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The indulgence, which is one of the constitutive
elements of the Jubilee. -Pope John Paul II
Celebrating a Year of Jubilee
THE DOCTRINE OF THE INDULGENCE
To learn about and really understand
indulgences will bless our lives. Indulgences teach us about the reality and pain of sin,
but also the merciful love of our Father in Heaven that comes to us through the Lord Jesus
Christ.
But before dealing with indulgences directly, we need to
back-up and first reflect upon human choices, sin, and the personal consequences of sin.
To put it most briefly, there are essentially two kinds of human choices or actions:
those that are truly good for the human person and contribute to human flourishing
(virtuous acts), and those which are only partially good, which do not and cannot bring
about true human happiness and flourishing (sinful acts). In other words, truly good human
actions and choices are good all-around; there is no element of badness in them. On the
other hand, imperfectly good human actions and choices are, by definition, mixed
realities: they have elements of both good and bad in them.
What happens when a person sins is that they freely choose an imperfect good: something
which has elements of both good and bad in it. Strictly speaking, a person directly
chooses the imperfect good for the truly and really good aspects inherent in the action or
behavior but, at the same time, indirectly chooses the bad/evil element which is also
inherent in the action or behavior. (In other words, no one sins because of the bad or
evil that will result, but because of the benefits that will result.) And since the
imperfectly good act or choice always has this element of bad in it, by definition it
cannot be truly good for the human person; cannot truly contribute to human flourishing.
Why then is repentance hard and painful? Precisely because even sinful/bad actions or
behaviors always contain elements of real and true goodness in them. Remember, sinful acts
are imperfectly good; they are mixed realities, containing both elements of good and evil.
In the process of repentance we have to give up both the bad and the good which together
make-up the sinful action or behavior.
Whenever we choose we attach ourselves, invest
ourselves--emotionally/psychologically--in that which we choose. Thus, when we have to
redirect our hearts and let go of imperfect/sinful choices and behaviors--that is,
repent--there is real pain and heartache because we not only have to give up the sinful
elements but even the good elements attached to those choices.
To understand indulgences it's also important to remember that every sin--whether
mortal or venial--always has a two-fold consequence: on the one hand, sin ultimately
impacts our relationship with God (mortal sin breaks off our relationship whereas venial
sin weakens the relationship); on the other hand, sin creates in us an attachment (as
described above) to the imperfect or sinful choice/action. The relationship-consequence of
sin is traditionally called "the eternal punishment" of sin while the
attachment-consequence is traditionally called "the temporal punishment of sin."
The sacramental absolution we receive in confession has to do with healing and
forgiving the eternal punishment of sin: through absolution our relationship with God is
restored if we have sinned mortally, strengthened if we have sinned venially. The penance
we are assigned in confession is meant to be the assignment of some virtuous, truly good
act which helps us begin to heal the temporal punishment of sin (in other words, the best
way to counter-act our attachment to bad habits is to develop good habits); moreover, the
assigned penance is performed in reparation for our sins.
Even after our confession we must struggle with the temporal punishment of sin, a
punishment which flows from the fact that every human choice causes us to prefer in the
future that which we have chosen in the past, even if what we have chosen previously is
not truly good for us. (Thus, God is not the direct cause of the temporal punishment of
sin; it is simply a fact of human nature that we become attached to that which we choose.)
With this background in mind, we can now appropriately consider the grace of the
indulgence.
A plenary indulgence is ultimately an act of
God's grace which provides for the complete healing of the temporal punishment of sin,
whereby the Lord elevates and makes supernatural those free human acts which are required
on our part to gain the indulgence. Thus, the Lord elevates and transforms our involvement
in such a way that our hearts are fully healed--we recognize the centrality of the Lord
Jesus Christ to our real human fulfillment, and our hearts are healed of attachments to
things or choices or behaviors that are imperfect and hence not truly and really good.
Basic Questions
Speaking generally, what are the acts required to gain a plenary
indulgence?
There are essentially four things involved in gaining a plenary indulgence: sacramental
confession, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, and
the doing of some specified good/virtuous act.
As a matter of clarification, it should be noted that a person can only gain one plenary
indulgence per day; and because of our doctrine on the communion of saints, a plenary
indulgence can be applied to ourselves or on behalf of the dead (we can offer a plenary
indulgence for the soul of a particular person or simply offer it to God on behalf of the
dead, in which case the Lord then applies it as He sees fit.)
Furthermore, it should be noted that the reception of Holy Communion and the prayer for
the intentions of the Holy Father must be done on the same day as the prescribed
good/virtuous act. However, one sacramental confession every few weeks is sufficient to
gain indulgences on the intervening days. (If one wanted to gain a plenary indulgence
every day, one does not have to confess every day, just periodically).
And, of course, one can only gain a plenary indulgence while in the state of grace, while
in the state of friendship with God. (One cannot gain a plenary indulgence if one is
conscious of mortal sin(s) which have not yet been confessed.)
What are the specified good/virtuous acts involved in gaining "the
Jubilee Indulgence"?
In addition to the basic elements required for gaining any plenary indulgence (confession,
communion, prayers for the Holy Father), the following are good/virtuous acts that have
been specified for gaining the Jubilee Indulgence:
visit St. Peter's Basilica or the Lateran Basilica or the Basilica of
Saint Mary Major or the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls or the Basilica of the
Holy Cross in Jerusalem or the Basilica of Saint Lawrence in Campo Verano or the Shrine of
Our Lady of Divine Love or the Christian Catacombs or the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher
in Jerusalem or the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem or the Basilica of the
Annunciation in Nazareth, or
visit the Cathedral or another place designated by the Bishop and while there either take
part in either Mass or some devotion (Lauds or Vespers or the Stations of the Cross or the
Rosary or the Akathistos Hymn in honor of Our Lady) or spend some time in Eucharistic
adoration, ending it with the Our Father, a profession of faith (for example, the
Apostle's Creed), and a prayer to Our Lady;
in any place: visit for a suitable time those in need or difficulty
(e.g. the sick, the imprisoned, the elderly living alone, the disabled, etc.); or abstain
for at least one whole day from unnecessary consumption (e.g. from smoking or alcohol; by
fasting or practicing abstinence according to the general rules of the Church and the
norms laid down by the Bishops' Conference) and donate a proportionate sum of money to the
poor; or
support by a significant contribution works of a religious or social
nature (especially for the benefit of abandoned children, young people in trouble, the
elderly in need, foreigners in various countries seeking better living conditions); or
devote a suitable portion of personal free time to activities benefiting
the community, or other similar forms of personal sacrifice.
After gaining a plenary indulgence, am I then perfect? Will I never sin
again?
After gaining a plenary indulgence, by the grace and mercy of God, one is healed from the
temporal punishment of sin--those attachments to actions or choices or behaviors that are
sinful and not truly good.
However, a plenary indulgence does not relieve us of the burden--or better, the
privilege--of free-will. We always have the freedom to choose partial goods--to sin--to
choose those things that are only partly good, and hence, partly bad or evil.
Gaining a plenary indulgence is really a process with a number of steps--but those steps
redirect our hearts, center them on the Lord, and allow us to experience the abundance of
His mercy and desire to save.
Read the teaching of our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, on indulgences and other aspects
of the Jubilee Year by visiting the Vatican web site:
Bull
of Indiction
The Mystery of the Incarnation
(Incarnationis Mysterium)
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