Question about plenary indulgence

[drjean]

Hi folks. As many of you know I am not Catholic in beliefs.
I have been following and enjoy on video (Fr) Cedric Pisegna who is a Passionist.
Upon checking on the retreats his ministry offers, I found this:

Your Crucifix will not only serve as a ‘souvenir’ of the retreat but according to an age old privilege granted to Passionist retreats and missions after it is blessed at the conclusion of the retreat,​

a Plenary Indulgence is granted to those who reverence the Crucifix on their death bed​

​

I know that indulgences was one of the discussions Martin Luther wanted to have with the Bishops/Monks as stated in his 95 Theses but I hadn't realized that they were still in use.

Can someone update me how this fits in with the current Catholic teachings of faith and grace?

 

[chevyontheriver]

Hi folks. As many of you know I am not Catholic in beliefs.
I have been following and enjoy on video (Fr) Cedric Pisegna who is a Passionist.
Upon checking on the retreats his ministry offers, I found this:

Your Crucifix will not only serve as a ‘souvenir’ of the retreat but according to an age old privilege granted to Passionist retreats and missions after it is blessed at the conclusion of the retreat,
a Plenary Indulgence is granted to those who reverence the Crucifix on their death bed​

I know that indulgences was one of the discussions Martin Luther wanted to have with the Bishops/Monks as stated in his 95 Theses but I hadn't realized that they were still in use.

Can someone update me how this fits in with the current Catholic teachings of faith and grace?

Yup, indulgences are still a Catholic thing. And Luther, in his '95 Theses' rightly objected to the sale of indulgences. But aside from the notable failure of Tetzel, indulgences never were for sale and still are not for sale. You don't buy forgiveness or grace. Just not possible.

After growing up not hearing much at all about indulgences, it was pope Benedict who started talking about them again. It's a minor thing, as I think it always was, but still part of Catholic teaching. It is based on the ancient teaching of the Church, which Protestants oversimplified in reaction to Tetzel's excess, kind of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Essentially there has always been a difference between being forgiven for a sin and making restitution for the harm done to others by that sin. Like the kid playing ball who breaks a window. He may be sorrowful, confess, and be forgiven, but the window is still broken. The reparation, the restitution is in the fixing of the window. Somebody does it, either the kid, her parents, or someone. And only then is the entire effect of the damage rectified. Protestants typically say that as soon as one is sorry for what they did then everything is made fine. Catholics kept the distinction, and that is why we concentrate on restitution/reparation/penance as much as we do. It is not to earn forgiveness but to make up for the damage done by sin. We can do this for ourselves or for others. An indulgence is part of this, essentially a paying forward.

So keep the cross. Meditate on it at the hour of your death if you can. You can then skip purgatory. Oh, yes, we still actually believe in that. Again, never the most major thing, but still there, and consistent with ancient teaching.

 

[Rhamiel]

To receive a plenary Indulgence you have to

Not have any attachment to sin (no habitual sins, a hatred of past sins)

Receive the Eucharist within a short time before or after being granted the indulgence

Say a short prayer for the pope

Because of the attachment to sin, most plenary indulgence are not fully effective and are thus just partial indulgences (still a good thing)

 

[drjean]

Okay thanks. No, I don't believe all that, which is why I'm not Catholic... but I won't offer my beliefs here

The indulgence is "used" then at death, but is THAT when you have to be free from sin, or when you receive the indulgence provision with the cross is that when you have to be free from sin, or both?

Does it have to be a crucifix, or will an empty cross do?

 

[Mark_Sam]

The latest edition of the Handbook of Indulgences (Enchridion Indulgentiarum, 4th Edition, 1999), says (12, §§2-4):
"If a priest is unavailable, Holy Mother Church benevolently grants to the Christian faithful, who are duly disposed, a plenary indulgence to be acquired at the point of death, provided they have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime; in such a case, the Church supplies for the three conditions ordinarily required for a plenary indulgence.

In this latter case, the use of a crucifix or a cross in obtaining the plenary indulgence is
commendable.

The faithful can obtain this plenary indulgence at the hour of death, even if they have
already acquired a plenary indulgence on that same day."

The three conditions in the first paragraph refer to Confession, Communion and prayers for the intentions of the Pope. However, for it to be plenary, "It is further required that all attachment to sin, even to venial sin, be absent." (Norms on Indulgences, 7). Otherwise, it is partial. However, we never know how partial it might be - in best case it might be very close to the full thing. For this deathbed indulgence, you don't even need a crucifix or cross.

Indulgences are no longer counted in days or years (e.g. "indulgence for 40 years and 300 days") - they are only partial or plenary / full.

The indulgence is "used" then at death, but is THAT when you have to be free from sin, or when you receive the indulgence provision with the cross is that when you have to be free from sin, or both?

As the indulgence is granted at the point of death, I would thing that is when you would have to be free from all attachment to sin.
However, simply using a blessed pious object devoutly (e.g. praying with a blessed crucifix, or meditate on the Passion using a blessed cross or crucifix) will in itself grant a partial indulgence (Norm 17).

 

[chevyontheriver]

Okay thanks. No, I don't believe all that, which is why I'm not Catholic... but I won't offer my beliefs here

You might come around over time.

The indulgence is "used" then at death, but is THAT when you have to be free from sin, or when you receive the indulgence provision with the cross is that when you have to be free from sin, or both?

There are two parts to it. One needs to be set free from the guilt of the sin, and that is by Jesus. Hopefully today, with no waiting around. The other part is the reparation for the bad effects of the sin. Sometime that can take a while. In my example, it could take a few days to get the class cut and get it glazed and the trim painted. Or it could take weeks of a kid's allowance before the cost of the repair is paid off. For most of us, we are aware that we are not holy enough to stand before God just as we are. Forgiven hopefully, but not yet holy. We need to finish our sanctification. Some of us, most of us, are not fully sanctified at the moment of our death. So what happens? Somehow we get sanctified. Catholics call that purgatory. Protestants waive their hands and say God sanctifies the person. Which is functionally the same thing.

