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An
indulgence is the remission of punishment for a forgiven sin. If your child
breaks a window at home and tells you, “I’m sorry,” you may forgive the
young offender, but you may still issue a punishment. In the Catholic Churchthe
sacrament of reconciliation brings forgiveness of sins, which may still
carry punishments. Indulgences relax the punishments.
Indulgences
first appeared in the 11th century as a way of reducing the penance one
was required to perform after confessing a sin. Several hundred years later
they were understood to relax punishments after death — partially or totally.During
the Reformation, the abuse of indulgences received sound criticism: People
were selling them outright, claiming that you could buy your way into heaven.
Inthe
past, some indulgences came with a certain number of days or years attached.
The church explained that if you gained the indulgence it would speed your
progress from purgatory to heaven by that amount of time. Today we no longer
apply this metaphor of time.
Although
the sale of indulgences has ceased, the practice of performing certain
actions to obtain indulgences continues. The church believes that the good
accomplished by Christ and the saints may be shared by the faithful who
perform actions of prayer, charity, and self-sacrifice. Believers may even
ask God to extend mercy to the faithful departed by remembering these benefits.An
appreciation of indulgences is based on the belief that sinful behaviors
carry consequences even after death and that God will respond favorably
to prayers for mercy.
An
indulgence is obtained by performing a devotional action, celebrating the
sacrament of reconciliation, sharing the Eucharist, and praying for the
intentions of the pope. It celebrates the mercy of God.
What do YOU Think?
Send an e-mail to ML Editor
or post an entry on the ML Current IssueDiscussion
Board. (All submissions become the property of RPI and maybe edited
for length.)
Copyright © 2000, Resource Publications, Inc. 160 E. Virginia St.
#290, San Jose, CA 95112, (408) 286-8505. This article may not be reproduced
in any form without permission from the publisher. For permission
e-mail
info@rpinet.com.
Paul
Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, MO, holds a doctorate
in sacramental theology from Sant' Anselmo University in Rome. |
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