The Joyful Pains of Purgatory – Class Handout

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Based on this, I hope you can see that it is not God’s plan for us to be in heaven as his
muddy children merely covered with a white robe but still rotten to the core. His grace
is infinitely more powerful than that…
We are destined to be eternal jewels radiating the light of God from the inside out…

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10 MEANS TO AVOID PURGATORY
It’s All About Love…
The only way to avoid purgatory is not to do everything to avoid
it, but to do everything to go to heaven. To do everything to
grow in perfect love.
We are not called to be perfect - as in without any flaws or
weaknesses. As a matter of fact, the lifelong struggle against our
flaws & weaknesses can be a source of great merit for us but not
only that, our weaknesses are the means to a deeper union with
God; but, we are called to the perfection of love.
UNIVERSAL CALL TO HOLINESS
• “All the faithful of every rank or status are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the
perfection of charity” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, chapter 5)
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The Gratitude of the Holy Souls
In the modern world, when many have
come to doubt the Church’s teaching on
Purgatory, the need for such prayers has
only increased. Although they cannot
pray for themselves, souls in purgatory
pray for us, especially for those who
pray for them.
• St. John Vianney said: “If one
knew what we may obtain from God by
the intercession of the Poor Souls, they
would not be so much abandoned. Let
us pray a great deal for them, they will
pray for us.”
• St. Theresa of Avila said that she
always obtained the favors, which she
asked from God, through the
intercession of the Souls in Purgatory.
• St. Padre Pio expressed his
thought on Purgatory by simply saying:
“Holy Souls are eager for the prayers of
the faithful which can gain indulgences
for them. Their intercession is powerful.
Pray unceasingly. We must empty
Purgatory.”
Prayer for the dead is one of the
greatest acts of charity we can perform.
Our prayers help them during their time
in Purgatory so they can enter more
quickly into the fullness of heaven. The
Eastern Church designates Lent as a
time of fervent prayer for the faithful
departed. What a blessing if we would
carry this charity throughout the year.
WHAT IS CHARITY?

• Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 1822 Charity is the theological virtue by which we
love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
• We are not on our own. We can hope in God for this.
• Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J., writes in his Modern Catholic Dictionary: “Charity is the "infused
supernatural virtue. It is not acquired by mere human effort. It can be conferred only by divine
grace...” It is God’s very love infused into our hearts to fill them (Romans 5:5) so that we can
love others with his love.
• It is God’s very love infused into our hearts to fill them (Romans 5:5) so that we can love
others with his love.
“Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy
Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5).
This is not the same thing as natural love (e.g. friendship or family or romantic). Charity is the highest
expression of love - agape. Think of Jesus on the cross “Father, forgive them they know not what they
do.”
This is the kind of love that we need to be perfected in so that we can actually be happy in heaven.
Even though it is infused, our cooperation is necessary.

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But because supernatural charity is infused as a gift from God, we cannot initially acquire this virtue
by our own actions.
Jesus died to restore supernatural life - the life of grace, lost by Adam & Eve - to our souls. This
supernatural life consists of many things, the most important of which is Charity which is infused by
God into our soul at baptism as a new capacity to love but it is in seed form. Like any other seed, this
new capacity to love like Jesus is meant to grow and mature.
To understand this capacity to love that was given to us in baptism and is meant to continually grow,
think of your soul like a living well that is capable of being filled with God’s love and is meant to grow
and mature. See below the wells increasing in capacity to hold Charity.
So, throughout our life God provides everything we need for this to happen so that by the time we
suffer bodily death we have learned how to love perfectly – like he did. We have fully become like
Christ. This is nothing other than the full flowering of the grace of Baptism.
Once the seed of supernatural charity has been placed in our soul in Baptism, the other sacraments
nurture its growth; fertilize it so to speak; help greatly to increase its radiation in our life.
But we have to do our part too (2ndary causes) and with the help of God’s grace we can.
Supernatural Charity is set in motion through an act of the will – acts of Faith, Hope & Charity
(feelings are not necessary), and as we make these concrete acts of our will in spite of our feelings,
we grow in charity which means that there is an increase in our love for God and for our fellow man;

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Whenever we love God with all of the love we are capable of at the time (this is
different for each person) He increases our ability to love him and other people even
more.
He increases the measure of charity in our soul. This is another way to say that we
have grown in “Merit” before him.
This love is not for ourselves only. It is meant to fill us to overflowing and, in this way,
reach others.
These acts of love gradually
increase our capacity to love like
God loves – to love with his love
– to hold the living water of the
Holy Spirit (God’s love) in our
hearts so that it flows out of us
and reaches others more
fruitfully & effectively.

Think of the size of the Grand

Canyon today as an analogy for this. It is currently so big and beautiful but I am sure it
didn’t start out that way. It had to grow gradually…

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Jesus said to St. Angelina of Foligna: “Make of yourself a
capacity and I will make myself a torrent.”
“As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall
flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:38).
In Purgatory our love is purified but our capacity to love
can no longer grow. The time for growth & increase in this
life. This really matters!
The Degrees of Glory in heaven will be different for
everyone and it will depend on the size of our well,
largeness of our heart and capacity to be filled with God’s
love.
St. Faustina, Diary #605: “O Holy Trinity, Eternal God, I
thank you for allowing me to know the greatness and the
various degrees of glory to which souls attain. Oh, what a
great difference of depth in the knowledge and love of God
there is between one degree and another! Oh, if people could only know this! O my God, if I were
thereby able to attain one more degree, I would gladly suffer all the torments of the martyrs put
together. Truly, all those torments seem as nothing to me compared with the glory that is awaiting us
for all eternity.”
If we don’t know this our growth in
charity could look more like this and
WE WILL BE AT THE MERCY OF OUR
MOODS…

Then there is the issue of clutter in

our heart (well) that blocks the inflow
of God’s love.
What are some examples of clutter in our hearts?
Here on earth our selfishness is purified primarily by our efforts to know,
love, and follow Christ more and more each day, through prayer and
study, the sacraments, and obedience, abandonment and trust to God’s
will, fidelity to state of life, acts of kindness, service, etc. All of these
actions make the Grace Christ won for us on the cross, abundantly
available to us – they are channels of his grace.
The self-centered tendencies of our fallen human nature make it hard to do these things, at times—
it’s hard to be patient, to forgive, to resist temptation, to persevere in doing what’s right but it is
possible because of grace.
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So, keep this idea in mind as we go through the ways to avoid purgatory. Every one of these ways
should be seen as a way to grow in Charity - love of God and neighbor - and not a way to become self-
absorbed or self-righteous which is always a danger for us this side of heaven.
With every one of these means, think of how not only you will benefit but how this affects others as
well. It’s always a win/win with God!
As I said, they are some of the ways that God applies the grace Christ won for us on the cross, to our
souls to heal and transform them. Like this picture shows…
Without the grace Christ won, we
couldn’t do enough on our own to
reach the holiness necessary to
enter heaven,
Fortunately, we have his grace
available to us.
But we can’t just stand still and say
“I believe…” and do nothing.
Our cooperation (in the picture this
is shown as taking steps) is
necessary and here are 10 ways the
church teaches to do that:

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10 MEANS TO AVOID PURGATORY

THE FIRST MEANS: Removing the Cause

The First Means of avoiding Purgatory is to struggle with all your might to remove the cause which
sends us there in the first place, which is sin (knowing that every sin has temporal consequences is so
helpful to fight against lukewarmness/complacency.

“The Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). Having a healthy fear of Lord
(which is a fear of sin) will go a long way in helping us to grow in our love for God and everyone else
for his sake because each sin that is overcome/removed creates more space in our soul for God to fill
with his love.

