Our Lenten pilgrimage is approaching Jerusalem and like Peter, James and John, who came down the mountain with Jesus after the Transfiguration, we are gazing at a world where the effects of sin and the harm and death it generates are a stark reality. We know that the chief remedy for sin is the Sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, in which he takes away the sin of the world, and that we share in at every Mass, along with the grace of the other Sacraments — especially that of the Sacrament of Penance.
However, Pope Francis in his message announcing Holy Year 2025 — Spes non confudit (Hope will not disappoint) — stated: “Every sin ‘leaves its mark.’ … ‘Every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death, in the state called Purgatory.’” In other words, even after a person has received forgiveness and absolution through the Sacrament of Penance (Reconciliation), sin has consequences, not only outwardly in the effects of the wrong we do but also inwardly. As the Catholic Church teaches, sin is not just personal, but it is also a wound to the community of believers.
What a person often forgets is that sin has two effects: (1) guilt — the rupture of our relationship with God and neighbor, and (2) punishment — the need to repair the harm caused. The Church’s whole approach to penance in its theology is that it is medicinal, not punitive. Through the Sacrament of Penance sins are forgiven, but just as Jesus instructed the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more (see Jn 8:11), we are called to do penance as a means of purification — that is, both as healing (think of a wound or fracture or even a sprain needing to mend) and fortification to avoid the near occasion of sin.
It is at this point that I wish to introduce the reader to a much misunderstood and maligned teaching of the Catholic Church — “Indulgences.” Trust me, until I took the time to write this article I groaned every time I heard the word. All I could think of was Martin Luther’s “95 Theses” and their grave misuse in the history of the Church. However, once I put away my own prejudice concerning them and was reminded that indulgences did not forgive sins or offer forgiveness for sins one-is-yet-to-commit — that they weren’t a “get-out-of-jail-free” card — I began to see them as a “time” the Church was offering for a person to do acts and practices that would help one to turn away from sin.
In other words, like the old saying goes, “Practice makes perfect.” As with any prayer or charitable work, our intention does matter, but how many times has one heard or read of someone going through a conversion — that is, drawing closer to God and his Church, because of participating in a moment of prayer that changed their heart or an act through which they came to desire greater involvement. By “indulging” in such opportunities, one’s relationship with God and neighbor is strengthened, thereby countering the divisive effect of sin. It means also that these same opportunities can be used to pray for others and their needs, including the faithful departed.
Thus, we can now understand better the definition given to the term, “indulgence” in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for their sins” (#1471). Again, important to our understanding of “indulgence” is that punishment is not penalizing, rather, it is working to correct the harm done by sin, whether venial, serious or mortal. Indulgences are categorized in two ways: (1) plenary — which can help remit all of the temporal punishment involved with sin, and (2) partial — which can help remit part of the temporal punishment involved with sin. Again, both are means to assist in healing the harm and damage caused by our sinning, whether to self or others.
With all of this in mind, let me share with you some opportunities to share in indulgences, either plenary or partial:
• Specific celebrations — Jubilee Year, Feast Day, Pilgrimages, etc. — Our participation in such moments can be a transformative spiritual experience in which our communion with the Church and its “Court of Mercy” is renewed
• Daily prayer and acts of mercy — Many common prayers, like the Rosary and the Stations of the Cross, offer the chance to obtain a partial indulgence. By incorporating these practices into our daily lives, we are accumulating spiritual treasure that strengthens our relationship with God.
• Visit the sick and the imprisoned — Indulgences are extended to persons who perform works of mercy. Visiting someone who is ill or imprisoned, praying for them and offering them comfort is an act of love that not only benefits the one visited but the visitor as well.
• Reading Sacred Scripture — Taking time to read and reflect upon the Scriptures for 30 minutes provides a partial indulgence. Again, it is a moment of purposely drawing nearer to God in a world where other voices seek to distract us from God.
Especially in regard to the first and third items on the above list, I have been asked what opportunities might the Christian faithful be able to avail themselves of during this Holy Year of Jubilee to obtain its plenary indulgence. Again, in his opening message for the Jubilee Year, Pope Francis noted that this may be done through pilgrimage to designated sacred places in Rome and the Holy Land as well as throughout the world. However, he also indicated the plenary jubilee indulgence could be obtained in dioceses by visiting the Cathedral or other church or sacred places designated by the diocesan bishop. In the Diocese of Syracuse, our designated places for the plenary jubilee indulgence are (1) Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse; (2) Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Syracuse; and (3) St. Mary of the Assumption Church and Shrine in Oswego.
The Holy Father also spoke in the document about obtaining the plenary indulgence through participation in spiritual exercises, retreats and formation activities sponsored by dioceses and parishes focusing on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. In particular, he emphasized the importance of the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy by extending the possibility of a second plenary indulgence in a given day for charitable works.
He explained, “In a special way ‘during the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind’ (Spes non confundit, 10). Therefore, the Indulgence is also linked to certain works of mercy and penance, which bear witness to the conversion undertaken. The faithful, following the example and mandate of Christ, are encouraged to carry out works of charity or mercy more frequently, especially in the service of those brothers and sisters who are burdened by various needs. More especially, they should rediscover these “corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead “ (Misericordiae vultus, 15) and rediscover also “the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead” (ibid.).
I realize that some readers might be still scratching their heads regarding this particular subject. However, two questions that were posed during a discussion group I was part of focusing on Matthew Kelly’s work, Thirty-three Days to Eucharistic Glory, might help. The questions were: (1) Our lives change when our habits change. What spiritual habits are in place in your life right now? What spiritual habits would you most like to implement? (2) There is no love without sacrifice. Which relationship in your life have you poured the most sacrifices into? How has that relationship grown over time? How is God moving in that relationship?
For me, this is where this subject of “indulgences” fits in. They are inviting you and me to consider how what we “indulge in” either helps or hinders growing in our relationship with God. As one commentator on indulgences has noted: “At the heart of the practice of indulgences is God’s love, always calling us to grow in holiness. Living out indulgences is not just about fulfilling a list of requirements; it is an opportunity to open our hearts to divine grace and to the intercession of the saints. By seeking indulgences, we renew our commitment to God and community.” (See website catholicus.eu/english for article on indulgences.)
The one thing I have not focused on is the idea of time. With some partial indulgences, a valuation in terms of days is given. This determination is meant to assist the one “living out” the indulgence to recognize its effect over time. However, one must be careful not to approach this practice in a legalistic and mechanistic manner. As Scripture reminds us, “A thousand years is like one day in God’s eyes” and vice versa (see Psalm 90 and 2 Pt 3:8). In other words, in one day, in one moment, God can do the work of a thousand years! What is most important in our consideration of this treasure of the Catholic Church is the closing verse (#17) of Psalm 90: “May the favor of the Lord our God be ours. Prosper the work of our hands! Prosper the work of our hands!”
Happy and fruitful praying and good works as you continue your journey to the Paschal feast!
