A Clarification on the Church’s Teaching on Plenary Indulgences

David Martin | The Daily Knight

St. Pope Pius X

Though it is seldom mentioned today in the Catholic Church, the pope through the power invested him can grant indulgences to shorten or eliminate the time one might have to put in Purgatory. Indulgences are special helps or bonuses to assist the faithful in paying up the dept for sin while on earth, so that they don’t have to do this in Purgatory after death.

An Indulgence is defined as:

“The remission of the temporal punishment due on account of our sins which have been already pardoned as far as their guilt is concerned – a remission accorded by the Church outside the sacrament of Penance.” (Catechism of Pius X)

There are two kinds of indulgences: plenary and partial. A partial indulgence remits only part of the temporal punishment due to sins committed, so that the rest have to be remitted in Purgatory. A plenary indulgence remits all of the temporal punishment due to one’s sins, so that were he to die after having gained the indulgence he would go straight to Heaven with no expiation required in Purgatory.

An Illusion

A plenary indulgence is gained by performing certain acts or prayers prescribed by the pope with the intention of gaining the indulgence. However, many Catholics are under the illusion that simply reciting a few indulgence prayers remits all the temporal punishment due for their sins, forgetting that the primary condition for gaining a plenary indulgence is that they are completely detached from sin and resolved to never sin again.

In today’s pleasure-oriented life parents will sometimes put together a gorgeous dinner for the family replete with a scrumptious cake topped with a succulent cherry, and a spoiled child of the family will then refuse the dinner and leave it behind as he runs to pick the cherry off the top of the cake.

The Presumption of Divine Mercy Devotees

Many Catholics do the same thing. On the Sunday after Easter (Mercy Sunday) they run to the churches to perform their mercy indulgence prayers and ‘pick the cherry off the cake’ so they can think all their sins are remitted, forgetting that a plenary indulgence is only granted to those who detach themselves from sin and who vow to live only for God. This is the condition for obtaining a plenary indulgence. This is what it means in any indulgence formula where it says, “the usual conditions apply,” 

In the sixth century, St. Philip Neri conducted a retreat on obtaining a plenary indulgence at which time 200 people in attendance performed the prescribed act for gaining a plenary indulgence. Afterward, it was revealed to St. Neri in a private revelation that of all the people present only two gained the plenary indulgence, namely he and one elderly woman. The reason was that the others had attachments to certain sins that had not been properly confessed or made up for.

Gaining a plenary indulgence isn’t exactly easy. Without detaching oneself from sin – from any grudging, any lust for riches, sex, and acclaim, or from any unchecked tendencies to envy, anger, pride, ingratitude, self-admiration, stubbornness, unkindness, self-love, indecent aspirations, love of the flesh, coldness, or untruthfulness, one obtains only a partial indulgence. If he dies with this unchecked tainting on his soul, it remains as fuel for the fire of Purgatory because it was not properly detested in life.

Saved by Fire

St. Paul explains more clearly where he says that the fire of God will try every man’s work.

“Every man’s work shall be manifest; for the day of the Lord shall declare it, because it shall be revealed in fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work, of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide [in Christ], which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work burn, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved, yet so as by fire.” (1 Cor. 3:13-15) 

By fire we will be saved, says St. Paul. The fires of Purgatory will consume and burn these unprofitable works from our being in a very painful process, like warts, having been attached thereto, but in the same process we are separated from them and set at liberty so that we can finally enter into eternal life. Quite naturally, this privilege is only granted to those who die in a state of grace, not to those who die in mortal sin.

Purgatory then testifies to God’s mercy for without it scarcely anyone could enter Heaven. Even the slightest spot or imperfection on our soul after death will keep one from entering into the company of God (Apoc. 21:27). Origen says, “If a man departs this life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the lighter materials, and prepares the soul for the Kingdom of God, where nothing defiled may enter.” (Patres Groeci XIII, col. 445, 448)

For these ‘lighter faults’ souls must sometimes spend countless years in Purgatory, even a hundred years or longer. Each second of those years feels like an eternity in hell. St. Augustine says, “This fire of Purgatory will be more severe than any pain that can be felt, seen, or conceived in this world.” (xli, De Sanctis on Purgatory)

Jesus told St. Bridget, “No one shall enter Heaven but the one who has been purged like gold in the fire of Purgatory or who has proved himself over a long duration of time in good deeds on earth so that there is no stain in him left to be purged away.”

The Beauty of a Plenary Indulgence

While a faithful resolution to detach oneself from sin is the primary condition for gaining a plenary indulgence, this in itself doesn’t necessarily prevent one from going to Purgatory because there could still be many years of penance due to clean up past sins. Here is where the beauty of a plenary indulgence kicks in. If one has many years of atonement left to do for sins but is free from offense at the present, a plenary indulgence remits all his sins immediately so that were he to die he would go straight to Heaven.

Hence, those who truly aspire to enter Heaven with no Purgatory should resolve to avoid all occasions of sin and to daily avail themselves of the plenary indulgences that have been offered by the Church. To not take advantage of this grace in of itself could be an act of pride that sends one to Purgatory since it could be another way of saying, “I don’t need it, my soul is in good shape.”

If there is one thing that comes across perfectly clear in Scripture, it is that boasting and presumption are not acceptable to God. World war is on the horizon so all the helps from Heaven are not enough.

The following are different ways that one can obtain a plenary indulgence “under the usual conditions.” The faithful are encouraged to look up these formulas on the Internet.

• Recite the Litany of St. Joseph each day for one month

• Recite the Prayer to Christ the King once daily

• Assist on Good Friday at the adoration of the cross and kiss it

• Devoutly receive the Papal Blessing to the City and to the World (Urbi et Orbi) even if by radio or television

• Recite the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Feast of the Sacred Heart

• Visit a church or altar on the day of its dedication