by Sr. Mary Cabrini, OP
(Fall, 2017)
What are Indulgences and Why is There So Much Importance Attached to Them?
While taking a routine morning walk along a popular path, a young man’s attention was drawn to many sparkling flecks amid the dirt and gravel. His curiosity urged him to stoop down and gather a handful of these bright objects. With further study, he discovered he had a treasure of gold fragments. Each day after, he would effortlessly gather more and more. He wondered why others ignored the shimmering tidbits, but he continued this easy task that would eventually amount to a considerable sum. Similarly, we can gain indulgences with as little effort, slowly amassing an eternal fortune.
I am often asked, “Sister, can you please explain indulgences to me?” First of all, Christ gained infinite merits by His death on the cross. In addition to that, Our Lady obtained superabundant graces, or merits, by her many sufferings and prayers. The saints also focused their energies to guarantee that they saved their souls. In doing so, they performed more penances and prayed more prayers than were absolutely needed for salvation. So we could say that these extra or superabundant merits were deposited into the bank account of the Catholic Church. So when we pray certain prayers or perform certain actions, fulfilling the necessary conditions, Holy Mother Church writes us a check from its treasury which we can apply to our own personal debt of sin or to the souls in Purgatory.
Why is Reparation Still Needed? Why Does Merely Apologizing for One’s Offenses Not Suffice?
With every sin committed, there are two elements: guilt and punishment, just as there is with committing a crime. Offending God can be compared to breaking your neighbor’s window. Your neighbor will not be satisfied with a simple apology. The words “I’m sorry” will not replace the broken pane. You must repair, or pay for, a new window. When you sin, you break the window of God’s heart, so to speak. The guilt is erased by the Sacrament of Penance when we tell God we are sorry and receive absolution; however, we still need to make reparation to Him for our offense and for the damage done to our soul by sin. This remaining debt to God is known as Temporal Punishment. As the debt is paid, the soul is purified. No one knows how many hours, days, or years in Purgatory may be assigned to one lie, one angry word, one detraction, and so on. How quickly does that debt mount, since even one small sin requires the satisfaction of a week, a month, or a year in Purgatory! In the course of our lives, we commit numerous sins, all of which have varying degrees of guilt and depending on if we acted with malice, or if they were sins of “surprise” without prior deliberation. Who knows how much punishment may yet be due for our forgiven sins?
How do we pay this huge debt from our sins? We can wait for Purgatory, but it would be much wiser to gain indulgences now, in this life, and avoid Purgatory completely in the next life. In addition, the Council of Trent teaches that using our energies to earn indulgences actually spares us more suffering on earth. “The gaining of indulgences is most salutary because we thereby keep far from us temporal evils and are stimulated to the accomplishment of good works. The indulgences we gain avert from us sickness, calamities, temptations, etc. which, if no indulgence be gained, come upon us as the temporal punishment of sin.” Therefore, gaining indulgences spares us from some suffering in this life since it puts us in the mode of praying and makes us more vigilant over sin, while reducing our debt of temporal punishment. What a tremendous benefit using indulgences can be!
Over the centuries, the Catholic Church has assisted the faithful in reducing their debt of punishment. In the early ages, converts and notorious sinners performed public penances that were very strict, such as begging outside the church building for months or years. For grave offenses they were excluded from the believers, as well as being obliged to fast on bread and water for as long as seven years. For less serious sins, a forty-day fast was imposed. By the Middle Ages, the Church relaxed these canonical penances and offered indulgences for pilgrimages, erection of churches, participating in the Crusades, etc. The Church, being a good mother, further simplified the means to gain indulgences through prayers and good works. Now Catholics are motivated to the practice of prayer with a two-fold benefit. Those who are earnest about gaining indulgences live more fervent lives. As a result of this fervor, one has fewer sins incurring further debt.
How Does the Church Help Our Souls in Assigning Value to Our Daily Prayers and Actions?