In Baptism our soul was endowed with the “capacity” of receiving the divine gift of sanctifying grace –
God’s very life and love for us to live from. We are not on our own to fight this battle.

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God’s grace and power are with us. Christ conquered death and sin on the cross and he gives us that
same power through our union with him.

Remember, Mortal Sin destroys charity in our soul; it kicks the grace out so to speak, and/or prevents
it from entering, so, if we have committed a mortal sin, we need to go to the Sacrament of
Reconciliation to be restored to the life of grace to fight the temptation.

But, every venial sin, no matter how small, damages it or stunts the growth of charity and hurts other
people.

To help overcome habits of sin, it is helpful, in addition to daily examen, to choose the opposite virtue
and make concrete resolutions each day to grow in it.

Example: sins of the tongue…virtue – charity in speech; self-contol. It is hardest at first but as every
habit goes, it gets easier as time goes on.

This leads right into the second means of growing in love and avoiding Purgatory - making amends for
our sins by doing acts of penance. Which is another way of saying MAKING SATISFACTION…

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THE SECOND MEANS: Making amends for our sins by doing Acts of Penance

Jesus’ death on the cross reconciles us to God but we still have to fight against the tendency to sin.
Think about how we confess the same sins over & over and, not only that, we have to do our best to
repair the harm our sins have caused others. Which is another way of saying MAKING
SATISFACTION…
Catechism of the Catholic Church –
paragraph 1459: SATISFATION DEFINED:
“Many sins wrong our neighbor. One
must do what is possible in order to
repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods,
restore the reputation of someone
slandered, pay compensation for injuries).
Simple justice requires as much.
But sin also injures and weakens the
sinner himself, as well as his relationships
with God and neighbor.
Absolution takes away sin, but it does not
remedy all the disorders sin has caused.
Raised up from sin, the sinner must still
recover his full spiritual health by doing
something more to make amends for the
sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or
"expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also
called "penance."

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This is why the Church mandates seasons & days of penance because God wants to heal our souls this
way from the wounds that sin leaves behind.

In addition to Lent & Advent as seasons of penance (God’s grace is being poured out on us
superabundantly), the Church still mandates that we make every Friday a penitential day.

But we can go even further and make

a habit of penance by doing many
little things each day. Always keeping
in the front of our mind that by doing
these things we are being healed
from the effects our sins have left
behind:

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These and suchlike little acts are a splendid penance and will not only lessen our tendency to sin but
they will enlarge our hearts and God will continue to fill them to overflowing with his love.

THE THIRD MEANS: Patient endurance of SUFFERING

The Third Means of avoiding Purgatory is, in one sense, very easy, because it consists in making a
virtue of necessity, by bearing patiently what we cannot avoid, and all the more since suffering, borne
patiently, becomes easier and lighter. This increases our capacity to love a 100-fold.

Suffering, if accepted with calmness and offered to please God and as a sacrifice for others, loses
much of its sting. That is where we get the phrase: “offer it up”.

If received badly, in the spirit of revolt and with repugnance, it is intensified a hundredfold, and
becomes almost intolerable.

Because we live in a fallen world, every one of us has to face sorrows and suffering. Christ, in his
wisdom, did not remove this when he redeemed us so it must be very valuable and important!

Crosses light and crosses heavy are the lot of us all. Strange as it may seem, these sorrows, which
most of us would gladly dispense with, are, the saints continually tell us, in truth God's greatest
graces.

They are the little share He offers us of His Passion and which He asks us to bear for love of Him, as a
prayer for others and as penance for our sins. It’s a win/win!

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The only way we can bare suffering this way is through the power that we receive from our union
with Christ through our personal prayer time in through the Eucharist & Mass.

Suffering borne in this spirit will considerably lessen our time in Purgatory and very possibly
completely remove it--with this difference, that Purgatory, even a Purgatory of 50 or 100 years, will in
no wise increase our merits or capacity to love in Heaven; whereas, every pain and sorrow and
disappointment in this life will lessen our suffering in Purgatory, and also bring us more happiness
and glory in Heaven.

THE FOURTH MEANS: Confession, Holy Communion and Worshipping God in the Holy
Mass
The Fourth Means by which we can lessen our time in Purgatory, or avoid it altogether, is by frequent
Confession, HOLY Communion and (worshiping GOD) at Mass as often as possible.
Confession applies to our souls the Precious Blood of Christ, wipes out our sins, by giving us light to
see their malice, filling us with horror of sin and, above all, it giving us strength to avoid it.
In Holy Communion we receive the God of infinite mercy and love, the God of all sanctity, who comes
expressly to pardon our venial sins, help us to sin no more, and to strengthen us in charity.

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But did you know that you are not only there to receive grace? Mass is where everything we do &
offer as a sacrifice enters eternity and becomes supernaturally fruitful because it is united with the
perfect sacrifice of Christ.

At Mass we are there to offer ourselves with Christ to the Father for the salvation of the world
(prayers, works, joys sorrows and sufferings) and from the Father through our union with Christ we
receive the power to live this out in all the circumstances of our daily lives. The Saints lived from Mass
to Mass.

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Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1368

“The Church which is the Body of Christ participates in the offering of her Head. With him, she herself is
offered whole and entire. She unites herself to his intercession with the Father for all men. In the Eucharist the
sacrifice of Christ becomes also the sacrifice of the members of his Body. The lives of the faithful, their praise,
sufferings, prayer, and work, are united with those of Christ and with his total offering, and so acquire a new
value. Christ's sacrifice present on the altar makes it possible
for all generations of Christians to be united with his offering.”

Romans 12:1 “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies

of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and
pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.”

Col 1:24 “I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my

flesh I complete what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for
the sake of his body the church.”

RESOLUTION: Let us go to Mass and Holy Communion as

often as possible – in the state of grace!

THE FIFTH MEANS: Asking God

In every prayer you say, every Mass you hear, every Communion you receive, every good work you
perform, have the express intention of imploring God to grant you a holy and happy death and no
Purgatory.
Surely God will hear a prayer said with such confidence and perseverance accompanied by acts of
charity.

THE SIXTH MEANS: Resignation to Death

A Sixth Means of avoiding Purgatory is given us by some great saints:
They say that when a sick person becomes aware that he is dying (and there is nothing that can be
done within reason, medically speaking) and then offers to God his death with perfect resignation, it
is very likely that he will go straight to Heaven.
This act of love and trust in God is like a purifying fire and is so pleasing to God.
In fact, the Church teaches us the following very important truth: The humble and submissive
acceptance of death in expiation of our sins is a generous act, by which we make a sacrifice of our life
to God, in union with the sacrifice of Jesus Christ upon the cross.
Catechism of the Catholic Church:

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1473 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 by prayer and the various practices of penance, to put off completely the "old man"
and to put on the "new man" (Eph 4:22,24).
Death is the awful punishment of original sin, and when we accept it, as of course we ought to do,
with submission and resignation, our act pleases God so much that it may satisfy perfectly for all our
sins.
Pope St. Pius X has granted a plenary indulgence at the hour of death to those who say at least after
one Holy Communion the following prayer:
"Eternal Father, from this day forward, I accept with a joyful and resigned heart the death it will
please You to send me, with all its pains and sufferings"
Here is a true story that shows how important this is:
Sister Mary of St. Joseph, one of the first four Carmelites to embrace the reform of St. Teresa, was a
Religious of great virtue. The end of her career approached, and Our Lord, wishing that His spouse
should be received into Heaven in triumph on breathing her last sigh, purified and adorned her soul
by the sufferings which marked the end of her life.
During the four last days which she passed upon earth, she lost her speech and the use of her senses;
she was a prey to frightful agony, and the Religious were heartbroken to see her in that state. Mother
Isabella of St. Dominic, Prioress of the convent, approached the sick Religious, and suggested to her
to make many acts of resignation, and total abandonment of herself into the hands of God. Sister
Mary of Joseph heard her, and made these acts interiorly, but without being able to give any exterior
sign thereof.
She died in these holy dispositions, and, on the very day of her death, whilst Mother Isabella was
hearing Mass and praying for the repose of her soul, Our Lord showed her the soul of His faithful
spouse crowned in glory, and said, “She is of the number of those who follow the Lamb.” Sister Mary
of St. Joseph, on her part, thanked Mother Isabella for all the good she had procured for her at the
hour of death. She added that the acts of resignation which she had suggested to her had merited for
her great glory in Paradise and had exempted her from the pains of Purgatory (Life of Mother
Isabella, lib. 3, c. 7)
What happiness to quit this miserable life, to enter the only true and blessed one! We all may enjoy
this happiness, if we employ the means which Jesus Christ has given us for making satisfaction in this
world, and for preparing our souls perfectly to appear in His presence.
If and when we find ourselves in this position, we can say the following prayer over and over: “Jesus,
I trust in you!”

