ON INDULGENCES.
From - "The teachers handbook to the catechism" by Rev. A. Urban.
What is an indulgence?
An indulgence is a remission granted, apart from the Sacrament
of Penance, of temporal punishment which, after the sin is forgiven,
is still due us, and for which we must atone, either here or in purgatory.
How does the Church remit the punishment due to our sins?
By making compensation to the divine justice for us from the
inexhaustible treasure of the merits of Christ and His saints. You
have already heard that the offending of the infinite majesty of God
requires an infinite satisfaction or expiation. This atonement was
rendered by Jesus Christ through His Passion and death. His
satisfaction is inexhaustible, because it has infinite merits. To this
satisfaction which Jesus has rendered are added also the surplus of
merits of the Blessed Virgin and the saints. This work of satisfaction
of Christ and the merits of His saints form an inexhaustible and
infinite treasure of spiritual goods and graces which belongs to the
entire Church and which can be turned over by her to individual
members. The merits of the saints have their merit only from the
satisfaction of Christ. The merits of Christ are not prejudiced
thereby ; on the contrary, they appear all the more glorious, as they
grant so high a merit to the works of the saints that they can be
applied to us.
From whom has the Catholic Church the power of granting indulgences ?
From Jesus Christ, who made no exception when He said to Peter,
" Whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed in heaven "
(Matt. xvi. 19).
1. The power to loose, or the power of the keys, is a general one,
which refers to all those bonds and obstructions which would prevent
the faithful from entering into heaven. To these belong also
those temporal punishments which have still to be undergone.
2. Jesus has given the commission to His Church to continue His
work until the end of the world. The Church, by the power which
has been imparted to her by the Holy Ghost, makes use of it in the
distribution of indulgences.
3. Indulgences were used in the Church from the earliest
times. The following is a proof of this : The Apostle Paul
excommunicated a public sinner at Corinth. After he had suffered his
punishment for a year the Apostle Paul granted him an indulgence,
by exempting him from the remaining penance. In the first centuries
of Christianity the punishment was often remitted to penitents, or
the time of their punishment lessened.
The right to grant indulgences for the entire Church belongs to
the Pope; since the fourth Council of Trent in the Lateran the
bishops are allowed to grant a partial indulgence in individual cases.
What is generally required to gain an indulgence?
It is required, 1. That we are in the state of grace; and, 2. That
we perform properly the good works prescribed for the gaining of
the indulgence.
1. The first requisite, therefore, is this, that we are in a state of
sanctifying grace. In a state of mortal sin or in a state of disgrace we
are a dead member of the body of the Church. The temporal punishment,
therefore, can not be wiped out until, first of all, the sins are
forgiven. We must, first of all, receive worthily the Sacrament instituted
for the forgiveness of sins.
2. Furthermore it is necessary that for the gaining an indulgence
we perform properly the good works prescribed.
The good works prescribed are, as a rule, the following :
a. A worthy reception of the holy Sacraments of Penance and
the holy Eucharist.
b. One or more visits of one or several churches.
c. The performance of prescribed prayers with the required in tention.
d. Fasting and almsgiving.
With the announcing of an indulgence it is always made known
what is required for the gaining of the same, so that we may know
exactly what to do.
What must we believe with regard to indulgences ?
We must believe:
1. That the Catholic Church has power to grant indulgences: and,
2. That the use of them is very salutary to us.
The Council of Trent has declared these two points Articles of
Faith, in these words : " The holy Synod teaches and commands that
the use of indulgences, which is very salutary for the Christian people,
shall be upheld in the Church and imposed, with the excommunication
of those who aver that they are unnecessary, or that the Church
has not the power to grant them."
Indulgences are salutary, for they encourage the sinner to make
his peace with God and to do penance ; they promote the frequent
and worthy reception of the holy Sacraments of Penance and the
Eucharist; they promote devotion and zeal in prayer among the
faithful ; they induce the faith to shine, cause hope to be strengthened
and charity to be kindled ; they promote compassion for the
poor and needy, and lay the foundation for many virtues.
How many kinds of indulgences are there?
There are two kinds : Plenary and partial indulgences.
When is an indulgence plenary?
An indulgence is plenary when it remits to the one gaining it the
whole debt of temporal punishment due to sin.
When is an indulgence partial?
When it remits a part only of the punishment due to sin.
What is meant by an indulgence of forty days, or of seven years ?
A remission of such a debt of temporal punishment as a person
would discharge if he did penance for forty days or seven years,
according to the ancient canons of the Church.
There are also local indulgences which can only be gained at
certain places of pilgrimage, or places favored particularly by divine
grace. These are only granted by the Pope for their appointed
places. There are, furthermore, personal indulgences granted only
to an individual under certain conditions, as the indulgence at the
point of death.
Can indulgences also be rendered available to the souls in purga tory?
Yes ; all those which the Pope has expressly declared to be so
applicable. The Pope has jurisdiction only over the Church militant,
over the living. Indulgences, however, can be applied to the departed
by way of intercession.
What is a jubilee indulgence, and what is remarkable about it?
The name is derived from the jubilee year of the Jews, every
fiftieth year, in which work in the fields was discontinued, slaves
received their freedom and property which had been alienated reverted
to the original owner or his heirs. In like manner in the
new law of grace a spiritual jubilee is celebrated. At first it took
place every hundred years ; later every fifty years ; and now every
twenty-five years. It is proclaimed at Rome with great solemnity and
inaugurated with imposing ceremonies by the opening of four sealed
doors of the principal church. By devotions in church and numerous
penitential works during this time of grace the faithful are earnestly
exhorted to new zeal in penance and to an amendment of life.
Although taking part in the jubilee is not enjoined under pain of
sin, yet it certainly shows great indifference on the part of the faithful
if they do not accept this solemn invitation of the Church to
profit of her treasures for our salvation. It is to be noted that during
the time of a jubilee other indulgences can not be gained by the
living, but they can be gained for the dead ; during this time all
indulgences without exception may be applied to the dead.
What is an indulgence at death?
The indulgence at death, usually called general absolution, is a
plenary indulgence, which is granted to the faithful when dying.
It is administered after the last Sacraments have been received at the
approach of death. The dying should thereby awaken acts of con
trition, charity, and resignation, and frequently and devoutly pro
nounce the sweet name of Jesus.
There has hardly been any other doctrine of the Catholic Church
so much abused as the doctrine of indulgences. The Church has
been falsely accused of selling indulgences ; ignorance and malice
again have slandered the Church with the allegation that indulgences
remit sins already committed or to be committed. Remember, there
fore, that indulgences do not remit sins, but the temporal punishment
due to an already forgiven sin.
Application. Value and esteem the indulgences and avail yourself
of every opportunity to gain them worthily, for yourself as well as
for the souls of the faithful departed.