The Catholic Church assigns values to certain prayers and actions which are counted in days or years. What does “three years indulgence” mean? It means that we receive the same remission of our debt as if we performed three years of canonical penance practiced in the primitive Church. These are called partial indulgences, paying some of our debt. Other prayers and works grant a plenary indulgence, meaning the full and complete remission of our debt of temporal punishment. With a plenary indulgence, the Church attaches the condition that one must receive Confession and Holy Communion within eight days. Many indulgenced prayers such as the “Hail Holy Queen” earn a plenary indulgence when prayed daily for a month.
It is amazing how many indulgences a person can gain throughout the day simply by praying short prayers called ejaculations. When you say “My Jesus, Mercy!” ten times, it equals 3,000 days’ indulgence. While performing manual labor, it is so easy to pray 50 or more ejaculations. Praying Sacred Heart devotions in June grants ten years’ indulgence each day when prayed in public and a plenary indulgence for the entire month. Attending Holy Mass, one can gain over 30 years’ indulgences by the various prayers during and after Mass. These are incredible mercies to us poor sinners on the part of the Church, helping us attain our heavenly goal. In a short time, you will accumulate so much spiritual wealth for your own soul or the souls in Purgatory.
Why should we pray the morning offering?
How can we guarantee we are amassing a treasure of indulgences? An indulgence is relatively easy to gain. First of all, we must be in the state of grace. Then we must perform the work — praying a prayer, reading the Bible, teaching Catechism, listening to a sermon, attending a First Holy Communion, visiting a cemetery, sewing or ironing altar linens, and so many more. When it is a question of prayers to be said, one must move the lips, unless it be a question of ejaculations. “Indulgences attached to ejaculations can be gained even by reciting them merely mentally.” Finally, we must intend to gain the indulgences. This is best done by praying the Morning Offering, ending with the words, “I desire to gain all the indulgences attached to the prayers I shall say and the good works I shall perform this day.” This intention will cover all the indulgences gained throughout the day. Also, for plenary indulgences, one must have true sorrow for all his sins, make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament, and recite an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, for the intentions of Holy Mother Church.
The indulgences we gain avert from us sickness, calamities, temptations, etc., which, if no indulgence be gained, come upon us as the temporal punishment of sin.
A short anecdote will demonstrate the power we have in using indulgenced prayers. A certain Blessed Conrad, whose feast is March 14th, was asked to admonish a troublesome brother in a monastery. This brother made a full conversion and soon died. After a few days, he appeared to Father Conrad in church, begging for his help to be delivered from his chastisement in Purgatory. The brother requested his benefactor to pray an ‘Our Father.’ Still kneeling, the saint recited the prayer followed by, ‘Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him.’ From this short prayer the brother obtained great relief and asked for more, each time receiving tremendous consolation. Encouraged by this simple act of charity, Blessed Conrad prayed one hundred ‘Our Fathers’ followed by ‘Eternal rest.’ Soon the departed brother returned with profound joy, thanking the saint and informing him that his prayers had released him from his punishment and that he was now enjoying the beatitude of heaven.
In summary, there are tremendous benefits to be gained through the use of indulgences. It is the easiest and best way to remit our debt of temporal punishment. We can acquire bountiful indulgences even in fifteen minutes. By decreasing the amount of our debt, we avoid additional earthly sufferings. We will recover or maintain the state of grace as required to gain indulgences, resulting in greater vigilance over sin, living more fervent lives, and increasing in holiness. As Adam and Eve walked daily with God before their fall, we will be in a perennial state of grace and more readily attuned to divine inspirations. Indulgences also empower us to relieve the souls in Purgatory. Our deceased relatives and friends will rejoice in our prayerful assistance and will eventually intercede for us from heaven. So as we walk through our lives, let us intently gather the precious golden flakes of indulgences. Then, happily, we can bypass Purgatory entirely, seeing that our debt of temporal punishment has been “Paid in Full.”
1The Council of Trent, 25
2Catechism Explained, p. 639, Fr. Francis Spirago
–Taken from the Reign of Mary Quarterly Magazine, Issue 166
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