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THE SEVENTH MEANS: The Last Rites
God Himself has given us a set of rites, the end of which is to take us directly to Heaven.
These LAST RITES according to St. Thomas and St. Albert was instituted especially to obtain for us the
grace of a holy and happy death and to prepare us for immediate entrance into Heaven by
“Conformity to Christ passion” for the good of the church.
Many Catholics do not understand this most consoling doctrine, and because they do not understand
it, they prepare themselves insufficiently for the reception of these last rites and so lose many of the
great graces.
The Last Rites includes 4 parts – The sacraments of Reconciliation, Anointing of the Sick, Viaticum &
APOSTOLIC PARDON/BLESSING. Let’s go through them one at a time:
First Part: The Sacrament of Reconciliation – gives the person a chance to be restored to the state of
grace and can bring great peace. The rest of the graces received from the last rights depends on being
in “the state of grace.”
Not only that, every Sacrament properly received produces its effect. There is always an increase in
grace and supernatural help from God.
Effects of the Sacrament of Reconciliation properly received (our part is contrition, confession,
satisfaction):
a) The restoration and/or increase of sanctifying grace;
b) The forgiveness of sins;
c) The remission of the eternal punishment, if necessary, and also of part, at least, of the
temporal punishment, due to our sins;
d) The help to avoid sin in the future;
e) The restoration of the merits of our good works if they have been lost by mortal sin.
In the sacrament of Reconciliation, this
healing and help also reaches out to the
people we have hurt by our sins.
Second Part: Anointing of the Sick
If devoutly received produces these five
effects (see image on right).
How foolish it is, therefore, to put off
receiving this Sacrament until very late, when
the dying person is too exhausted to receive
it with full knowledge of what he is doing and
with due fervor and devotion. The moment of
death is the supreme moment in our lives.

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We must understand exactly what we are receiving to obtain the full benefit.
Third Part: Vaticum
Holy Communion given at the point of death as food for the eternal journey.
Fourth Part: The Apostolic Pardon/Blessing
It is an indulgence for the remission of temporal punishment due to sin given to a dying person who is
in the state of grace.
In other words, just as Jesus promised the Good Thief on Good Friday he would be with him in
paradise “this day,” properly disposed Catholics who receive the apostolic pardon (or blessing) will
enter heaven.
Plenary Indulgence
The apostolic pardon is given as part of last rites. The Handbook of Indulgences, 28, says: “Priests
who minister the sacraments to the Christian faithful who are in a life-and-death situation should not
neglect to impart to them the apostolic blessing, with its attached indulgence.
Here are the words prayed:
“By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of
all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
In other words, just as Jesus promised the Good Thief on Good Friday he would be with him in
paradise “this day,” properly disposed Catholics who receive the apostolic pardon (or blessing) will
enter heaven.
“But if a priest cannot be present, holy Mother Church lovingly grants such persons who are rightly
disposed a plenary indulgence to be obtained at the approach of death, provided they regularly
prayed in some way during their lifetime. The use of a crucifix or a cross is recommended in obtaining
this plenary indulgence. In such a situation, the three usual conditions required in order to gain a
plenary indulgence are substituted for by the condition ‘provided they regularly prayed in some
way.’”
This is why it is important that others know of our desire to have the Last rites when the end of our
life is in sight.
Read CCC #’s 1439-1532 on effects of this. This is extremely important to understand! It can save a
dying person from having to go to Purgatory at all. It is well worth the read.

THE EIGHTH MEANS: Evangelization

St. James the Apostle gives another very effectual method of avoiding or lessening our stay in
Purgatory. He says: " Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will
save his own soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins” (James 5:20).
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 All of us may, in a thousand different ways, save not one but
many souls from going to Hell. For instance:
Means to Evangelize (spiritual & corporeal works of mercy):
1. Offering our suffering for them
2. Praying & sacrificing earnestly for them.
3. Serving them.
4. Giving good advice
5. Good example.
6. Spreading the faith.

NINTH MEANS: Those who earnestly help the Holy Souls in Purgatory may well hope to avoid
Purgatory.
The Holy Souls whom we relieve or release by the
Masses we offer for them, and through our prayers and
good works, pray for us with such indescribable fervor
that God cannot refuse to hear their prayers.
One of the principal graces they ask for their friends is
that these shall have little or no Purgatory. No one
knows better than they the awful intensity of the
Purgatorial flames; no one, therefore, can pray for us as
they do. Let us remember that: God thanks as done to
Himself what we do to others. When we relieve or
release any of the Holy Souls, we relieve or release, as it
were, God Himself. How ready, therefore, will He not
be to hear the prayers offered by these souls for us.
Our Blessed Lord lays down clearly the great law: Luke
6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over,
will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”
Those who work heart and soul for the relief of the Holy Souls may thus well hope that their
Purgatory will be entirely remitted, or notably lessened.
GRATITUDE OF THE HOLY SOULS
St. John Vianney said: “If one knew what we may obtain from God by the intercession of the Poor
Souls, they would not be so much abandoned. Let us pray a great deal for them, they will pray for us.”

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St. Theresa of Avila said that she always obtained the favors, which she asked from God, through the
intercession of the Souls in Purgatory.
St. Padre Pio expressed his thought on Purgatory by simply saying: “Holy Souls are eager for the
prayers of the faithful which can gain indulgences for them. Their intercession is powerful. Pray
unceasingly. We must empty Purgatory.”
Prayer for the dead is one of the greatest acts of charity we can perform. Our prayers help them
during their time in Purgatory so they can enter more quickly into the fullness of heaven. The Eastern
Church designates Lent as a time of fervent prayer for the faithful departed. What a blessing if we
would carry this charity throughout the year.
Heroic Act in Favor of the Holy Souls in Purgatory
"Oh my God, in union with the merits of Jesus and Mary, I offer Thee for the souls in Purgatory, all
my satisfactory works, as well as those which may be applied to me by others during my life, and
after my death. And, so as to be more agreeable to the divine Heart of Jesus and more helpful to
the departed, I place them all in the hands of the merciful Virgin Mary."
Matthew 16:24-25 "lf anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up
his cross and follow me. Anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life
for my sake will find it."
Story of St. Gertrude:
We would be blessed by God for making this sacrifice. St. Gertrude the Great made this heroic act.
When she was close to death, the sins she had committed came to her mind along with the fact that
she gave all of her indulgences to the souls in Purgatory.
The devil tormented her by showing that she would suffer a great deal in Purgatory because she
didn’t have anything to help her get out sooner.
At that point, Jesus appeared to her and said, "Be assured, My daughter, your charity towards the
departed will be no detriment to you.
Know that the generous donation you have made of all your works to the holy souls has been
singularly pleasing to Me; and to give you a proof thereof, I declare to you that all the pains you
would have had to endure in the other life are now remitted; moreover, in recompense for your
generous charity I will so enhance the value of the merits of your works as to give you a great
increase of glory in Heaven."
Our Lord dictated the following prayer to St. Gertrude the Great to release 1,000 Souls from
Purgatory each time it is said.
"Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the
masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in Purgatory, for sinners everywhere,
for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen."