Does it have to be a crucifix, or will an empty cross do?

I thought they gave you a crucifix as part of this retreat. whether it matters depends on what the particular indulgence says. I have no idea, not having gone to exactly that kind of a retreat. I go to an Ignatian retreat and that provision is not part of the indulgence offered there.

 

[chevyontheriver]

The latest edition of the Handbook of Indulgences (Enchridion Indulgentiarum, 4th Edition, 1999), says (12, §§2-4):
"If a priest is unavailable, Holy Mother Church benevolently grants to the Christian faithful, who are duly disposed, a plenary indulgence to be acquired at the point of death, provided they have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime; in such a case, the Church supplies for the three conditions ordinarily required for a plenary indulgence.

From the wording of this it is offered to the 'Christian faithful', which looks like it does not distinguish between Catholics and Protestants.

 

[Rhamiel]

Okay thanks. No, I don't believe all that, which is why I'm not Catholic... but I won't offer my beliefs here

The indulgence is "used" then at death, but is THAT when you have to be free from sin, or when you receive the indulgence provision with the cross is that when you have to be free from sin, or both?

Does it have to be a crucifix, or will an empty cross do?

It is a canceling out of temporal punishment that is due to a sin, so when the people receive that cross at the end of the retreat the temporal punishment you have accumulated up to that point is wiped away (assuming you meet the three requirements I mentioned earlier, if not it is only partially wiped away)
This is a specific privilege given to the Passionist retreat leaders, other Indulgences might be given for making a pilgrimage to a specific church (this was done in 2015 as part of the “extraordinary jubilee of mercy” where every diocese designated a church to have the doors of mercy for about 14 months), visiting a particular Saints relic, some prayers, novenas, and sacramentals have also been given either full or partial indulgences
As for if it is just a cross or a crucifix you would have to ask a passionist priest what the specific requirements are

 

[drjean]

Okay thanks again. I have not gone to the retreat, but since I enjoy Cedric's sermons, and his emails to me have been kind, I checked it out. They do allow protestants (and I assume Baptists and others who are not affiliated currently, like me ) It states that if you do not have a cross you can purchase one... but I have plenty...just not crucifixes.

Could I give the blessed cross to someone, along with the plenary indulgence since it appears to be connected to the cross and not the person?

My best childhood friend was Catholic who went to private Catholic schools; we often pretended to be Nuns so I learned a LOT!

 

[chevyontheriver]

Okay thanks again. I have not gone to the retreat, but since I enjoy Cedric's sermons, and his emails to me have been kind, I checked it out. They do allow protestants (and I assume Baptists and others who are not affiliated currently, like me ) It states that if you do not have a cross you can purchase one... but I have plenty...just not crucifixes.

Could I give the blessed cross to someone, along with the plenary indulgence since it appears to be connected to the cross and not the person?

My best childhood friend was Catholic who went to private Catholic schools; we often pretended to be Nuns so I learned a LOT!

The Jesuit retreats have I gone to have a few Protestants that come back year after year. Give it a whirl and see what happens. It took me two other tries in other retreat places before I found this one.

A crucifix might grow on you after a while. Give it a chance. It wouldn't have cooties or anything. For me it is a representation of "we preach Christ, and him crucified".

If you do want to learn even more, grab a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. For the cheapest one, Goodwill often has a paperback copy. There is so much in there. Oh, it's on-line too.

 

[Mark_Sam]

From the wording of this it is offered to the 'Christian faithful', which looks like it does not distinguish between Catholics and Protestants.

"The Christian faithful" (christifidelis) is used multiple times in the Handbook as a standard formulation ("a indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who ..." etc.). Protestants gaining indulgences is an interesting topic. But having at least a general intention of gaining indulgences is necessary - you cannot "accidentally" gain an indulgence - which most Protestants do not have. Also, Protestants cannot gain plenary indulgences, as they cannot receive Eucharistic Communion or go to the Sacrament of Confession. This plenary indulgence at the moment of death might be the only plenary indulgence Protestants are eligible to gain, as in that case the Church will supply for the missing Communion and Confession. At the moment of death, the Church is pretty generous with most of her blessings.
But I assume that Protestants could be eligble for partial indulgences, if they intend to gain them.

The Handbook of Indulgences is issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary. So then it becomes a question of authority, and how the universal jurisdiction of the Pope applies to non-Catholic Christians. But that's a whole other can of worms.

 

[chevyontheriver]

"The Christian faithful" (christifidelis) is used multiple times in the Handbook as a standard formulation ("a indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who ..." etc.). Protestants gaining indulgences is an interesting topic. But having at least a general intention of gaining indulgences is necessary - you cannot "accidentally" gain an indulgence - which most Protestants do not have. Also, Protestants cannot gain plenary indulgences, as they cannot receive Eucharistic Communion or go to the Sacrament of Confession. This plenary indulgence at the moment of death might be the only plenary indulgence Protestants are eligible to gain, as in that case the Church will supply for the missing Communion and Confession. At the moment of death, the Church is pretty generous with most of her blessings.
But I assume that Protestants could be eligble for partial indulgences, if they intend to gain them.

The Handbook of Indulgences is issued by the Apostolic Penitentiary. So then it becomes a question of authority, and how the universal jurisdiction of the Pope applies to non-Catholic Christians. But that's a whole other can of worms.

You are right, I think, about intention. A Protestant could gain an indulgence except for probably lacking that intention entirely.