Indulgences are a bit mysterious. No one is quite sure if they still exist or if Martin Luther and the protestants exposed a major error of the Catholic Church and we quietly abandoned them. Well, they do still exist. They are not a theological mistake. And we would all benefit greatly from re-emphasizing them. Let’s start with a basic definition and I will explain as we work through it.

The Catechism, based on the teachings of the recently beatified Pope Paul VI, says this: “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven…” This forgiveness would be through the sacrament of confession, so an indulgence doesn’t replace confession. When the catechism talks about temporal punishment, what it is referring to is the fact that our sins, even though completely forgiven by the grace of God, still leave an effect. They damage the soul and the world. A remedy must still be applied. This is what purgatory is for, a remedy for the effects of sin. Think of it this way, if my daughter is disobedient but then says she is sorry. I quickly forgive her but will still, after that, give her a punishment to make right what she has done wrong and to help her think through the consequences of doing wrong. An indulgence is a remission of this second, additional effect of sin. It satisfies the natural need to make right a past wrong.

Let’s go on in the Catechism; an indulgence is given “under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.” So, what this means is that the Church, or Holy Mother Mary, is given the honor of dispensing the treasury of satisfactions of Christ and saints to any who she wishes. Mary is Our Lady of Sorrows; she knows the depths of suffering and wishes to give help to all her children. She takes the excess fruits of the merits of saints and gives them to us. This is one reason we love our saints so much, they have done some of our penance for us! Priests, I should mention, often do penance for us, too. Pray for them. This highlights for us that the Church is truly one Body, we are a mystical communion and we help each other, not only through our prayers but by actually sharing the fruits of our spiritual life with each other. The Scriptures say that we are to carry each other’s burdens. This example of the saints is commendable, we ought to follow it, and when we receive indulgences give them away to souls in purgatory who need our help.

Moving on in the Catechism, “An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part of all of the temporal punishment due to sin.” Plenary is a word that means “full”, so it is the full removal of the effects of a sin. Now, we don’t really know, in terms of time, how these indulgences work for those in purgatory, so we don’t really talk about “2 weeks off” anymore; we just know that they help. Souls in purgatory are no longer able to merit, or grow in charity, the way that we on earth can. When we merit it is a beautiful act to give away the fruits to others.

It is a mistake to think of indulgences as a discount from living a Christian life. St. John Paul II says that they are “instead an aid to its prompt, generous, and radical fulfillment.” In other words, doing the devotions that lead to receiving an indulgence will over time convert you into a saint. We know this to be true because in order to receive one, you must be free from attachment to sin through the sacrament of confession. This is why it is better to practice the Christian faith now rather than spend a lot of time in purgatory. The love of God grows in your heart and you are changed. In heaven the ones who have lived saintly lives will actually see more of God.

So, how does the Church prescribe we gain indulgences? It is necessary to
1) perform the indulgenced work,
2) be free from attachment to sin, so go to confession within 20 days,
3) receive the Eucharist, and
4) pray for the Pope’s intention.

Here are a few common ways to receive plenary indulgences:
adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for half an hour,
a spiritual retreat of 3 days,
praying the Stations of the Cross,
praying a Rosary, or
reading Scripture for half an hour.

Be sure that if you are doing these things along with the other requirements that you are intentionally offering those indulgences for your loved ones. Or you can entrust them directly to the Blessed Virgin to give away to whoever needs them.

There is one last indulgence that we should be aware of, and that is the apostolic blessing at the time of death. When the priest comes to anoint a dying person, we want to make sure that we receive the apostolic blessing from him which brings with it a plenary indulgence. If a priest is not there, we can still make an act of contrition and ask God directly for it and he will grant it.