154. Grant of Indulgences

In the early Church, the canonical penances were severe. Grave sins, such as apostasy, were punished with a penance of seven years. During all this time the penitent was excluded from the company of the faithful. He knelt at the entrance of the church, asking for the prayers of those that entered. He heard only the first part of the Mass, i.e., the Mass of the Catechumen and being excluded from the second part, i.e., the Mass of the Faithful; and consequently was not permitted to receive Holy Communion. On fixed days during the period of his penance, he was obliged to fast on bread and water. But if those faithful interceded, the penitent was granted an indulgence; his penance was shortened.

What is a plenary indulgence?

— A plenary indulgence is the remission of all the temporal punishment due to our sins already forgiven.

1. One who dies immediately after gaining a plenary indulgence goes straight to heaven, without having to pass through Purgatory.

The good thief was granted by Our Lord a plenary indulgence, because of his perfect contrition of heart. To the other thief he said that they were receiving what their deeds deserved. And he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.' And Jesus said to him, "Amen I say to thee, this day thou shalt be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:42-43).

2. To gain a plenary indulgence, one must be entirely free from all sin, both mortal and venial, and all affection for it.

If we do not fulfil this condition, even if we do some good work to which a plenary indulgence is attached, we may only gain a partial benefit, according to our dispositions.

3. A plenary indulgence cannot be gained more than once on the same day, unless the contrary is stated explicitly.

What is a partial indulgence?

— A partial indulgence is the remission of part of the temporal punishment due to our sins already forgiven.

Indulgences are generally greater or less in proportion to the works prescribed; for some easy work, a small indulgence is granted, and for more difficult work, a greater indulgence.

1. A partial indulgence is reckoned, like the public penitential discipline of old, in days, quarantines, and years.

The precise meaning of these periods of time has not been clearly defined; their use has come to us from the former canonical penances of the Church. When a penitent had to do penance for a quarantine, he had to fast forty days on bread and water.

2. The indulgence attached must not be taken to mean a certain length of time in purgatory. When an indulgence of 300 days is granted, it does not mean to free a soul from 300 days' suffering in Purgatory.

It simply implies that as much temporal punishment may be remitted as would have been remitted in the primitive Church by a canonical penance of 300 days, according to the rules of that time.

3. As no one knows how much the penances of old satisfied God's justice, so we cannot now know how much temporal punishment is remitted by the corresponding partial indulgence. We only know that the more indulgences we may be able to earn, the less will be our punishment in Purgatory. We cannot even be sure we have gained the indulgences, since efficacy depends on our good dispositions.

What are the most important plenary indulgences?

— The most important plenary indulgences are: the jubilee indulgence, and those of the Portiuncula, of the papal benediction, and for the hour of death.

1. The jubilee indulgence is granted every Jubilee, or Holy Year. The regular jubilee occurs every twenty-five years. Occasionally an extra jubilee is proclaimed by the Pope under special circumstances, as his accession to the papal throne, an important anniversary, etc. In a jubilee year, all other indulgences for the living are suspended except that of the Angelus and that for the hour of death.

The ancient Jews kept every fiftieth year as a year of rejoicing: this custom was introduced into the Church. In this year, all their transgressions were pardoned, property that had been stolen was restored, etc.

2. The Portiuncula is a plenary indulgence that may be gained from noon of August 1 until midnight of the following day, for the benefit of the Poor Souls in Purgatory, if one, under the usual conditions, prays One Our Father, One Hail Mary, One Glory Be, and visits preferably churches and public oratories of the Friars Minor, the Capuchins, or Conventuals or where the 3rd Order is erected. If none exists any church suffices. (Decretum Sacrae Paenitentiariae Apostolicae, May 1, 1939)

3. A plenary indulgence is granted to those who receive the papal benediction or blessing after confession, communion, and prayer for the Pope's intentions.

The papal benediction is usually given at the end of missions or retreats, or at the hour of death.

4. The sick and elderly at the hour of death, the papal blessing for the dying having been received, can gain a plenary indulgence if he pronounces the Name of Jesus, or at least have it in his mind and heart.

Who has authority to grant indulgences?

— The Pope alone has authority to grant plenary indulgences and indulgences for the whole Church; and those to whom this power is either acknowledged in the law, or given by the Roman Pontiff (CIC 912, NC 995 §1).

Priests with special faculties from the Pope may attach indulgences to objects they bless. All objects blessed by the Holy Father have the Apostolic indulgences attached to them.

1. An indulgence is granted for the living or for the dead. An indulgence for the living means for the person who performs the good work. We cannot gain an indulgence for another living person.

2. The Holy See alone can grant indulgences applicable to the dead. All papal indulgences can be applied to the souls in purgatory, unless otherwise stated.

Most indulgences are today applicable to the dead. Persons who have made the Heroic Act can apply every indulgence to the poor souls (see page 59)

How can the Church grant indulgences for the dead?

— The Church can grant such indulgences, as an offering to God by way of suffrage, as an intercessory prayer for the departed souls. As we cannot know how much temporal punishment is remitted by any indulgence, still less can we know what value the indulgences we gain have, when applied to the souls in Purgatory.

It is wrong, for instance, to say that we have freed a particular soul from purgatory by the recital of a certain prayer with a plenary indulgence. The efficacy of such indulgences depends on God's response to the intercession offered. But can we doubt that He will listen to the entreaty of His Church, with the infinite Treasury of Merits that He Himself has made available?