An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. The faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains indulgences under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as a minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of satisfactions of Christ and the Saints.
An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin. Indulgences may be applied to the living or the dead.
The Purification of the Soul
To understand this doctrine and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence. Grave sin deprives us of communion with God and therefore makes us incapable of eternal life, the privation of which is called the “eternal punishment” of sin. On the other hand, every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified here on earth or after death in a state called Purgatory. This purification frees us from what is called “temporal punishment” of sin. These two punishments must not be conceived of as a kind of vengeance inflicted by God from without, but as following from the very nature of sin. A conversion that proceeds from fervent charity (love) can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain.
The forgiveness of sin and restoration of communion with God entail the remission of the eternal punishment of sin but temporal punishment of sin remains. While patiently bearing sufferings and trials of all kinds and, when the day comes, serenely facing death, the Christian must strive to accept this temporal punishment of sin as a grace. He should strive by works of mercy and charity, as well as prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the “old man” and to put on the “new man.”
In the Communion of Saints
The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and become holy with the help of God’s grace is not alone. The life of each of God’s children is joined in Christ and through Christ to the life of all other Christians in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person.
The faithful on earth, the blessed in heaven and the suffering souls in Purgatory are united in Christ
In the communion of saints, a perennial link of charity exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth. Between them there is, too, an abundant exchange of all good things. In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of one profits others, well beyond the harm that the sin of one could cause others. Thus the communion of saints lets the contrite sinner be more promptly and efficaciously purified of the punishment for sin.
The Church’s Treasury
This treasury includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense and unfathomable in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, and of all who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord by His Grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission of the Father entrusted to them. In this way they attained their own salvation and at the same time cooperated in saving their brothers and sisters in the unity of the Mystical Body.