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TENTH MEANS: Indulgences
Understanding the doctrine of purgatory also helps us understand the doctrine of indulgences – a
doctrine that has been frequently misunderstood and often abused, but that doesn’t mean we need
to throw it away. “The abuse does not take away the use”, as the old saying goes.

Indulgences: Double Your Gift

An indulgence is the remission in the sight of God of the temporal punishment due for sins, the guilt of
which has already been forgiven. A member of Christ’s faithful who is properly disposed and who
fulfills certain specific conditions, may gain an indulgence by the help of the Church which, as the
minister of redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the merits of Christ and
the saints.

The term ‘indulgences’ refers to specific prayers and actions, permeated with a spirit of penance, that
are a channel of God’s healing grace. Once a person has repented of his sins and received forgiveness
from Christ through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, indulgences help to further the healing process
that is needed for himself or for a Holy Soul in Purgatory and for the people that have been hurt by
their sins.

Two-fold Consequence of Sin

*Before we get started, please know that the Church uses the words consequence and punishment
interchangeably here because in this case, the natural consequences of sin are, in fact, a punishment
that naturally flows from sin. There are negative effects set in motion every time we sin but the effects
can be greater and much more intense depending on whether the sin is mortal or venial.

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In order to come to grips with the Church’s teaching on indulgences, one must first understand the
Catholic teaching on the two-fold consequence/punishment of sin: namely, the eternal and the
temporal.

The eternal consequence of sin refers to hell, the permanent separation from God by persisting in a
state of unrepentant mortal sin. Thus, the eternal aspect refers to whether or not we are forgiven.

The temporal consequence of sin, on

the other hand, refers to the way in
which our sins wound us and others.

God wants not only to forgive our sins,

but to heal and transform us.
If we were to imagine our sins as nails
driven into a piece of wood, and
forgiveness as the removal of those
nails, we would still be left with holes in
the wood where the nails previously
were.

In other words, the work of God is not

complete upon mere forgiveness, but
seeks to go further through healing and
transformation accomplished by our cooperation with supernatural grace through penance &
indulgences (i.e., filling in the holes of the wood).

In this light, the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains:

“These two punishments [eternal and

temporal] must not be conceived of as
a kind of vengeance inflicted by God
from without, but as following from
the very nature of sin” (CCC, 1472).

We know this is true because we see

the consequences of sin everywhere.
Even after we have repented of our
sins and received forgiveness it is still
obvious that further healing is
necessary, not only for ourselves but
also for the people we have hurt by
our sins.

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“For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:8).

Forgiveness and temporal consequences are not opposite ends of a spectrum. They
are two sides of the same coin. Together, they establish an essential part of the
Lord's plan for believers.

Forgiveness is relational. It puts us back into a right relationship with someone. The Father sent Jesus to
make a sacrifice on our behalf, and by so doing reconciled us to Himself. By His mercy alone, we can
have communion with the Lord.

On the other hand, consequences are circumstantial. Often God does not remove consequences simply
because someone trusts Christ as Savior or confesses sin. He leaves them in place for us to struggle
with and to grow from for many reasons:
• to learn from our mistakes;
• in order to fortify us for future temptations;
• to grow in humility and empathy, etc.

God gives a punishment (consequence) because He not only wants to forgive us, but to heal and
transform us completely not merely superficially.

We do this as parents. When our children get in trouble, they’ll quickly say they’re sorry—to which we
respond both with forgiveness and their punishment. The punishment is not for them to earn our
forgiveness back, but to redress the disorder wrought in their souls by the wrongdoing.

In Hebrews 12:6-11 we read:

“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage when you are punished by
him. For the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives. 7 It is for
discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons; for what son is there whom his father
does not discipline? 8 If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are
illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we
respected them. Shall we not much more be
subject to the Father of spirits and live? 10 For
they disciplined us for a short time at their
pleasure, but he disciplines us for our good,
that we may share his holiness. 11 For the
moment all discipline seems painful rather
than pleasant; later it yields the peaceful fruit
of righteousness to those who have been
trained by it.”

It’s precisely because we believe in this dual

consequence of sin (eternal and temporal)
that we: do penance, believe in purgatory, and
embrace the doctrine of indulgences.

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Penance

There is a perennial temptation, once we have sinned and repented, to merely sigh sorrowfully
without mending our ways but Our Lord Himself said,

“Bear fruit that befits Repentance” (Matthew 3:8).

The good news is that the principle of reaping and sowing works in a positive way as well. We can sow
good seeds that will turn negative situations into positive ones through Penance & Indulgences

"The one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap
eternal life" (Gal. 6:8).
So, what is Penance?

Penance, in the sense it is being used here, is an act of self-

denial or devotion performed voluntarily to show sorrow for a
sin or other wrongdoing in an attempt to remedy the negative
consequences.
Penance is, first and foremost, retribution for wrongdoing
such as returning stolen goods, trying to restore a person’s
reputation that we have damaged through detraction, calumny or slander, kind acts to a person we
have hurt, etc. – this will be different for each person and each sin. As we do all we can to repair the
damage we have caused, we precede, accompany and follow those actions with prayer, fasting &
almsgiving. Penance, as understood in this way, is a channel of God's grace for the purpose of our own
transformation and for the healing the temporal consequences of sins in ourselves and the people
affected by our sins.

Catechism of the Catholic Church – CCC 1450: The Acts of the Penitent are Contrition, Confession &
Satisfaction

We are the penitent and the “acts of contrition, confession & satisfaction” are referring to what we
have to bring with us (the disposition
of our heart) to the Sacrament of
Reconciliation in order for it to be a
valid confession (this also goes for
acts of repentance made outside of
the Sacrament of Reconciliation).
More than likely we know and
understand the need for contrition
(true sorrow) and confession (the act
of confessing our sins) but we might
not know and understand what
satisfaction is.

So, what is satisfaction?

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Catechism of the Catholic Church - CCC 1459

SATISFATION DEFINED:
“Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return
stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple
justice requires as much.

But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor.
Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused.

Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to
make amends for the sin: he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins. This satisfaction is also
called "penance."

Furthermore, penance can be considered a "win/win/win" because it not only helps the person doing
it, and the people who have been hurt by our sins, but can also be offered as a prayer of intercession
for others not directly involved.

Purgatory

This is where Purgatory comes in. Purgatory is not a second chance or a middle ground. Rather,
purgatory is for those who die in friendship with God (i.e., the eternal consequence of sin has been
dealt with), but not yet completely purified (i.e., some of the temporal consequence of sin remains).

God begins his work of transformation in us now and he provides every opportunity to make amends
and every grace we need to grow in this life; if left incomplete upon death, He will complete it in a
state called “purgatory” (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1030, 1054).

In Purgatory, a person can no longer do penance or make satisfaction for himself/herself. They count
on us to do it for them. Penance, in the form of indulgences, can be offered for our loved ones who
have died and, after having Masses offered for the repose of their soul, is the greatest way of assisting
them.

The transformation that results from this is necessary for us and the Holy Souls in Purgatory to enter
into full communion with God. And as always, with God’s Will for us, it also transforms us as we do
this. Our transformation is necessary too.

Indulgences flow from penance (satisfaction) and our understanding of purgatory.

