Peace be with you.
The topic of "indulgences" was brought up in another thread (How did you come to embrace Catholicism?) and seemed very interesting and, to many, confusing. I am far from an expert on the topic, but I wanted to share some thoughts.
To understand indulgences, one <B>must</B> understand two other Catholic beliefs: Forgiveness of Sins and Purgatory. For an even deeper understanding, one should understand the concept of the Communion of Saints also. VERY briefly:
1) Forgiveness of Sins (commonly called "Confession" or "Penance") granted the Church, through its priests and bishops, the power of Jesus to forgive sins; and
2) Purgatory is a place where the soul goes after death to purify itself, that is, to remove all stain of sin left as the simple consequence of being human. A soul cannot enter Heaven and still have an attachment to those things earthly, for Heaven is not of the earth. While a soul may be forgiven of sin upon the death of the host (through Confession or Last Rites), it still carries with it a stain left from all sins committed while alive, even those which have been forgiven.
Think of the soul as a white garment upon which wine was spilled. We can remove the wine, but a stain still remains. Until that stain is gone, we wont wear the garment. To remove the stain, we need to wash it repeatedly and fervently, using the proper ingredients. Purgatory is where our soul is cleansed of the stain of human sin. The proper ingredients to cleanse it are, among others, prayers and indulgences.
An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has been forgiven, brought through the actions of the Church (who has the power to forgive or bind sins), lessening the time a soul spends cleansing itself of sin. Indulgences can be earned in advance of death or after death. Lets look at it each way using the same analogy from above.
In advance of death, think of an indulgence like "scotch-guard." When we place scotch-guard on an un-stained garment, it is less likely to retain a stain and therefore is easier to cleanse. So it is too with indulgences. They are granted through the Church, which Jesus gave the power over sin to. Exercising that power to forgive sin, the Church, through indulgences, can lessen the time a soul will spend in purgatory. The indulgences are given through blessings, which are accepted by us when we say prayers. It is like atoning for our sins in advance of purgatory.
For those who have already passed on, think of an indulgence as "Shout." We place Shout onto stained garments in order to make the stain easier to remove. After death, while we are in purgatory, those still alive can earn indulgences for us. It is like they are atoning for our sins through their prayers.
God Bless and Stay Safe
The topic of "indulgences" was brought up in another thread (How did you come to embrace Catholicism?) and seemed very interesting and, to many, confusing. I am far from an expert on the topic, but I wanted to share some thoughts.
To understand indulgences, one <B>must</B> understand two other Catholic beliefs: Forgiveness of Sins and Purgatory. For an even deeper understanding, one should understand the concept of the Communion of Saints also. VERY briefly:
1) Forgiveness of Sins (commonly called "Confession" or "Penance") granted the Church, through its priests and bishops, the power of Jesus to forgive sins; and
2) Purgatory is a place where the soul goes after death to purify itself, that is, to remove all stain of sin left as the simple consequence of being human. A soul cannot enter Heaven and still have an attachment to those things earthly, for Heaven is not of the earth. While a soul may be forgiven of sin upon the death of the host (through Confession or Last Rites), it still carries with it a stain left from all sins committed while alive, even those which have been forgiven.
Think of the soul as a white garment upon which wine was spilled. We can remove the wine, but a stain still remains. Until that stain is gone, we wont wear the garment. To remove the stain, we need to wash it repeatedly and fervently, using the proper ingredients. Purgatory is where our soul is cleansed of the stain of human sin. The proper ingredients to cleanse it are, among others, prayers and indulgences.
An indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has been forgiven, brought through the actions of the Church (who has the power to forgive or bind sins), lessening the time a soul spends cleansing itself of sin. Indulgences can be earned in advance of death or after death. Lets look at it each way using the same analogy from above.
In advance of death, think of an indulgence like "scotch-guard." When we place scotch-guard on an un-stained garment, it is less likely to retain a stain and therefore is easier to cleanse. So it is too with indulgences. They are granted through the Church, which Jesus gave the power over sin to. Exercising that power to forgive sin, the Church, through indulgences, can lessen the time a soul will spend in purgatory. The indulgences are given through blessings, which are accepted by us when we say prayers. It is like atoning for our sins in advance of purgatory.
For those who have already passed on, think of an indulgence as "Shout." We place Shout onto stained garments in order to make the stain easier to remove. After death, while we are in purgatory, those still alive can earn indulgences for us. It is like they are atoning for our sins through their prayers.
God Bless and Stay Safe
God is good, and you have been blessed. My prayers and blessings go with you and your lovely family. I hope that your wife recovers quickly and well, and that your precious new daughter continues to grow healthy and happy. 
