Catholics: Question about indulgences?

Question

An indulgence removes the punishment of temporal sin right, but after confession when a priest assigns a certain penance and you complete the penance it is said that you remove temporal punishment aswell, right? So what is the point for the living to obtain indulgences for themselves? (I get why you would want to obtain one for the souls in purgatory due to the fact that they cannot do penance or pray for themselves but I don't get what the point of obtaining one for yourself is)

Thank you for your much needed rant. Please respect the fact that I'm seeking to know something that has nothing to do with what you just said.

Thanks Meg.

Answer 1

The penance we do after confession is largely a token, as none of us are capable of remedying the effects of our sins, which spread like ripples on the surface of a pond.

Let's say we murdered someone.

Doing so, we took the life of that person, but we also prevented the lives of numerous offspring. We deprived them of life. We deprived the world of their contributions. And the cycle continues, until the end of time.

And even tough God has forgiven our sins, the responsibility or guilt for those repercussions remains with us.

Fast forward to our personal Judgment Day, when all our sins, and their consequences, will be fully revealed.

Without God's indulgence, accepting and understanding the extent of the damage our sins have truly caused, could be nearly unbearable.

The Church mercifully, and with God's full consent, applies the merits of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, along with those of the saints, for our benefit at this time, and eliminates the need to review and relive all the failures and shortcomings of our human existence.

This allows the still charitable soul to enter heaven, while those less fortunate (non-indult) but still charitable souls might end up in Purgatory for a long, and very painful, review.

Others, completely lacking charity, would end up in hell, where they would have an eternity to review the effects of their sins, along with all the others similarly damned, with no hope of ever doing anything else.

Answer 2

+ 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 3

The penance assigned by the priest is likely just a token amount of the penance you will have to do to pay that debt. One confesses to fornication and the priest gives three Hail Marys? Come on!

Answer 4

When it comes down to it -you get it for yourself so you can pass it on later after death to others living. Big circle of faith. Why can we gamble and drink and you think it's a sin?

Answer 5

Indulgences

Through indulgences, the sins of Roman Catholics, both those who are alive and those in Purgatory, can supposedly be forgiven:

"Through indulgences the faithful can obtain the remission of temporal punishment resulting from sin for themselves and also for the souls in Purgatory." Pg. 374, #1498 (Catechism)

Here is the Catechism's definition of an indulgence:

"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." Pg. 370, #1471

Here, the water gets deep. Space does not permit a full explanation of indulgences. Suffice it to say that they are a complicated system of good works. It should also be mentioned that every rule regarding indulgences is a tradition of men. Not one can be found in God's Word.

Categories of sins?

"To understand this doctrine (Indulgences) and practice of the Church, it is necessary to understand that sin has a double consequence." Pg. 370, #1472

But the Bible consistently reveals that all sin has the same consequence:

"For the wages of sin is death..." Romans 6:23
"Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." James 1:15


The final result of sin is always death, no matter how minor we may think a particular sin is. Catholics try to pay for sins through indulgences, but Christ already paid for every sin:

"For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;" 1 Corinthians 15:3

While it is true that God does want His children to perform good works, those works are not a requirement for salvation, they are a result of salvation. Paul teaches:

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8, 10

Once one is saved by grace, good works should follow. But good works are never a requirement for salvation. Neither are they a requirement for forgiveness of sins after salvation.

The New Testament bulges with examples of Jesus forgiving sins, but He never demanded good works as a condition of forgiveness.

Can the living help the dead?

Catholicism also purports that indulgences help those who have already died:

"Since the faithful departed now being purified are also members of the same communion of saints, one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences for them, so that the temporal punishments due for their sins may be remitted." Pg. 371-372, #1479

Here is another load of man-made traditions. You will never find any of this taught in the Word of God. As we have mentioned previously, the time to have your sins remitted is while you are still alive.

Three themes

In this doctrine, three recurring themes come to the surface again:

1. Another divine attribute of Jesus is minimized. The Bible declares that only Christ's work can bring about the forgiveness of sins. Catholicism, though, claims that sins can be forgiven through the good works of any ordinary Catholic.

2. Indulgences keep people in bondage to the Catholic church. Rather than going to God for forgiveness, Catholics must toil and strive, performing good deeds through the Catholic church for forgiveness of their sins.

It is noteworthy to ponder that the "good works" of Catholicism differ from the good works of the Bible. Biblical good works are deeds done for other people, while Catholicism' s good works revolve primarily around performing rituals of the church (Masses, saying rosaries, Catholic prayers, lighting candles, etc.). God intended good works to benefit others, not to bring people into bondage to a church.

3. Indulgences are a form of spiritual blackmail, forcing members to remain faithful to the church, so they can someday help their loved ones reach heaven.

Conclusion

Is this system of good works from God? Read what God records in His Holy Word on the subject, then decide for yourself:

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us..." Titus 3:5