authority in accordance with the law, and who live in places where it is impossible or at least very difficult for them to receive the sacraments of confession and Communion, permission to acquire a plenary indulgence without confession and Communion provided they are sorry for their sins and have the intention of receiving these sacraments as soon as possible**.

 

[RichardG]

You’re right, I shouldn’t be putting of the confession. At our parish you can get confession once a month, but I don’t find hat enough. You’re probably right that should be my first concern right now, but I don’t want that someone else doesn’t receive indulgences because of my own sins, therefore my question.

 

[RichardG]

And one thing, I also do not understand, what does
‘… to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached.’ mean.
How can an indulgence be attached to some type of work?

 

[Starrsmother]

I have read there are several conditions which are to be meet to be able to receive plenary indulgences. I want to receive one for someone else, a departed soul. However, unfortunately I am currently not in a state of Grace. One condition is that you should be in a state of grace and have received the sacrament of reconcilliation within the last 10 days, and there is also a condition of having received in Communion. Now my question: I also read that the ‘10 day condition’ can also apply if it is done in the future, so that the requiments are also fullfilled if the condition is meet within 10 days in the future. Does that mean that even though I am not in a state of Grace right now (so I don’t meet the conditions) the works for the conditions can still be done, and the plenary indulgence is received AFTER I confessed? Or should I wait with doing the works after confession.

I agree with the poster above–the first thing you need to do is to go to confession if you want to obtain a plenary indulgence and know up front that you are in a state of grace. To start a plenary indulgence while in the sate of mortal sin, seems a little “iffy” to me. THEN, I’d go over the entire plan you have for obtaining the indulgence with your priest–just to check and be sure you do it right. Some of the indulgences almost have what I call small print and after you spend a lot of time on it, you discover you’ve messed up in one tiny way and thus not met the requirements. Certainly, I’m not implying that any prayer you do is ever truly a waste of time–but rather that it can be a big disappointment when you put in a lot of time, only to discover that you have in some minute way, not met the mandatory requirements!.

I ran into something a little like this with a novena I started–9 days of mass, communion and the rosary. This was not anything with an indulgence of any kind attached–just something that I had offered to Mary as a gift of thanks for something she helped me with in my life. I had never done anything like this before in the town I live and it seemed a simple enough concept–in thought. However, I live in a really small town on an island and we have only the one priest. He doesn’t say daily Mass on Tuesdays—it used to be on Fridays that he took the day off–but it changed a week ago to Tuesdays. Anyway, I planned for a month to start my novena yesterday—because I knew that even with his day off on Fridays, that next Friday would be first Friday and he always said daily Mass on First Friday–though his office was closed that day. Well, I should have gone ahead and asked, because I started my novena yesterday but am going to have to talk to him now and hopefully get a dispensation to just add an extra day at the end to make up for the Mass I can’t attend now this Tuesday. I don’t think it will be a problem–as it is only a novena in my case and the priest can grant a dispensation on something like that. An indulgence though, is usually okayed in advance by Rome–so if you don’t get it perfectly correct–you just don’t get the indulgence!!!

 

[tommydude2112]

A plenary indulgence is difficult to get so atop receiving the Eucharist, etc. you must also be free from attachment to sin. This means that you cannot be in the habit of committing any sin (even venial) so you need to not be in the habit of committing sins, this includes swearing etc.

By participating in the Sacrament of Confession, one of the requirements for a plenary indulgence, you are in a state of grace you can receive the Eucharist.

 

[RichardG]

thank you for the answers, it’s probably best to make sure that I am in a state of grace, before even beginning on the works. Like Starrsmother says, it’s a little bit ‘iffy’ otherwise.
And even better to also discuss it with a priest so i’m completely sure I will do it the correct way.

 

[Bakuryokuso]

The way it was explained to me, you have to be in a state of grace when you do the indulgenced work.

If you go to confession every two weeks, go to daily Mass where you receive the holy Eucharist, and pray a daily Rosary as a member of the Confraternity of the Most Holy Rosary, you could potentially obtain one plenary indulgence per day for a soul in purgatory, under the usual conditions.