Understanding the doctrine of purgatory and the need for penance (satisfaction) also helps us
understand the doctrine of indulgences – a doctrine that has been frequently misunderstood and
often abused, but that doesn’t mean we need to throw it away. “The abuse does not take away the
use”, as the old saying goes.

An indulgence is simply a favor granted by the Church – to which, remember, Christ gave the “Keys of
the Kingdom” and the “power to bind and loose on earth and in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
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By means of this favor, the Church applies the grace of Christ that flows through the Communion of
Saints to help us repair the damage and heal the wounds caused by our personal sins.

In other words, instead of having to suffer through the necessary purification oneself, indulgences
apply the suffering already lovingly undergone by Christ and the saints to the healing of our wounded
souls.

Importantly, indulgences have nothing to do with the eternal consequences of sin. That is, the Church
has never taught anything like “you can buy your way to heaven.” Rather, indulgences are a lessening
of the temporal punishment due to sin. Analogously, it’s as if I assigned one of my children a thirty-
minute timeout and later reduced it to fifteen minutes.

So where does this reduction in the temporal punishment come from?

It comes from the Treasury of Grace (also called Treasury of Merit). Let me explain.

All the faithful who possess the Holy Spirit form one Body in Christ - the Church (Romans 12:5). In this
Body or family all the members can help one another. Jesus, the one mediator - enables us to share in
His work by uniting our prayers, works, joys, sorrows and suffering to His great work of Redemption. In
this way he uses our cooperation to bring grace and good to others in the Body (the Church).

This is called The Communion of Saints.

This communion of saints has two closely linked meanings:

• It is a communion among holy persons (persons in the state of grace)

• And a communion in holy things (primarily the sacraments - especially the Eucharist, but also
the prayers, works, joys, sorrows & suffering united with Christ and offered out of love)

What each one does or suffers in and for Christ bears fruit for all.

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that
your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you” (John
15:16).

All Christians are united by the Holy Spirit even though we live in three different states of being:

• Some of us are pilgrims on earth journeying to heaven - The Pilgrim Church or The Church
Militant
• Others have died and are being purified in Purgatory - The Church Suffering
• While still others are in the glory of heaven - The Church Triumphant

The saints in heaven can help us with their prayers. We can help the souls in Purgatory. The souls in
Purgatory cannot help themselves but by offering our prayers, works, joys, sorrow and suffering for

28
them we can speed them on to full union with God. They in turn, pray for us and as they come closer
to the glory of heaven, their prayers for us become more & more effective.

“Our prayer for them [the souls in purgatory] is capable of not only helping them, but also of making
their intercession for us more effective” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 958).

The Communion of Saints is explained simply that in the one family of God, each member of the family
can help each other. We read in Matthew
6:19-20:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on

earth, where moth and rust consume and
where thieves break in and steal, but lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven,
where neither moth nor rust consumes and
where thieves do not break in and steal.”

Christ is teaching that we can indeed store

up “treasure in heaven.” Every time we do
something good for God and others and
by his grace working in our heart, we “lay
up treasure (merits) in Heaven.” And thus
there is truly a treasury of good deeds in
Heaven.

Revelation 19:7-8 also speaks of this:

“Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb[a] has come, and his
Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure”— for
the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints”

The Communion of Saints image (above) shows how the souls in the different states of being help one
another.

What do we mean by “Merits?

By this we mean fruits, rewards, or good deeds. But this is not a proportionate system whereby we do
certain good works and simply earn our way to heaven, as if God literally “owed” us something.

Rather, Jesus merits our capacity to merit in the first place; He is the primary cause of every merit
accrued to us.

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But just because he is the primary cause does not mean
that we have no part to play at all. If we are connected
to him, and use our free will to love others, we are truly
secondary causes in his work of salvation.

On our own, we are absolutely incapable of obtaining

supernatural merits. This is because we are fallen, sinful
human beings. An unplugged lamp won’t give off any
light, no matter how many times you turn the switch.

Similarly, original sin unplugged our souls from the

source of grace – God himself. When Jesus became man
and offered himself in atonement for our sins, he plugged human nature back in to God, so to speak.
This was the redemption. And so, anyone who is united to Christ through faith and the sacraments is
now once again connected to the source of grace – they are living in the “state of grace.”

Only through, with and in Christ, then, can we merit:

“I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me,

with me in him, bears fruit in plenty; for cut off from me you
can do nothing” (John 15:5).

But that’s the amazing thing: God has given us so much dignity
through our union with Jesus. Through, with and in Christ, we
can merit. God has consciously chosen to give us the
possibility of making a difference in his Kingdom. We are not
just along for the ride. What we do and how we choose to
live our ordinary lives can actually increase the flow of grace
in the world, spreading Christ’s Kingdom and storing up treasure for us in heaven.

Jesus has not only saved us from damnation, but he has given us the possibility of becoming active,
meritorious collaborators in the work of redemption. Not because we deserve it, but simply because
he generously wanted to give us that possibility: he wanted our lives to have real meaning, our actions
and decisions to have eternal repercussions; He wanted us to “bear fruit that would remain.” His love
makes us friends and collaborators, not just his robots or spiritual trophies.

Though it may seem obvious, we should mention that no one can merit the initial grace of conversion
for themselves. The unplugged lamp can’t plug itself in, though once plugged it really is the lamp that
shines. A misunderstanding of this point helped fuel the fire of dissension that sparked so many painful
divisions among Christians at the time of the Protestant Reformation. We cannot save or redeem
ourselves; we need a Savior, a Redeemer: Christ.

But on the other hand, once we have accepted Christ’s gift of grace, that very gift enables us to merit
other graces for ourselves and for the Church. This is a marvelous, wonderful, and underemphasized
part of the Good News!

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This leads us to The Treasury of Grace/Merit

This treasury includes all of the grace Jesus

won for us by his death and resurrection.

It also includes the prayers, acts of charity,

joy and patient suffering of all the faithful
who have ever lived in fidelity to his grace.

In the communion of saints, we all share in

each other’s merits:

“In this wonderful exchange, the holiness of

one profits others” (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 1475).

By receiving this grace and practicing virtue we may be purified of the temporal punishment of sin.

The Church dispenses this saving grace through the sacraments. But also, through indulgences.

What the Church does, then, in administering an

indulgence is apply the treasury of merits (that of Jesus
and all the saints) to one of her children, under certain
prescribed conditions (e.g., reading the Bible for thirty
minutes).

The Treasury of Merit - Asking a Favor from the Church

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and

whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and
whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

Again, this application does not affect the eternal consequences of sin—i.e., it will not save one who is
unrepentant and not in communion with our Lord.

Rather, the application concerns the temporal consequences of sin of an authentically repentant
sinner, an application that flows from the unity of the family of God and the way in which the merits of
one sibling (e.g., a saint) can be applied to others (e.g., the pilgrim Church on earth or a Holy Soul in
Purgatory).

**It is important to note that, while we can pray and fast and offer sacrifices for the conversion or
spiritual growth of other living people, we cannot gain indulgences for them. The indulgences that we
gain can only be applied to ourselves or a soul in purgatory but not to another living person.

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This is because indulgences are a gift of God’s mercy that reduce the temporal punishment due to the
confessed sins of an authentically repentant sinner. We cannot be sure that persons, other than
ourselves, have met that condition – Are they authentically repentant? Have they confessed their sins?
What about their mortal sins – have they gone to the Sacrament of Reconciliation and confessed those
sins? It is not in our jurisdiction to know and judge those things.

