INDULGENCES

Indulgences are one of the church's most potent weapons against sin. In many ways, they work to reverse the consequences of sin, both spiritual and temporal. However, they are also one of the most misunderstood aspects of Catholicism. Archbishop Timothy Dolan (Archdiocese of New York) observed that because of the misunderstanding about indulgences, "this classic component of the Church's arsenal against sin has been ridiculed and forgotten over the last four decades."

So how are we to understand indulgences? What are we to make of them? Before we can answer these questions, some background understanding is necessary. An important fact often lost in protestant American culture is that the Catholic Church teaches that the path to salvation is never solitary. That is to say, neither sin nor redemption is private. Here the Church could easily borrow Liverpool FC's (that's a big-time soccer program for those missing the reference) famous motto "You Never Walk Alone." Through the sacraments, Catholics unite themselves to the entire Church - that is the church militant (the members of the Church here on earth), the church sufferant (the members of the Church in purgatory), and the church triumphant (those members of the Church who see God face to face in the Beatific Vision). The Church is a community that spans time and place. For this reason, the church militant constantly calls upon the saints and angels for intercession, as well as continually offers prayers for those who are in purgatory and those who have died.

With this background, we can ask, what exactly are indulgences? The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines indulgences as follows:

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. (CCC 1471).

Simply put, they are remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. Guilt for sin can be removed in various ways, most notably through the sacrament of Penance. But the Church acknowledges what human experience has shown to be true; there are temporal consequences of sin which are not necessarily undone by the sacrament of Penance. Thus, the repentant sinner still has work to do. The Catechism reminds us of this fact, observing that "Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must 'make satisfaction for' or 'expiate' his sins. This satisfaction is also called 'penance.'" (CCC 1459). Hence, the Penance component of the sacrament is meant to help bring about some degree of satisfaction for sins.

However, penance itself does not necessarily remit in full the punishment do to sin. Temporal punishment may still remain even after doing penance. This is the basis for the Catholic doctrine of Purgatory. In Purgatory, a person undergoes purgation, or temporal punishment for their sins. The person becomes purified so that they can enter into Heaven pure, and therefore see God face to face in the Beatific Vision. But, Purgatory is not the only means of purifying a person. The Catechism states, "every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death in the state called Purgatory." (CCC 1472, my emphasis). Thus, we can see that it is possible to undergo purification while here on earth.

This is where indulgences come into play. Theologically, indulgences emphasize the concept of the Church as God's instrument of salvation.The Church is the Body of Christ, and therefore, a sacramental reality through which salvation is mediated to the world. The Second Vatican Council reminds us that, "Just as Christ carried out the work of redemption in poverty and persecution, so the Church is called to follow the same route that it might communicate the fruits of salvation to men." (Lumen Gentium, 8).

Christ mediates salvation through His body, the Church. Furthermore, He gave His apostles and their successors the ability to bind and loosen (cf. Matthew 18:18) and to forgive sins (cf. John 20:23, 2 Cor 5:18-19,). Because the Church stands as the mediator of God's grace, She is able to dispense from her treasury (which is the divine treasury) the many merits of the saints, as well as the infinite merits of Christ. One manner in which she dispenses these merits to the faithful is in the form of indulgences. Indulgences work to counter the effects of sin; sin mars humanity but indulgences purify the faithful from the temporal effects of sin. Indulgences are intimately linked with the sacraments (especially Penance) to form a powerful weapon against sin. Whereas sin brings about guilt and punishment, Penance (and other sacraments) bring about remission from guilt and indulgences add to sacramental forgiveness the remission of punishment.

Here it is important to note that an indulgence is not the ability to force salvation upon a person, or to "buy" a person's way into heaven, or even for us to merit salvation for ourselves (or another). Furthermore, it is not a way of "letting people off" as indulgences are only applied to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. Instead, indulgences should be understood as a gift God offers us through the Church to repair the damage of personal sin in our lives.

The Catechism informs us that there are two types of indulgences offered by the Church: plenary and partial.

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. (CCC 1471).

A partial indulgence remits a portion of the temporal punishment of one's sins, while a plenary indulgence remits all the punishment due to one's sins. Indulgences can be applied to oneself or to a member of the faithful who has died. To acquire a partial indulgence a person must meet the following requirements.

1. Must be Baptized.
2. Must be in the state of Grace (has no grave sins that have not been confessed).
3. Must have the intention of obtaining the indulgence.
4. Performs correctly the necessary work required to obtain the indulgence.

1. Not be excommunicated.
2. Have no affection for sin, even venial sin.
3. Receive the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist and offer prayers for the Pope's intention within the prescribed period of time (usually one week).

Plenary indulgences account for all of the liability of punishment owed by a person for forgiven sins (up to that point in time) and as such are more difficult to obtain (how many people have absolutely no affection for sin?). However, should a person strive for a plenary indulgence and fail to obtain it (perhaps the person is not able to be totally detached from ALL sin) all is not lost as the person may still have met the conditions for a partial indulgence.

Because indulgences are so closely linked with forgiveness of sin, they are an important spiritual tool. Where sin de-humanizes us, indulgences are a means of sanctification. That is, they make us holy. When the guilt of our sins is remitted through Penance and the temporal consequences removed by indulgences, we are able to participate more fully in the divine life. Herein lies the great importance of indulgences.

So what are some examples of indulgences that can be earned? The following is a brief (and not comprehensive) list of indulgences offered by the Catholic Church:


PARTIAL INDULGENCES

1. Humbly raising your thoughts to God and offering Him pious invocation in the course of your everyday struggles.
2. Giving of your goods or services to those in need.
3. In the spirit of penance, fasting from something that you could otherwise ethically do or have (n.b. fasting from sin does not qualify).
4. Openly witnessing to your faith in front of others.
5. Using devotional objects in prayer that were blessed by a deacon, priest or bishop.
6. Receiving a blessing from a cleric (deacon, priest or bishop).
7. Offering certain approved shorter prayers including:
   the Magnificat (Canticle of Mary),
   the Angelus;the Regina Coeli (Queen of Heaven),
   the Maria Mater Gratiae (Mary Mother of Grace),
   the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen),
   the Santa Maria Succurre Nobis (Mary Help to the Helpless),
   Sancti Apostoli Petre et Paule (Ss. Peter and Paul),
   Retribuere Dignare, Domine (May It Please You, O Lord),
   Actiones nostras (Pray for God's Assistance),
   Domine Deus omnipotens (Lord God Almighty),
   Veni Sancte Spiritus (Come Holy Spirit),
   Visita quaesumus Domine (Visit this Dwelling, Lord)
   Requiem aeternam (prayer for the deceased).
8. Longer prayers and devotions can also earn partial indulgences. These include: praying the Rosary in a Church or recognized gathering of the faithful, Litanies, Pious recitation of the creed.

1. Praying the Stations of the Cross in an approved space.
2. Participating in a Eucharistic procession.
3. Participating in a Eucharistic congress.
4. Receiving or assisting at a First Communion.
5. Participating in "Week of Christian Unity" events.
6. Praying the En ego, o bone et dulcissime Iesu before an image of Christ Crucified on Fridays during Lent.
7. Praying the Tantum ergo during the Rite of Transfer on Holy Thursday.
8. Venerating the Cross on Good Friday.
9. Pilgrimages to certain holy places.