What are indulgences and how may I obtain them?

Throughout the years Catholics have encountered indulgences. A person can often find an old book which plainly claims 10 years’ indulgence for praying the Stations of the Cross. In addition, this same practice presents tremendous challenges for understanding for Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Historically, there were several problematic practices related to indulgences, some of which prompted great concern among the early Protestants and Catholics alike. It is my hope that this column will begin to clear up those challenges.

We must begin with an understanding of sin. Sin is an offense against God. However, it also has effects on the person committing the sin and on the whole human family. Our sins affect both ourselves and everyone else on earth. The restoration of our friendship with God and the remission of the eternal punishment of sin is reestablished by the Sacrament of Confession. However, the other consequences of sin still remain. Penances help to right some of these wrongs. Some of them might remain at the time of death. Purgatory is the place or state allowed by God when the full measure of sin can be erased. Just as sin affects society at large, holiness also benefits all men and women. We share in the communion of saints with both other people and with Jesus himself. In his perfect actions and those of people united with him, he received from the Lord infinite grace and blessings. These form what we call the treasury of the Church. An indulgence is a specific grant or outpouring of grace from that treasury. Grace is the divine life of God shared with us.

Indulgences are a work of the Church granted through the power to bind and to loose sins in response to particular prayers or actions of the faithful. They can be either partial or plenary, indicating that they remove either some or all of the punishment due to sin. We can offer them for ourselves or for those who have died.  Before Vatican II, sometimes an indulgence was given with an indication of days or years. This meant it was equivalent to doing that many days of penance. It did not directly lessen one’s time in Purgatory by a number of days or years. The Church no longer attaches specific lengths of time to works of indulgences. These practices caused a great amount of confusion and the Church recognized this. Their effects in our lives and for those for whom they are offered are hard to quantify.

In order to gain an indulgence, one must have been baptized and in the state of grace at the time of the completion of the work. One also must have at least the general intention to do so. In order to gain a plenary indulgence, one must perform the specified work. The person must also receive Holy Communion, make a Sacramental Confession (within several days), and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father. In addition, to receive the indulgence one must also be free from attachment to sin. This qualification has been debated, but the Church has responded that it is not her intention to make indulgences impossible to receive. They are meant to be a fruit of a life of real and committed holiness, not just something that people can receive divorced from living a Christian life.

Some common times or actions that have plenary indulgences attached include a visit to a cemetery from Nov. 1-8, adoring the Holy Cross on Good Friday, participating in a retreat of at least three days, attending a Eucharistic Congress, reciting the Rosary in public, and reading Scripture for at least half an hour. There are many others that can be found in the book called The Enchiridion of Indulgences. The faithful can receive one plenary indulgence each day and many partial indulgences.

The desire of the Church in granting indulgences is to assist the faithful in the life of grace and also to share the tremendous riches of the action of Jesus Christ himself. It is a way for the faithful to participate in the sanctification of the whole world and to share the gift of God’s grace with those most in need of it. It is a spiritual work of mercy.
 
Father Keller serves as the parochial vicar of St. Michael’s Church in Grand Forks.
 
Editor’s Note: If you have a question about the Catholic faith and would like to submit a question for consideration in a future column, send to news@fargodiocese.org with “Ask a Priest” in the subject line or mail to New Earth, 5201 Bishops Blvd. S, Suite. A, Fargo, ND 58104, Attn: Ask a Priest.