Trying to understand indulgences

[damooster]

As the title states, I’m trying to understand indulgences. I would appreciate any help I can get!

1. The book I’m using, Christian Warfare, states that I have to “have the intention of getting the indulgence.” Is this something I announce prior to doing the work i.e. “I am praying the rosary to receive benefits of an indulgence.”
2. Christian Warfare says that I should go to Confession and receive Holy Communion eight days before or after completing the work. Let’s say I go to Confession, leave the Confessional booth, do my penance and then immediately pray the rosary (in the church) for an indulgence. Chances are that I did so without any attachment to venial sin (having just left Confession). What happens if I, say, commit a venial sin i.e. using a swear word between the time I did the work and the time I am able to receive Holy Communion. Do I lose out on the plenary, or do I keep it because I was detached from sin the moment I completed the work?
3. One plenary indulgence wipes out all temporal punishment?

I know this is a very “legalistic” view but I am trying to understand how indulgences work so I can develop a routine.

 

[TheDoctor]

As I was taught and understand it:

1. The book I’m using, Christian Warfare, states that I have to “have the intention of getting the indulgence.” Is this something I announce prior to doing the work i.e. “I am praying the rosary to receive benefits of an indulgence.”

You have to have the intention of doing what you are doing to gain the indulgence but you don’t have to announce it out loud or saying anything special. Knowing in your heart that you are doing it for the indulgence (as opposed to say, offering your rosary for world peace) is all that is required.

1. Christian Warfare says that I should go to Confession and receive Holy Communion eight days before or after completing the work. Let’s say I go to Confession, leave the Confessional booth, do my penance and then immediately pray the rosary (in the church) for an indulgence. Chances are that I did so without any attachment to venial sin (having just left Confession). What happens if I, say, commit a venial sin i.e. using a swear word between the time I did the work and the time I am able to receive Holy Communion. Do I lose out on the plenary, or do I keep it because I was detached from sin the moment I completed the work?

You lose the plenary not because you sinned, but because you chose to sin, which means you are still attached to it. It means that you not only stop yourself from sinning, you have not the least desire to ever sin in any way ever again. Fear not though, for the final arbiter of the indulgence is God who knows your heart and why you are doing what you are doing. Recall also that even if the plenary indulgence is not earned, it will become a partial indulgence if all the other conditions are fulfilled.

1. One plenary indulgence wipes out all temporal punishment?

Yes, if you earn the plenary all temporal punishment due from sin is wiped out from the time of your last plenary (or baptism if you have never earned one) to now.

 

[MarkThompson]

As the title states, I’m trying to understand indulgences. I would appreciate any help I can get!

1. The book I’m using, Christian Warfare, states that I have to “have the intention of getting the indulgence.” Is this something I announce prior to doing the work i.e. “I am praying the rosary to receive benefits of an indulgence.”

You don’t have to “announce” it, but you have to have that intention. If you find out today that something you did last week was indulgenced, you can’t now say, “Oh, cool, I’ll claim it.”

1. Christian Warfare says that I should go to Confession and receive Holy Communion eight days before or after completing the work. Let’s say I go to Confession, leave the Confessional booth, do my penance and then immediately pray the rosary (in the church) for an indulgence. Chances are that I did so without any attachment to venial sin (having just left Confession). What happens if I, say, commit a venial sin i.e. using a swear word between the time I did the work and the time I am able to receive Holy Communion. Do I lose out on the plenary, or do I keep it because I was detached from sin the moment I completed the work?

The terms of the indulgence should be spelled out in the document granting it. Here’s an example, the Holy Year indulgence for the year 2000. I think in your hypothetical, the answer would be that it’s fine and you receive the indulgence, because the Holy See has not imposed the condition that you receive the Eucharist without stain of venial sin. Fulfill the conditions specified; don’t add to them.

1. One plenary indulgence wipes out all temporal punishment?

That’s the idea!

 

[MarkThompson]

Well, I guess TheDoctor and idea have different ideas about #2. I could be wrong, but that’s how I’ve understood it. I’d be interested ot know if anyone’s aware whether there’s an official conclusion on the question.