Another condition that has to be met to gain a plenary indulgence (which is full remission of the
temporal punishment) is that there has to be “complete interior detachment from sin, even venial sin”
present for the indulgence to be gained (see Plenary Indulgences below). Once again, it is not in our
jurisdiction to know or judge those things. (see more about this at the end of this document)
Deceased souls in purgatory, by the very fact that they are in purgatory, have already authentically
repented and are just serving their temporal punishment. So, we can gain indulgences and offer them
to God in hope that he will use them to reduce their temporal punishment.

But, it also bears noting that indulgences for the dead are bit different from the ones we gain for
ourselves. The Church’s pastors have no jurisdiction over the dead, so they can’t really grant
indulgences for them. As such, canon law says they are applied “to the dead by way of suffrage.” In
other words, it is a petition to God to accept them for the benefit of the suffering soul. We can hope -
have a pious confidence - that He does, but there is no irrevocable guarantee.

So, how do we gain an indulgence?

1. The person must be in the “State of Grace.” For a Catholic, it may be necessary to
receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation to be restored to the State of Grace. For the
non-baptized, baptism is necessary.

2. Do the prescribed work (we must put our faith into action) with at least the general
intention** of gaining the indulgence.

• There are prescribed penitential practices that go with the Indulgence

• Actions along the lines of prayer, fasting, almsgiving

** It is necessary to have, at least, the general intention of gaining an indulgence for it to be granted.
Offering the very same prayers and actions without, at least, the general intention of gaining an
indulgence, would draw down the mercy of God for sure but not in the measure that it would if they
were offered intentionally as indulgences. The most fruitful way to gain an indulgence would be to be
32
conscious of each one as it is gained so that you can pour the full amount of love & diligence into it;
but, if you pray the following prayer each morning, you will have made at least the general intention of
your desire to gain them throughout the day:

MORNING OFFERING
O my God, in union with the Immaculate Heart of Mary (here kiss your Brown scapular as a sign of your
consecration – this carries a partial indulgence). I offer Thee the Precious Blood of Jesus from all the
altars throughout the world, joining with it the offering of my every thought, word and action of this
day.

O my Jesus, I desire today to gain every indulgence and merit I can, and I offer them together with
myself, to Mary Immaculate, that She may best apply them to the interests of Thy Most Sacred Heart.
Precious Blood of Jesus, save us! Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us! Sacred Heart of
Jesus, have mercy on us!

There are 2 Different Types of Indulgences

1. Plenary

• Can be applied to ourselves or a soul in purgatory but not to another living person.
• Removes all of the temporal punishment accumulated up to this point
• Certain conditions required (complete interior detachment from sin, the reception of Holy
Communion, a prayer for the pope’s intentions, and confession within 20 days)
• Can be acquired only once per day

2. Partial

• Removes part of temporal punishment

• Only God knows the partialness of the indulgence. It may be plenary, or 90% or 50% or 20%
remission.
• Can be acquired many times a day, unless otherwise expressly indicated.
• You can combine them to gain more.

Partial Indulgences

• No longer to be assessed in function of time (days, months, years).

• Instead, the value of an indulgence depends on "the action itself of the faithful who perform a
work to which an indulgence is attached.”

Two elements specify the value of such an action:

• "The charity of the one performing the act" (how much pure love with which you are
performing the act)
• "The degree to which the act itself is performed in a more perfect way” (Pope Paul the VI). (Are
you just going through the motions or are you diligently and carefully doing it?)
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Further, in keeping with this principle, a partial indulgence is "a remission of punishment through the
intervention of the Church," that equals the value of the action as performed by the person.

As it grants an indulgence the Church promises

to match the "merit" that accrues to the person
who seeks the indulgence and performs the
required work. This is what makes indulgences so
important and amazing! This is how you can
DOUBLE YOUR GIFT FOR YOUR DEARLY DEPARTED
LOVED ONE.

THINK WIN/WIN/WIN

You win, the Holy Souls in Purgatory win, and

any other people involved win.

There are Four General Ways, and numerous Specific Ways to obtain an Indulgence

The GENERAL ways:

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FIRST GENERAL WAY:
A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, while carrying out their duties and enduring the
hardships of life, raise their minds in humble trust to God and make, at least mentally, some pious
invocation (e.g., “Jesus I trust in you”, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner”, “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph”,
“All for Jesus”, etc.).

This first grant is intended to serve as an incentive to the faithful to put into practice the
commandment of Christ that "they must always pray and not lose heart" (Luke 18:1) and at the same
time as a reminder so to perform their respective duties as to preserve and strengthen their union
with Christ.
Romans 12:12 "Rejoicing in hope, . . . patient in tribulation, persevering in prayer."

Ephesians 6:18 "With all prayer and supplication pray at all times in the Spirit, and therein be vigilant in
all perseverance and supplication."

Colossians 3:17 Whatever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through him.

SECOND GENERAL WAY:

A partial indulgence is also granted when, prompted by an attitude of faith, we devote ourselves or our goods to
the service of brothers and sisters in need (like teaching the catechism to children or giving donations to the
poor).

35
This second grant is intended to serve as an incentive to the faithful to perform more frequent acts of
charity and mercy, thus following the example and obeying the command of Christ Jesus (John 13:15 &
Acts 10:38). However, not all works of charity are thus indulgenced, but only those which "serve their
brothers in need," in need, for example, of food or clothing for the body or of instruction or comfort
for the soul.

Matthew 25:35-36, 40 For I was hungry and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me to drink;
I was a stranger and you took me in; naked and you covered me; sick and you visited me; I was in prison
and you came to me.... Amen I say to you, as long as you did it for one of these, the least of my
brethren, you did it for me.

THIRD GENERAL WAY:

A partial indulgence is granted when, in a spirit of repentance for sin,
we voluntarily abstain from something we like (like drinking water
instead of Coke and “offering it up” for the souls in purgatory).

This third grant is intended to move the faithful to bridle their passions
and thus learn to bring their bodies into subjection and to conform
themselves to Christ in his poverty and suffering.

But self-denial will be more precious, if it is united to charity, according to the teaching of St. Leo the
Great: "Let us give to virtue what we refuse to self-indulgence. Let what we deny ourselves by fast --
be the refreshment of the poor."

Luke 9:23 If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and
follow me.

1 Cor. 9:25-27 And everyone in a contest abstains from all things, and they indeed to receive a
perishable crown, but we an imperishable. I, therefore, so run as not without a purpose; I so fight as
not beating the air; but I chastise my body and bring it into subjection.

FOURTH GENERAL WAY:

A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful, who in the
particular circumstances of daily life, voluntarily give explicit witness to
their faith before others.

This grant encourages the faithful to profess their faith openly before
others, for the glory of God and the building up of the Church.

Matthew 10:32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my
Father who is in heaven;

THE NUMEROUS SPECIFIC WAYS OF OBTAINING INDULGENCES INCLUDE:

• Visiting certain holy places or pilgrimage sites,

36
 • Practicing mental prayer (Christian meditation)
• The heartfelt recitation of certain prayers (like the Creed and the Angelus)
• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour
• The devout reading of the Bible for at least half an hour
• Devoutly praying the Stations of the Cross
• Visiting a cemetery to pray for the dead during the week of All Souls’ Day

These last four in red can obtain a plenary indulgence when they are accompanied by:

• Complete interior detachment from sin

• The reception of Holy Communion
• A prayer for the pope’s intentions
• Confession within 20 days

There are many other ways as well, all of them listed in the official Handbook of Indulgences, Norms,
and Grants.
• See Appendix at the end of this document (beginning on p. 42) for a more complete list of
indulgences.
• Follow this link to: a digest of the works and prayers listed in the Enchiridion of Indulgences
(Handbook of Indulgences).
• Follow this link to: another comprehensive list of indulgenced actions and prayers
• The Handbook of Indulgences - 3rd Edition online version (there is a 4th Editions with a few
additions. I have not been able to located an online version. Here is the DECREE Fourth Edition
of the 'Enchiridion Indulgentiarum' Apostolic Penitentiary that explains the additions)

In Conclusion

Indulgences flow from the kindness & mercy of God, who meets the repentant sinner, with effective
remedies, in his efforts to live up to his responsibility (to do his part) to heal the wounds caused by his
sins. This urges him on to a more fervent charity (love of God and others) and causes him to grow in
this love and be further conformed to the Image of Christ, his Lord.

