Question Corner: What is an indulgence?

Q: Please explain what an indulgence is and how it can reduce or eliminate the time a soul must spend in purgatory.

A: Indulgences are perhaps one of the more misunderstood parts of Catholic practice. But indulgences are deeply rooted in several key Catholic theological concepts, such as the nature of purgatory, the church’s authority, the spiritual power of prayer and sacrifice and the communion of saints.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church gives us a quick working definition of an indulgence when it states: “Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in Purgatory” (CCC, No. 1498).

Canon 992 of the Code of Canon Law further tells us: “A member of Christ’s faithful who is properly disposed and who fulfils certain specific conditions, may gain an indulgence by the help of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the merits of Christ and the Saints.”

Breaking this down into more practical terms, an indulgence is a spiritual benefit attached to certain pious acts specified by the Holy Father — such as, for example, visiting a designated pilgrimage site during a Jubilee year — which can eliminate (in the case of a “plenary indulgence”) or reduce (with a “partial indulgence”) the amount of time a soul spends in Purgatory.

In addition to devoutly completing the pious act in question, the one seeking to earn a plenary indulgence must also: 1. Pray for the pope’s intentions; 2. Make a good confession and receive Holy Communion close to the time of earning the indulgence; and 3. Be sincerely repentant of their sins, to the point of no longer having any sense of attachment to sin.

While the process of earning an indulgence is relatively straightforward, the spiritual mechanics of how and why indulgences work can be a bit more subtle.

First of all, it’s important to keep in mind that souls in purgatory are all destined for heaven, and thus that they have already repented of and been forgiven for their sins. We also need to understand that, strictly speaking, purgatory is a state outside of linear time as we experience it on earth. So even though we speak of purgatory as a time of “temporal punishment,” this does not mean that purgatory is akin to a jail sentence with indulgences being like a sort of parole.

Recalling the catechism’s reminder that “every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death” (CCC, No. 1472), we can more accurately understand purgatory as a phase of spiritual purification to prepare souls still affected by the spiritual consequences of their sins to enter eventually into the full presence of God in heaven.

Just like our prayers and sacrifices can help ourselves and others grow closer to God in this life, the church teaches that we can help the souls in purgatory move farther along on their spiritual journey even after their deaths. While our simple prayers can always help the souls in purgatory, indulgences are an especially powerful means of providing this kind of spiritual assistance.

Indulgences work because we believe that many of the church’s saints already prayed, sacrificed and patiently suffered enough during their earthly lives to have already have been purified enough to enter heaven; and that all their additional good deeds on top of what was needed for their own salvation created a kind of “surplus” of grace which the catechism refers to as “the Church’s treasury” (CCC, No. 1476).

Because the Holy Father, as the successor to St. Peter, shares in St. Peter’s power to “bind and loose” (Mt 16:19), the pope therefore has the power to distribute the extra grace in the church’s treasury to souls that need it. Indulgences are essentially the means by which the pope distributes these spiritual goods.

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