Catholics: Can You Please Explain Indulgences?

Question

I don't want a debate, I merely seek to understand the Catholic view of indulgences. Like, why it is believed in, etc.

Answer 1

+ Purgatory +

To discuss indulgences, first we have to talk about Purgation (or Purgatory).

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves into perfect beings. Depending on the amount of change needed by different people this can be an easy or slightly harder process.

Everyone in purgatory is on their way to heaven. I don't think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

+ Indulgences +

The concept is that a person can do acts of penance now on earth to make purgation easier.

Penance is internally turning one's heart toward God and away from sin in hope in divine mercy and externally by fasting, prayer, and almsgiving.

A corruption grew in the Church many years ago where rich people would give enough alms (money to the Church) to essentially buy an easy way to heaven. This was one of Martin Luther's protests (hence Protestants) and shortly thereafter the Catholic Church cleaned up this practice.

In 1567 Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions.

But remember because everyone in purgatory is already on their way to heaven, indulgences do not get you into heaven. They just make purgation easier.

I guess if you did not believe in purgatory then there would be no reason to worry about indulgences.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

The selling of indulgences was practiced during The Renaissance by some corrupt Catholic priests/Popes.

Essentially, a Catholic could buy a piece of paper for the forgiveness of sins, thus bypassing the need to confess your sins to a priest.

You must remember: many believed that if you had unresolved sins, you were doomed to go to hell.

Martin Luther and many of Catholics were against the practices for many reasons. Luther in fact believed that not only should you not have to buy forgiveness, but forgiveness of sins is something the church could not grant. Forgiveness came through God's grace, and faith in Him was what you needed to enter Heaven.

Of course, this shady practice is no longer followed by the Catholic Church, although there are still many Christian leaders who try to get followers to give money to the church based on the belief that if will put you at right with God.

In short: indulgences were unethical and contributed to the Reformation, which led to the many divisions that exist in Christianity today.

Answer 3

The theory of an "indulgence" is like a monopoly "get out of jail free" card. It is good for time off from purgatory, where you wait (like jail) and are purified before going into Heaven. Purgatory, of course, is where you go if you die with sins that you did not confess, but no unconfessed mortal sins.

In the renaissance time frame, a certain few greedy priests and religious (not all were priests) sold these indulgences to the rich, as though it could buy their way into Heaven. This does not work, you see, because the piece of paper means nothing to God. God only cares about your soul, and whether you accepted His Messiah for us, His Son.

Today, an indulgence is kinda like a year-end bonus for doing a good job at work. If you fully confess your sins, repent, and then do a certain few things (such as pray a rosary, pray a novena, etc.), you are said to be granted an indulgence by God.

Again, this is not granted by man, nor can man enforce it.

Hope this helps!

Answer 4

Here is what the Catechism says - Thank you for asking questions politely, it also strengthens my faith with good questions like these - God Bless

1471. The doctrine and practice of indulgences in the Church are closely linked to the effects of the sacrament of penance.

"An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints" (Indulgentarium Doctrina norm 1).

"An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin" (ibid. norm 2, norm 3).

Indulgences may be applied to the living or the dead.

1472. 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 either here on earth or after death in the state called purgatory. This purification frees one from what is called the "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 which proceeds from a fervent charity can attain the complete purification of the sinner in such a way that no punishment would remain (Council of Trent [1551]: Denzinger-Schonmetzer 1712-1713; [1563]: 1820).

Answer 5

Like for example 'Purgatory" is another false doctrine promoted by the Catholics called indulgences.

Your money buys prayers, alms and masses offered to God on the behalf of your the departed loved ones.

The false doctrine of Purgatory is one such example of a preposterous idea being accepted as truth.

No matter how much money a family member gives on their behalf to the church,

"The Lord would never bribe anyone to give to the church." 2 Cor. 9:7

In fact, if you feel you “have to” give to the Lord He doesn’t want your money.Money has never and will never be a means of salvation.

When we sin as Christians, we need to repent, confess our sin in prayer and ask for forgiveness. Acts 8:18-24

If you understand that your sins are not forgiven, you don’t need to pay a dime.

Money has never and will never be a means of salvation. We all have one chance at Heaven. Heb. 9:27

FYI: Place called purgatory can it be found in the Bible? Well,The Catholic Church itself ADMITS that it is their own invention.

It's just an invention by man name "Pope Gregory I".

The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:1 that we are to test every spirit.

Answer 6

Okay I can only try,of course many will disagree with what I say but to answer your question,the church holds the treasures of all the graces that Christ obtained for her by his death and resurrection,and this is called the treasury of grace,from this sacred deposit the church can dispense His grace in many ways,one of the ways is indulgences.
An indulgence means that the church applies the merits of Christ to the faithful, for example by certain prayers or charitable acts a person can shorten their stay in Purgatory, also an indulgence can remit the punishment due to sin.

Answer 7

I am not Catholic but can

some people are rewarded by God out of grace and mercy athough in the end undeserved

a few, the saints, overachieved heaven, their merit was so great that the excess merit goes into the 'treasurey of the church' and is available for forgiveness to others through prayers and acts of indulgences

to be honest I do not think this is Biblical as Jesus said to the apostles "in the end you are unprophitable servants" and we stand on Jesus work on the cross and no other

Answer 8

It is a discredited belief that the Pope was in possession of an unlimited treasury of merit in which people could buy release for loved ones early from the torment of purgatory. No one believes this, nor has anyone suggested this was true for 500 years. This was one of the primary causes of the Reformation and one of the reasons listed in Martin Luther's thesises. I suggest to you that many people did not believe it even then. It was controversial to say the least.

Answer 9

I was raised Catholic and I have never heard anything regarding "indulgences".

Answer 10

Nothing current about the belief in indulgences.

In the real old days, that is 400 - 500 years ago, the Roman Catholic church basically said you could buy your salvation.

Despite what some people think about collection and tithing, this sort of thinking is no longer practiced.