Question on plenary indulgence

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adgloriam

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What exactly does a plenary indulgence remit if I practice it with the intention of remitting the temporal punishment of my own sins already confessed and forgiven?
 
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A plenary indulgence remits your punishment for sin. Even though you have confessed and been absolved, there is still the punishment. If you die in this state (without the plenary indulgence) you would most likely have to spend time in purgatory. If you confessed, was absolved, performed the plenary indulgence, and then immediately died afterwards without committing any more sins, you would immediately go to heaven.

Blessings
 
How many plenary indulgences? One for each sin? One for each day? What is the extent of remission one plenary indulgence accomplishes?
 
One plenary indulgence remits all punishment for all sins that one has committed up to that point in time. After that any new sins would have to have a new indulgence.

One can do the indulgence for a soul in purgatory as well.

I think that one can only perform one plenary indulgence per day.

Blessings
 
Wait a minute. You are telling me after a good rigorous confession, I do one plenary indulgence and all my temporal punishment is remitted? I won’t have to pay a “divine justice” punishment for what I’m due anymore? The extant of reparation is that efficacious?

A single plenary indulgence remits “all temporal punishment” pertaining to my person and past sins up to that point?
 
This is so awesome isn’t it?

I was able to do this for my mom in 2016, the Year of Mercy, at a shrine of Mercy (with relic of St Faustina). Mom’s funeral mass was a Saturday, I received Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist on the Sunday, we buried her ashes on Monday. Three days of blessings. 🙏🙏🙏
 
Just noticed your thread is in Apologetics. Perhaps it would fit better in Traditional, as it is a long standing practice? Like you, others may be interested in traditional Catholic practices.
 
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adgloriam said:
What exactly does a plenary indulgence remit if I practice it with the intention of remitting the temporal punishment of my own sins already confessed and forgiven?
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From Pope Paul VI’s Apostolic Constitution on Indulgences…

An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is concerned, which the follower of Christ with the proper dispositions and under certain determined conditions acquires through the intervention of the Church which, as minister of the Redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the satisfaction won by Christ and the saints.

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 n.11 for those who are "impeded.

There’s a link below to the full document .

I have read it many times but I still have problems getting my head round some of what is taught concerning indulgencies .

https://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-...-vi_apc_01011967_indulgentiarum-doctrina.html
 
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Bear in mind they require no attachment to sin. I don’t think they are easy to get.

This is the whole key…no attachment to any sin even venial…I don’t know if any one has ever achieved this. It seems to me if I had “no attachment” I probably would be filled with the sin of pride…
 
Blessedwithfive said:
This is the whole key…no attachment to any sin even venial…I don’t know if any one has ever achieved this
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That is the key, and it certainly does seem to be a high bar to clear, but I have a hard time thinking the Church would make the rule such that effectively no one could ever attain it. I tend to think that it’s probably easier than many of us think.

That said, I don’t spend a lot of time worrying about it. If I get the plenary indulgence, I get the plenary indulgence. If my attachment to sin is still present, well then I still get a partial indulgence. Either way, I figure it’s up to God to sort that out.
 
Elf01 said:
Bear in mind they require no attachment to sin. I don’t think they are easy to get.
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Well, from experience I know our life is a pilgrimage on this Earth.

So YES!! I have many times renounced sin and felt total detachment and disgust from sin. Then what happens is that you receive further graces and Christ keeps walking with you showing you further your weakness and things in your heart you need to purify with His help. So, it is a process in time of purifying yourself and sanctifying yourself.

What my OP was also about is actually “timor Domini” or “Fear of the Lord” since I feared, unnecessarily, that all the temporal punishment I had accumulated over my lifetime was too much to remit with indulgences, or that the many indulgences I obtained still left plenty of temporal punishment to be payed.

I am much more at ease now that I know this.
 
Blessedwithfive said:
I don’t know if any one has ever achieved this.
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One way would be this: First Saturday Devotion to the Immaculate heart of Mary. A pure confession, followed by meditated rosary with the congregation, followed by mass. If you follow through with the whole set, that first Saturday a few months in a row, you will receive a superabundance of grace that at that specific point in our spiritual life (in that period) probably represent the best you could realistically do given the point you are at.

So YES. At that moment you sincerely repent and renounce. The rest is experiential, Our Lord will walk with you and it is dynamic. You will again be tempted and eventually give in to sin, yet that is also a pedagogical lesson from God making you grow closer to Him. So, at any given moment you can do a sincere contrition and be nevertheless subjected to sin short after. The point, is picking yourself up again, and continuing united to Jesus to the best of your abilities.
 
Rob2 said:
prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.
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I suppose a simple Ave Maria, Pater Noster and Gloria suffice?

I thought 30 minutes of “Lectio Divina” on the Passion of Christ was enough to gain a plenary indulgence (a powerful practice by the way). Does this entail praying for the intentions of the pope explicitly? Does any plenary indulgence demand explicit prayer for the intentions of the pope? Or do some plenary indulgences dispense that particular point of explicit prayer for the popes intentions?
 
Crocus said:
This is so awesome isn’t it?

I was able to do this for my mom in 2016, the Year of Mercy, at a shrine of Mercy (with relic of St Faustina). Mom’s funeral mass was a Saturday, I received Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharist on the Sunday, we buried her ashes on Monday. Three days of blessings. 🙏🙏🙏
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Absolutely awesome my dear brother in Christ !!! My favorite post in this thread, thank you very much for sharing !! It does put one’s heart and conscience at ease in praying for the souls of our loved ones. I had thought about this many times, and even not knowing the exact definition of what a “plenary indulgence” can obtain I was given a feeling of peace in my conscience after prolonged prayer for specific persons.

God bless.
 
adgloriam said:
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Rob2:
prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff.
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I suppose a simple Ave Maria, Pater Noster and Gloria suffice?

I thought 30 minutes of “Lectio Divina” on the Passion of Christ was enough to gain a plenary indulgence (a powerful practice by the way). Does this entail praying for the intentions of the pope explicitly? Does any plenary indulgence demand explicit prayer for the intentions of the pope? Or do some plenary indulgences dispense that particular point of explicit prayer for the popes intentions?
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Certainly all plenary indulgences are dependent upon praying for the intentions of the Holy Father .
 
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