Ch. XXII Indulgences p 225-230

CHAPTER XXII

INDULGENCES^[114]

“And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.

And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in Heaven:

And whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven.”

Matt. 16:19 and Matt. 18:18

There is much confusion over Indulgences:

Many non-Catholics are told that an Indulgence is a permit, purchased from The Catholic Church to commit sin. Many young Catholics have never heard of Indulgences and have no idea what they are. Many older Catholics think they knock various periods of time (300 days, 3 years, etc) from time spent in Purgatory.

Two evils in every sin:

The first evil is that it is an offense against God. God will forgive the sinner if he is truly sorry for the offense, goes to Confession with a firm resolve not to sin again.

The second evil is the disharmony sin causes in the balance of Justice. All sin is unjust and in order to reestablish the balance of Justice (since God is all Just), atonement (punishment) for the injustice must be made (after the sin is forgiven), either in this life or in Purgatory. This punishment due to our sins is called “Temporal Punishment”. In this life atonement for sin can be made by prayer and penances. In Purgatory atonement for sin is made by suffering similar to that found in Hell. Unlike the souls in Hell, the poor souls in Purgatory have Hope because their suffering will eventually be over.

“But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak,

they shall render an account for it in the day of Judgment.”

Matt. 12:36

For example: If a young girl gets mud (sin) on her pretty white dress (her soul) and is truly sorry for it (Confession), her mother will forgive her (Absolution) but her dress is still dirty. Some work is required in order to get the dress clean again (punishment due, even though the sin is forgiven).

What is an Indulgence?

One of the chief means by which we can satisfy for the temporal punishment due to us for our sins, is Indulgences.

An Indulgence is the remission, in whole or in part, of the temporal punishment due to our sins.

There are two kinds of Indulgences: Plenary Indulgences and Partial Indulgences.

A Plenary Indulgence is the full remission of all the temporal punishment due to our sins.

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A Partial Indulgence is the remission of part of the temporal punishment due to our sins.

Who has the power to grant Indulgences?

Jesus Christ gave the power to grant Indulgences to His Church when He gave Her the Power to “bind” and to “loose” “whatsoever” on earth and in Heaven. See Matt.16:19 above.

Prayer and Penances make up for the Temporal Punishment due to sin. The Church has a Great Treasury of these Merits from the Infinite Merits of Jesus Christ, and from the superabundant Merits of The Blessed Virgin Mary and the other Saints. It is from this Treasure House of Merits that The Church dispenses Indulgences.

What is necessary to gain an Indulgence?

To gain an Indulgence it is necessary:

1. To be in the State of Sanctifying Grace. (No unforgiven Mortal Sin on our soul).

2. To make an Intention to gain the Indulgence.

3. To fulfill the conditions prescribed to gain the Indulgence.

A. The performance of the work to which the Indulgence is attached..

B. A Sacramental Confession several days before or after the prescribed work.

C. Receive Holy Communion several days before or after the prescribed work.

D. Prayer for the Intention of the Holy Father (i.e. Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be.)

We can gain Indulgences for ourselves and for the Poor Souls in Purgatory.

What is meant by terms such as a 300 days or 2 years Indulgence?

In 1968 the Church issued “New Regulations on Indulgences”. These new Regulations do not give a “time” value for various acts to which a Partial Indulgence is attached.

Prior to this however, The Church assigned days or years to various Indulgenced acts. In the early Church, penitents were required to do extensive penances that may last for 40 days or even years. Therefore an act with a 300 days Indulgence attached to it, earned a merit equal to that of 300 days of penance. These “times” do not mean an equivalent time reduction in Purgatory.

Examples of some of the Works to which Plenary Indulgences are attached:

1. A visit to and adoration of The Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour.

2. Reading Holy Scripture for at least half an hour.

3. Making “The Way of The Cross” or meditation on the Passion and death of Christ for at least half an hour.

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4. Praying five decades of the Rosary with meditation on the respective mysteries:

a. In a Church.

b. With the family.

c. In a religious community.

d. In a pious Association.