 

[TheDoctor]

Well, I guess TheDoctor and idea have different ideas about #2. I could be wrong, but that’s how I’ve understood it. I’d be interested ot know if anyone’s aware whether there’s an official conclusion on the question.

Hey Mark - I have asked this question as well and searched the forums to no avail.

This is a pretty good website I have used: ourladyswarriors.org/indulge/ and according to the plenary indulgence site: ourladyswarriors.org/indulge/plenary.htm, you need to have no attachment to sin for any plenary indulgence to take place.

I know that Bishops and the Holy See have attached plenary indulgences to specific things, like the year 2000, but I am never sure if the freedom from attachment to sin is always a part of a plenary or if it can be dispensed.

What I do btw is just try my best to do the indulgence and let God handle the bookkeeping.

 

[Earnest_Bunbury]

We must learn, without opinions or misconceptions related to how others present a topic, by taking the time to read for ourselves all the teachings and nuances in relation to Magisterial teaching authority. We can come into contact with the Holy Spirit that protects the Church with a study of the doctrines themselves. A prayerful study is akin to the union with God that Sanctifying Grace gives and no indulgence can merit.

Indulgences:newadvent.org/cathen/07783a.htm

newadvent.org/summa/5025.htm

 

[baltobetsy]

The “no attachment to sin” requirement always brings questions.

Just my thoughts here, nothing official and certainly not exhaustive.

It seems that there is a difference between committing a sin and having an attachment to sin.

A person with an attachment has a “pet” sin that he is just not ready to give up. He knows it’s wrong and puts up a halfhearted fight against it, but commits it often in spite of the weak fight. But in his heart he’ll always think - “Man, if that weren’t a sin, I’d do it all the time.”

A person may commit the very same sin but not have an attachment. He may hate the sin and understand how it grieves the heart of Christ and never want to commit it. But sometimes the temptation is so strong that he is overcome. His human weakness gets the better of him in spite of the actual graces he’s receiving to resist.

Hope this helps a little.

Betsy

 

[damooster]

Thanks for the replies so far, everyone.

The attachment to sin as described by Betsy makes perfect sense. I was also thinking this morning, that even if I did commit a venial sin between the time I did the work and the time I received Holy Communion, my venial sin would be forgiven from the Confiteor, right?

 

[Sirach2]

This is a wonderful practice, not only to obtain this for oneself, but you may bring many souls out of Purgatory. We do not know whether God will apply a full plenary to these souls, but we are certain of being able to help them.
Here are a couple of links to other threads that were discussed recently in Spirituality.

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=6595738&postcount=47

The Apostolic Penitentiary’s document The Gift of The Indulgence, giving general remarks about indulgences clarifies the “several days” language:

1. It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope’s intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act.

…] as long as they are totally free from any desire to relapse into sin, as has been stated above.

We may treat the more “lenient” view as common teaching since the Church clearly intends to grant plenary indulgences that can be obtained by the faithful every day. It would not seem reasonable to do this if it were almost impossible to gain them in practice.

We may therefore encourage people to carry out the works prescribed for the gaining of a plenary indulgence (including, for many, a return to the sacrament of confession) without discouraging them by the rigorist opinion that a plenary indulgence can scarcely ever be gained in fact.* It is also a good thing to pray before doing the indulgenced work, asking God to take away all affection for venial sin and conceiving in our hearts a hatred of any sin since all sins displease God who loves us so much.***

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=6739600&postcount=8

My understanding from the first quote is that you may go up to 40 days, if you count the 20 days before, and 20 days after.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

. . .

1. The book I’m using, Christian Warfare, states that I have to “have the intention of getting the indulgence.” Is this something I announce prior to doing the work i.e. “I am praying the rosary to receive benefits of an indulgence.” . . .

The Morning Offering of the Blue army includes the phrase: “…O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can…” It is my understanding that this general intention suffices; one need not have in mind all the specific indulgences included.

