An Apologetical Explanation of

Indulgences

What is an indulgence?

Judas and his men went to take up the bodies of the fallen and to bring them back to lie with their kinsmen in the sepulchers of their fathers.then under the tunic of every one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear…. And they turned to prayer, begging that the sin which had been committed might be wholly blotted out…. He also took up a collection, man by man, to the amount of two thousand drachmas of silver, and sent it to Jerusalem to provide for a sin offering.  In doing this he acted very well and honorably, taking account of the resurrection…. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.  (2 Mc 12:39-45)

Within the one Church, we “bear one another’s burdens” (Gal 6:2).  The saints in Heaven intercede for us who are on earth.  We on earth pray for each other as well as those who are undergoing purification in Purgatory so their burden might be lighter, as Judas Maccabeus did for his fallen soldiers who had secretly trifled with idolatry (cf. 2 Mc 12:39-45).

An indulgence is an act of faith that requires an offering of some prayer, sacrifice, or work of service, in imitation of Christ and the saints.  By doing these things, we can develop virtues—good habits—and become more like Christ.  An indulgence is an act by which we dispose ourselves to receive God’s grace of conversion.  On behalf of Christ, the Church rewards us from the “treasury of merits”—the abundance of grace won for us by Christ and by his faithful people down through the ages.  Indulgences may also be applied to other people.  (Cf. CCC 1498)

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. (Paul VI, Apostolic constitution Indulgentiarum Doctrina, norm 1)

An indulgence is partial or plenary depending on whether it removes part or all the debt due to sin, and the Church requires that those seeking indulgences should also receive the Sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist near the time they complete the indulgenced act.  (Cf. CCC 1471, 1478, 1498)

The Church frequently makes indulgences available to mark certain feast days or events in her life, most notably on All Souls’ Day, on which the Holy Souls in Purgatory are especially remembered; other indulgences are available to the faithful every day of the year.  The Church’s official list of indulgenced actions is called the Enchiridion (“Handbook”) of Indulgences.

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraph 1471.

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