Indulgences help the Christian who is duly disposed to permeate every part of his life – prayer, works,
joys, sorrows and sufferings; hopes, dreams, desires, and even faults and failures – with the spirit of
the Gospel and to direct everything he does each day to the glory of God. Indulgences underscore the
importance of living a Christian life day in and day out while protecting the Christian from
compartmentalizing his life of faith and relegating his religious practice to only one hour a week on
Sunday.

Indulgences aid in the integration of the Catholic Faith with real life and prevent that pernicious
opposition between professional and social activity on the one hand and religious life on the other.

This blessed integration leads to a joy and “peace that surpasses all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)
because of the presence of Risen Christ in every aspect of life.
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Indulgences are a great aid to growing in holiness (intimacy with God) and can increase a person’s
capacity to love God and others by 100-fold. In Baptism, the seeds of Faith, Hope & Charity (love) were
planted in our souls. In order for them to grow they have to be nurtured. Indulgences are one of the
ways that God provides the Christian with opportunities to practice Faith, Hope and Charity in the
course of everyday life. These concrete acts then become the vessel (a living well) for God to fill with
“living water” of his Holy Spirit.

Finally, INDULGENCES ARE A WONDERFUL WAY TO MAKE YOUR WHOLE DAY INTO A PRAYER FOR YOUR
LOVED ONES WHO HAVE DIED. This way you and your loved one can advance together in holiness and
toward full union with God.

One Possible Objection:

It might seem too difficult to learn about all of this but it is like anything new that we learn. It takes
time and effort to make a habit out of it but it is well worth any difficulty it entails. It is definitely a
virtue to form the habit of gaining indulgences each day and like any other virtue, at first it is hard and
we have to be very intentional in our efforts; but, as time goes on, with the help of the Holy Spirit, the
habit becomes easier and easier to the point where it becomes natural to love this way. Our heart and
mind will expand to fit this habit into our hearts.

Jesus himself asked St. Faustina to do this:

Here is a quote from the Divine Mercy Sunday Novena that speaks of Indulgences. These are Jesus'
words to St. Faustina on the 8th day of the Novena:

“Today bring to Me THE SOULS WHO ARE DETAINED IN PURGATORY, and immerse them in the abyss
of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly
loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw
all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew
the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their
debt to My justice” (Diary of St. Faustina, 1226).

Jesus clearly does not want us to forget the Holy Souls. Indeed, He encourages us to "draw all the
indulgences from the treasury of [His] Church and offer them on their behalf."

Not only that, God blesses the efforts of those who work hard to form this virtue. Here is an example
from the life of St. John Macias:

ESCORTS TO HEAVEN

St. John Macias worked for the sick in Peru and, no matter how tired he was, he prayed three Rosaries
on his knees (as an indulgence) every night for the poor souls in purgatory. On his deathbed, St. John
the Evangelist appeared to him and said that through his prayers St. John Macias had released one
million four hundred thousand souls from purgatory. When he died, thousands upon thousands of
souls poured from heaven to greet him.

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Concrete Examples of Indulgences

(1st general grant) Act of Faith - in a difficult situation.

A person has just lost someone they love in a tragic accident

and they are confused about why God would allow this. But
deep down inside Faith begins to rise up and they think,
“God is love and just because I don’t understand or feel this
right now, doesn't mean that it is not true.” At that moment
she makes an act of Faith by saying, “Jesus, I trust in you!” I
offer this up for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. This act of Faith
helps the Holy Souls and opens her heart to receive the
living water of the Holy Spirit in a fuller measure and her
love for God increases and she begins to experience peace.

Act of Love
A woman is at work and is broken-hearted because some of her co-workers are gossiping about her.
She begins to get very angry and is about to react with angry words. Deep down inside Charity begins
to rise up and she thinks “Instead of reacting in a negative way, I can offer this suffering up as a prayer
for the Holy Souls in Purgatory.” This she does right away by praying “Dear Jesus, I open this suffering
up to you. Please come into it with your love and unite it with your perfect sacrifice and use it as a
channel of your grace for the Holy Souls in Purgatory. Thank you for giving me meaning and purpose in
my suffering!” This act of Love helps the Holy Souls and opens her heart to receive the living water of
the Holy Spirit in a fuller measure and her love for God & others increases.

Often, it is necessary to make the same act of Faith, Hope and/or Love over and over again as the
waves of sorrow and suffering wash over us repeatedly. God receives each one of them as a precious
gift and he always returns them with the blessing of a fuller measure of his presence.

ONE MORE COMMENT ABOUT THE REASON WE CANNOT GAIN INDULGENCES FOR OTHER LIVING
PEOPLE

Once again, the Church promotes indulgences partly to help the persons doing the indulgenced work
to grow in grace by doing the indulgenced activities, which include things like giving money to the
poor, praying rosaries, adoring the Blessed Sacrament, reading scripture, etc. The indulgence is a
motivational tool to get us to do something that is helpful to us spiritually. If I read scripture for a half
hour, I not only grow spiritually and receive God’s grace for reading the scripture, but I also can earn
the special “bonus gift” of an indulgence. I can keep this indulgence for myself, or give this indulgence
to a deceased soul in Purgatory because that soul is unable to get an indulgence for himself/herself or
do anything for himself/herself at all.

However, another person walking around on earth is able to earn his or her own indulgence, and the
Church would prefer that they did so because one purpose of indulgences is to motivate people to do

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various spiritual practices. If living person A is doing these practices and giving all the benefits to living
person B, then person B has no motivation to bother reading scripture, giving to the poor, etc. which
is not what the Church wants to see happen. They want to see living person B earning his own
indulgences.

Living person A is of course free to pray for living person B, or have a Mass said for B, so it’s not like
we can do nothing for other living persons, even though we can’t give them indulgences.

This is from Indulgentiarum Doctrina, by Pope St. Paul VI:

In an indulgence in fact, the Church, making use of its power as minister of the Redemption of Christ,
not only prays but by an authoritative intervention dispenses to the faithful suitably disposed the
treasury of satisfaction which Christ and the saints won for the remission of temporal punishment.
(38)
The aim pursued by ecclesiastical authority in granting indulgences is not only that of helping the
faithful to expiate the punishment due sin but also that of urging them to perform works of piety,
penitence and charity—particularly those which lead to growth in faith and which favor the common
good. (39)

https://w2.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/apost_constitutions/documents/hf_p-
vi_apc_01011967_indulgentiarum-doctrina.html

The following is
An Analogy for Indulgences & the Communion of Saints
“In the one family of God, we can all help each other.”

A young boy, in defiance of his father for not letting him play
baseball in his yard, plays baseball anyway and ends up
throwing a baseball through the window.
He soon realizes that he is in trouble so he apologizes to his
father in order to mitigate the punishment. The wise father
knows that if all his son has to do is say he is sorry, he wouldn’t
have a true change of heart and he might easily do it again or
even something worse down the road. His father does forgive
him (the relationship is restored) but he tells him that there is
still the problem (temporal consequence) of the broken window that needs to be fixed and that he will
need to earn the money to fix it (temporal punishment).
The boy sets out to earn the money and, at first, he is not truly sorry, but as he goes about the task, his
heart begins to change and he begins to feel authentic sorrow for what he has done.