 

[nannygirl]

I recommend you get a great little book - “A Modern Guide to Indulgences”, by Edward Peters, who is a canon lawyer. Dr. Peters offers history, explanations and practical applications of indulgences.
He states that you can tell Our Lord aloud or in your mind something like “Lord I wish to gain every indulgence you ever offer me. If this sincere expression is never revoked, then it provides what theologians call a “habitual intention” and a habitual intention is sufficient in the matter of indulgences”. He goes on to recommend occasionally renewing the intention or making it a part of your morning prayers.
Here’s the one I pray every morning: “Lord, in sorrow for my sins which You have forgiven, I wish to obtain the indulgences You now offer me, and I offer this work (or prayer) in that spirit.”
Hope this helps!

 

[Genesis315]

Here’s a free download of a really good book on indulgences by a priest and theologian who was a consultor to the Congregation of Indulgences and Relics under St. Pius X (and later became a bishop and Cardinal):

Indulgences, their origin, nature, and development

It’s very, very helpful in understanding indulgences. The down side is it’s also very long and can be somewhat repetitive in places.

 

[LilyM]

The terms of the indulgence should be spelled out in the document granting it. Here’s an example, the Holy Year indulgence for the year 2000. I think in your hypothetical, the answer would be that it’s fine and you receive the indulgence, because the Holy See has not imposed the condition that you receive the Eucharist without stain of venial sin. Fulfill the conditions specified; don’t add to them.

That’s the idea!

Hang on - most grants of indulgences use stock phrasing saying the faithful will receive an indulgence ‘under the usual conditions’ (or something similar).

Those ‘usual conditions’, are in fact confession, communion, prayer for the Pope’s intentions AND detachment from all mortal and venial sin.

In fact the Enchiridion, or handbook, of indulgences, has a whole section on ‘Norms for Plenary indulgences’. Norm 26 specifies that in order to acquire A Plenary Indulgence (meaning ANY Plenary Indulgence) the above four conditions, including the disposition of detachment from sin, must be fulfilled.

Moreover, it says that ‘if the latter disposition (the detachment from sin) is in any way less than perfect … the indulgence will be partial only’.

It’s a bit like consumer law, where there are all sorts of conditions and warranties implied by law into contracts that aren’t written down on the fact of the contract.

One example of what I mean - the law of my country imposes, as what is called a ‘statutory warranty’, a condition on any sale that for it to be valid the goods sold must be ‘of merchantable quality’. Meaning a seller has to replace or exchange goods which through no fault of the customer don’t work properly.

Do you think every contract of sale in this country as a result actually has written in it that ‘we agree that if the goods are damaged or unusable through no fault of the consumer we will replace or exchange them’? Of course not, there’s no need to write down on a contract conditions that the law says apply to EVERY contract for sale of goods! They’re part of the contract regardless, so merchants don’t bother to write them in.

In fact they are even in force when sellers try to stipulate the opposite - unless the goods are actually advertised as being faulty or not working (hence product descriptions on ebay will disclose faults). Meaning that those big signs in the stores saying ‘No refunds or exchanges’ don’t apply when the goods sold are meantt to be new and in working order but in fact don’t work.

 

[DL82]

To the best of my knowledge, the only indulgence for which the ‘usual conditions’ do not apply is the praying of the Act of Resignation at the hour of death, which only requires that “the dying person is properly disposed and has been in the habit of reciting some prayers during his or her lifetime” (according to my CTS prayer book).

The idea of being free from any attachment to sin, as I understand it, is simply on the basis that God is not mocked. We can’t claim forgiveness from God for sins that we fully intend to go on committing, else we could live in an endless round of confession, Mass, indulgence, followed by habitual sin, and expect to receive no punishment for it. Clearly that cannot be - provided you don’t intend to or desire to go on sinning, you are free from attachment to sin, even if you are still struggling against some past habit or temptation. It can’t mean you’re never tempted, since even Our Lord was tempted, yet without sin.

 

[Layman]

A plenary indulgence is hard to get. The smart move is for you to try for as many indulgences as you reasonably can, for yourself and the Holy Souls.