A Theological Reflection
Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine
is a designated place of pilgrimage
The Jubilee Indulgence
by Fr. Jordan Vajda, O.P.
Before dealing with indulgences directly, we need to back-up and first reflect upon human choices, sin and the personal consequences of sin. There are essentially two kinds of human choices or actions: those that are truly good for the human person and contribute to human flourishing (virtuous acts), and those which do not and cannot bring about true human happiness and flourishing (sinful acts). Truly good human actions and choices are good all around - there is no element of badness in them.
On the other hand, imperfect human actions and choices are, by definition, mixed realities: they have elements of both bad and (real or perceived) good in them. In other words, no one sins because of the bad or evil that will result, but because of the (real or perceive) benefits that will result.
Repentance is difficult because when we redirect our hearts and let go of imperfect/sinful choices, we not only give up the sinful elements but even the (real or perceived) good elements attached to those choices.
To understand indulgences, it is important to remember that every sin - whether mortal or venial- always has a two-fold consequence. On the one hand, sin ultimately impacts our relationship with God. (Mortal sin breaks off our relationship whereas venial in weakens the relationship.) On the other hand sin creates in us an attachment to the imperfect or sinful choice or action. The relationship-consequence of sin is traditionally called the eternal punishment of sin while the attachment-consequence is traditionally called the temporal punishment of sin.
The sacramental absolution we receive in confession has to do with healing and forgiving the eternal punishment of sin. Through absolution, our relationship with God is restored, if we have sinned mortally; strenghthened, if we have sinned venially. The penance we are assigned in confession is meant to be the assignment of some virtuous, truly good act which helps us begin to heal the temporal punishment of sin. In other words, the best way to counteract our attachment to bad habits is to develop good habits. Even after our confession we must struggle with the temporal punishment of sin. Thus God is not the direct cause of the temporal punishment of sin: it is simply a fact of human nature that we become attached to that which we choose. With this background in mind, we can now appropriately consider the grace of the indulgence.
A plenary indulgence is ultimately an act of God's grace which provides for the complete healing of the temporal punishment of sin whereby the Lord elevates and makes supernatural those free human acts which are required on our part to gain the indulgence. Thus the Lord elevates and tranforms our involvement in such a way that our hearts are fully healed. We recognize the centrality of the Lord Jesus Christ to our real human fulfillment and our hearts are healed of attachments to things or choices or behaviors that are imperfect and hence not truly and really good.
Basic questions
1. Speaking generally, what are the acts required to gain a plenary indulgence?
There are essentially four things involved in gaining a plenary indulgence- sacramental confession, reception of Holy Communion, prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, and the doing of some specified good or virtuous act.
As a matter of clarification, it should be noted that a person can only gain one plenary indulgence per day and because of our doctrine on the communion of saints, a plenary indulgence can be applied to ourselves or on behalf of the dead. We can offer a plenary indulgence for the soul of a particular person or simply offer it to God on behalf of the dead, in which case the Lord then applies it as He sees fit.
Furthermore, it should be noted that the reception of Holy Communion and the prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father must be done the same day as the prescribed good or virtuous act. However, on sacramental confession every few weeks is suffcient to gain indulgences on intervening days. (If one wanted to gain a plenary indulgence every day, just periodically.) And of course, one can only gain a plenary indulgence in the state of grace, while in the state of friendship with God. One cannot gain a plenary indulgence if one is conscious of mortal sin(s) which have not yet been confessed.
2. What are the specified good/virtuous acts involved in gaining the Jubilee Indulgence?
In addition to the basic elements required for gaining any plenary indulgence (Confession, Communion, prayers for the Holy Father) the following are good or virtuous acts that have been specified for gaining the Jubilee Indulgence:
a. Make a pilgrimage to a designated church or shrine. While your are there take part in either Mass or some devotion (Lauds, Vespers, the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary or the Akathistos Hymn in honor of Our Lady) or spend some time in Eurcharistic adoration, ending it with the Our Father, a profession of faith (for example, the Apostle's Creed), and a prayer to Our Lady.
b. in any place: visit for a suitable time those in need or difficulty (e.g. the sick, the imprisoned, the elderly living alone, the disabled, etc.); or abstain for at least one whole day from unnecessary consumption (e.g. from smoking or alcohol, by fasting or practicing abstinence according to the general rules of the church and the norms laid down by the Bishop's conference) and donate a proportionate sum of money to the poor; or support by significant contribution works of a religious or social nature (especially for the benefit of abandoned children, young people in trouble, the elderly in need, foreigners in various countries seeking better living conditions); or devote a suitable portion of personal free time to activities benefitting the community or other similar forms of personal sacrifice.
3. After gaining a plenary indulgence, am I then perfect? Will I never sin again?
After gaining a plenary indulgence, by the grace and mercy of God, one is healed from the temporal punishment of sin -- those attachments to actions or choices or behaviors that are sinful and not truly good. However, a plenary indulgence does not relieve us of the burden - or better, the privilege - of free will. We always have the freedom to choose partial goods -to sin- to choose those things that are only partly good, and hence, partly bad or evil. Gaining a plenary indulgence really is a process with a number of steps, but those steps redirect our hearts, center them on the Lord, and allow us to experience the abundance of His mercy and desire to save.
Fr. Jordan Vajda, O.P. is an Associate at the Newman Center at the University of Washington. This is an excerpt from an article printed in the Blessed Sacrament Bulletin, January 9, 2000. Reprinted with permission from Blessed Sacrament Parish, Seattle, WA
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