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The Forgotten Efficacy of Indulgences

 

In responding to a particular post on another blog, I was led to discover new information regarding indulgences. This information is available at:

www.allorafilms.com/MustReads.html

Because of their great significance, three items re Indulgences are published here.

  • THE POPE’S POWER OF THE KEYS. The dispensing of these spiritual goods in the form of indulgences is in the power of the Pope for the universal Church, and by the power delegated by the Pope, of the bishops for their local dioceses. This power of the Keys was given to the first Pope, St. Peter, and to his successors, by Christ Himself, and is to be used to open the spiritual treasury of the Church for the benefit of the faithful.

  • INDULGENCES MAY BE APPLIED TO THE SOULS IN PURGATORY, BUT only by way of petition to God, for the souls in Purgatory are no longer subjects of the Church authorities who grant the indulgences.

  • “A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in the performance of their duties and in bearing the trials of life, raise their mind with humble confidence to God, adding – even if only mentally – some pious invocation.”

This last bullet gives us an easy way of putting into practice the commandment of Christ “to pray always.” To pray always means to be always conscious of the presence of God and to turn our minds to Him not only in vocal community prayer, but also and chiefly in private mental prayer. When you do this in the performance of your daily duties or in bearing the daily trials and difficulties of life, whether it be at home, at school, at work or at play, you can gain a partial indulgence whenever you turn your mind to God and add some pious invocation. An invocation can be of the briefest kind, expressed in one or few words or only thought of mentally. Such invocations could be: My Lord and My God, help me; O God have mercy on me; Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I love and adore You, etc. Keep in mind that an invocation is no longer considered to be an indulgenced prayer in itself, but only as complementing an indulgenced action, by which the faithful raise their heart and mind to God in performing their duties or bearing the trials of life.

 

AND SO?

Don’t waste another moment DOING (good works + prayers) what is necessary to remit temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven (note this implication of the need to prepare).