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At this point his older brother is watching what is going on and he sees the change of heart that his
brother is undergoing so, he goes to the father and asks if he can help him pay for the window. The
father is so pleased with his concern and generosity and looks forward to the way that this would
strengthen the relationship between his two sons, so he agrees to a “matching system” where, for
every dollar that the young boy earns, his older brother will match it from his savings. The debt of the
broken window is taken care of through the hard work and love between the two sons.
When we are truly repentant for our sins (which is one of the conditions for gaining an indulgence),
God allows the saints to come to our aid through indulgences. He matches the merit of our actions by
drawing from the treasury of the Church. In this way, we learn that there are consequences for our
actions but at the same time, we are not alone in our efforts to make amends. It is truly an amazing gift
to be a member of the Mystical Body of Christ – the Church!

CONCLUSION: HELPING THE FAMILY GET HOME

At first glance, it may seem arbitrary or artificial to attach indulgences to specific prayers or acts of
devotion. But it’s just one more sign of God’s abundant mercy, and of the love that links all members
of God’s family (communion of saints). After all, it is a great act of love to pray and obtain indulgences
for our brothers and sisters in purgatory. Hastening their (heavenly rehab) and entry into the glory of
heaven certainly qualifies as “loving your neighbor as yourself.” Ignoring them, on the other hand,
can be as half-hearted as ignoring our neighbors here on earth who suffer from hunger or disease.
Our journey to heaven is a family trip. Along the way, we may get bruised, battered, dirtied, and
exhausted, like a young man who goes off to fight in a war. The more we help each other out now,
the sooner we will all be able to take our places at the heavenly feast in eternity.

We called this class the Joyful pains of Purgatory. Here are The Three Essential Joys of Purgatory

Night shall be no more; they need no light or lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light,
and they shall reign for ever and ever (Revelation 22:5).

1. The first is the certainty of their salvation. The holy souls know they are confirmed in grace,
unable to sin or to be lost.
2. The second joy of purgatory consists in expiation of the one’s faults. They want this! They want
to be completely clean and to make amends. Sin constitutes a loathsome filth in the soul, a sort
of spiritual leprosy. If the cleansing of festering wounds brings relief, how much more must the
soul in purgatory feel, who, having passed into eternity, now knows the ugliness of sin. Sin is
insult, offense, injury to the majesty and holiness of God.
3. The third joy is love of God. Love makes every sacrifice easier. The souls in purgatory love God
with the most intense affection – and love desires sacrifice and immolation.

Can you see how this would make you joyful even in the midst of suffering? Have you ever done
something to hurt someone you love and experienced how good it felt to make up for it? That is a
taste of how the holy souls fee. But… this is for us too as we are purified in this life…
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APPENDIX: LIST AND LINKS TO INDULGENCES

Plenary Indulgences

• Spend thirty minutes or more in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

• Participate in the Stations of the Cross, using fourteen stations, marked
by at least crosses, progressing from one to the next.
• Recite the five decades of the Rosary in a church, religious community,
or family, or while listening live to the Holy Father’s Rosary.
• Read or listen to Sacred Scripture for at least thirty minutes, preference
is given to reading.
• Make a three-day retreat.
• At the point of death, pray, ideally before a crucifix or cross (requires
that you have been in the habit of praying during your life).
• Participate in a parish mission and its conclusion.
• Attend a ceremony in honor of a new saint during the first year after
canonization (available once).
• For priests, and those in attendance, a priest’s first Mass, and the jubilee
celebrations for priests and bishops renewing their vocational
promises.
• Visit the church during a diocesan synod.
• Assist during a pastoral visit.
• Make a pilgrimage to one of the four Patriarchal Basilicas in Rome.
• Plenary Indulgences Associated with Particular Feast Days
• Visit a basilica, cathedral, parish church, or approved shrine on its
titular feast day.
• Receive the Papal Urbi et Orbi blessing (usually given on Christmas and
Easter) in person, on the radio, on TV, or online.
• Recite the Te Deum on December 31st in thanksgiving for the year.
• Recite the Veni Creator on January 1st as a prayer for the beginning of
the year, and/or on Pentecost.
• Participate in special celebrations for days universally designated for
particular intentions (like Day of Prayer for Peace on January 1st, or
Day of Prayer for Vocations on Good Shepherd Sunday, the 4th Sunday
of Easter).
• Participate in the services of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:
January 18-25.
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 • Recite the Look Down Upon Me, Good and Gentle Jesus before a crucifix,
after communion, on a Friday during Lent.
• Recite the Tantum Ergo on Holy Thursday before the Altar of Repose.
• Adore the cross on Good Friday.
• Renew your baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil and/or on the
anniversary of your baptism.
• Take part in special services held on Divine Mercy Sunday, or, before
the Blessed Sacrament on that day, pray the usual prayers and “Merciful
Jesus, I trust in you.”
• Participate in a Eucharistic Procession on Corpus Christi.
• Recite the Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Feast of
the Sacred Heart in a church, religious community, or family.
• Use an article Blessed by the Holy Father or any bishop on the Feast of
Sts. Peter and Paul.
• Visit a basilica or cathedral on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul.
• The Portiuncula Indulgence of St. Francis of Assisi: with a contrite heart,
visit any church on August 2nd (or the first Sunday of August if the
church isn’t open every day).
• Pray for the dead in a cemetery November 1-8 (applicable only to the
souls in purgatory).
• Pray for the dead in a church on All Souls’ Day (applicable only to the
souls in purgatory).
• Recite the Act of Dedication to Christ the King on the Feast of Christ the
King in a church, religious community, or family.

Partial Indulgences

• Use a properly blessed crucifix, cross, rosary, scapular, or medal.

• Use pious invocations throughout the day, mentally or out loud (i.e.
“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,” “Heart of Jesus, I trust in you,” “Holy Mary,
Mother of God, pray for us.”)
• Pray to the merciful heart of Jesus.
• Perform charitable works or charitable giving.
• Make a voluntary Christian witness to others.
• Teach or study Christian doctrine.
• Visit the Blessed Sacrament for any amount of time.
• Recite a Rosary alone, or recite a partial Rosary.
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 • Make an Examination of Conscience.
• Attend a monthly recollection.
• Spend time in mental prayer.
• Listen to preaching of the Word of God.
• Visit a cemetery and pray for the dead any time of year.
• Visit the catacombs.
• Make the sign of the cross using the customary words.
• Renew your baptismal vows at any time.

Partially Indulged Prayers

• Adoro te Devote
• Sacred Banquet
• Tantum Ergo
• Act of Spiritual Communion
• Prayer for Christian Unity
• Magnificat
• Look Down Upon Me Good and Gentle Jesus
• Anima Christi
• Act of Contrition
• Angelus
• Regina Caeli
• Mary, Mother of Grace
• Hail Holy Queen (Salve Regina)
• Memorare
• Holy Mary, Help Those in Need
• Beneath Thy Protection
• The Guardian Angel Prayer
• To You O Blessed Joseph
• Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
• The collect prayer from the missal on a saints’ feast day
• Christmas Novena
• Pentecost Novena
• Immaculate Conception Novena
• Litany of the Holy Name
• Litany of the Most Sacred Heart
• Litany of the Most Precious Blood
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• Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Litany of St. Joseph
• Litany of All Saints
• Little Office
• Prayer for Benefactors
• Prayer for the Holy Father
• Prayer to begin and end the day
• Prayer at the beginning and end of work
• Prayer before and after meals
• Apostles’ Creed
• Nicene Creed
• Act of Faith
• Act of Hope
• Act of Love
• Eternal Rest Prayer.

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