Non-Catholic objections to Indulgences:

1. Indulgences are a permission from the Pope to commit sin!

Jimmy Swaggart in his book Catholicism and Christianity calls Indulgences “a permit for indulging in sin”. He really thinks the popes have given the okay for sinful activity - provided the right amount of cash is laid down first.

CATHOLIC RESPONSE:

An Indulgence is a remission of part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin after the sin has already been forgiven in the Sacrament of Confession. To make a valid Confession the sinner must be sorry for having offended God and have the sincere intention not to sin again. The first thing to note is that forgiveness of a sin is separate from punishment for the sin. Through Sacramental Confession we obtain forgiveness, but we aren’t off the hook as far as punishment goes. This punishment may come in this life, in the form of various sufferings (offered up), or doing the tasks required to gain an Indulgence. What is not taken care of in this life will be atoned for in Purgatory. An Indulgence is not a permission to sin! Mr. Swaggart’s book is full of such errors about the Catholic Church.

2. The Catholic Church sells Indulgences, that’s what the Reformation was all about.

CATHOLIC RESPONSE:

(1) Indulgences was just a side issue during the “Reformation”.

First, the Reformation (really a Revolution not a “Reformation”), was about many things. One of the major issues was the idea the revolutionaries had about being “saved by faith alone” and not by “good works”. See Chapter V: What Is Necessary for Salvation?”

Martin Luther, one of the leaders of the revolution, was a Catholic Priest who had a foul mouth, a bad temper, and a very sinful nature. He decided he didn’t need to avoid sin in order to be saved. He decided all he needed was to “accept Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior” and that’s it. He then declared himself already saved no matter how much he sinned (“The Good News”)! Well you cannot accept Jesus Christ as your Savior unless you join The Church he founded and use the Sacramental System He gave us to help us be “Saved”!

Henry VIII split from the church because he wanted to divorce his wife and marry someone else. This is why he split England from The Church and formed The Anglican Church.

Therefore the charge of selling Indulgences was a side issue during the Revolution and helped get it off the ground.

(2) Indulgences for helping complete St. Peter’s was the pretext for Luther’s Apostasy.

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Pope Leo X granted an Indulgence to the Faithful who made voluntary offerings for the completion of the magnificent Church of St. Peter, that was begun by his predecessor, Julius II. Even those who contributed nothing, gained the Indulgence, provided they completed the essential conditions for gaining the Indulgence. These essential conditions were: sincere repentance and confession of their sins. These conditions were necessary no matter how much was offered. No sale of Indulgences was authorized by the Head of the Church. The contributions were understood by all, to be voluntary. In order to avoid abuse, the one who preached about the Indulgence, was forbidden to receive the money himself, under the severest penalties.

There is nothing reprehensible in asking for donations from the faithful for the erection of a temple of worship, even the Protestants do this. They even suggest that God will be pleased by their donations (spiritual rewards). However in the case of the non-Catholics, they do not require “sincere repentance and confessions of their sins”.

Examples from Holy Scripture:

In Holy Scripture, we read about Moses appealing to the Hebrew people for offerings to adorn the tabernacle.

Daniel 4:24 “Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable to thee, and redeem thou sins with alms, and thy iniquities with works of mercy to the poor: perhaps he will forgive thy offences.”

Acts 10:31 “Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thy alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.”

So what was the problem?

John Tetzel, a Dominican monk, who had been appointed the chief preacher to announce the Indulgence in Germany, was accused by Luther of exceeding his powers by making them subservient to his own private ends.

Tetzel’s conduct was condemned by the representative of the Holy See. The Council of Trent took effectual measures to put a stop to all irregularities regarding Indulgences and issued the following decree:

“Wishing to correct and amend the abuses which have crept into them, and on occasion of which this signal name of Indulgences is blasphemed by heretics, the Holy Synod enjoins in general, by the present decree, that all wicked traffic for obtaining them, which has been the fruitful source of many abuses among the Christian people, should be wholly abolished.”

Summary:

The Catholic Church has never authorized the selling of Indulgences. The actions of individuals who abused the granting of Indulgences were condemned by the Church. An abuse by individuals within The Church is never a justification for leaving The Church, rejection of Doctrine and starting a new Church.

^[114]. “The Faith of Our Fathers” Ch. XXVII by James Cardinal Gibbons

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