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After Vatican II, indulgences seemed to go the way of the Rosary, lost in the shuffle. But, thanks to the Holy Father, they are being brought back for they are good and worth attaining. The Church has build up a spiritual treasury of the infinite merits of Jesus Christ through His Passion and Death and the superabundant merits of His Blessed Mother Mary's Sorrowful Heart which bore the pain of seeing her Divine Son suffer so and be rebuked; along with the Church Triumphant who offered their penances and sufferings up while they were members of the Church Militant. Jesus left this spiritual treasury to be used by the Communion of Saints which includes the souls in Purgatory - the Church Suffering. Because of this, a penitent, who gains an indulgence, receives from the Church some of the dividends gathered in the spiritual treasury from the merits of the Two Hearts and the saints. This can be traced back to when Jesus told Peter in Matthew 16: 19, "Whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth sahll be loosed in Heaven.". He later reiterated the same thing in the upper room to all the Apostles. Since Our Lord granted the Apostles the authority to forgive sins, thereby freeing man from hell, the syllogism follows that He also gave them the lesser authority to free sinners from the temporal punishment due to sin, and shorten or eliminate their time in Purgatory. Just as a governor can grant a pardon to a prisoner, so also the Pope can grant a pardon to sinners with a Plenary Indulgence just as the Bishops are allowed to grant Partial Indulgences. As we mentioned in our editorial, all indulgences are intended for past sins, not ones we might commit. Therefore, remaining in the state of grace is essential to achieve the maximum reward of the indulgences.
God's Justice requires that an exact reparation be made for every sin we have committed; and there are few out there, we would assume, who have not sinned often. After all, we were born with Original Sin. While the Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation remits most of our sins, the small penances we receive from our confessor are not sufficient to wipe away all of our sins. Therefore, God, through His Church has granted us another outlet to slowly-but-surely wipe away the rest of the past sins through indulgences. It is, in a sense, withdrawing from the great spiritual treasury so we can balance our account with God. For some that means a large withdrawal, for others several smaller ones, for others maybe a few as needed, and for others, maybe it means constantly visiting the spiritual ATM.
Indulgences are nothing new. In fact, they have been in existence from the very beginning. Saint Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 2: 10-11 on how his penance had been remitted for the sins he had committed against the Christians as Saul when he said, "Whom you pardon anything, I also pardon. Indeed, what I have forgiven - if I have forgiven anything - I have done for your sakes, in the person of Christ, that we may not be defeated by satan; for we are not unaware of his devices." But satan is truly aware of indulgences and, through his deception, has managed to keep these merits under wraps for nigh these past thirty years. But, thank God His Holiness has resurrected them as we near the third millennium and the evil one knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his time is very, very short. That's one reason he has been so active during this last part of the 20th century for his 100 years he was granted by God are up and the eleventh hour beckons. Therefore, since misery likes company he will try to take with him into the everlasting abyss as many souls as he can. The Pope is hoping to foil those plans with his solid teaching and shepherding of souls. Though the shepherd can do everything possible, if the sheep do not respond, there's nothing else he can do but to pray. Now, in order to peak interest in indulgences and what a Jubilee year means and prompt a spiritual reawakening of the importance of the age, the Holy Father is granting Plenary Indulgences for various acts performed if in the state of grace. His action reminds all of that time in the Church when martyrs offered up their lives in reparation for the sins of others, and when confessors and saints incerceded on behalf of heretics, apostates and non-Christians and, by pleading to the bishops, these violators' time of penance was shortened. Thus an "indulgence" was granted to them by the recognized authorities of the Church from the wealth of spiritual dividends built up by those who interceded for them. In the middle ages penances were so harsh, few could fulfill them unless they possessed saintly qualities. Most did not and so the Church relaxed the sentences, making penances easier. Rather than imposing public penances, the penitent was allowed to make atonement for his sins through alms-giving, certain prayers, crusades, pilgrimages, visiting certain places, fasting, good acts or using specified sacred objects for the honor and glory of God, such as relics or blessed Rosaries, etc.
The Holy Father is reinstituting "Jubilee indulgences" for 2000. This was first established by Pope Boniface VIII seven hundred years-ago when, because pilgrims could no longer feel safe traveling to Jerusalem, he allowed that anyone who visited St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for 15 successive days would receive the same plenary indulgence as if he were making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. And that is another purpose of John Paul II's emphasis on jubilee indulgences, to make us cognisant of the merits of indulgences and help us become accustomed to performing these specified functions so that they become a part of our spiritual life, helping us reap dividends not only during our time here on earth, but also in Purgatory so that we can all achieve Heavenly glory sooner.
In the next installment we shall explain the two kinds of indulgences we can gain - Plenary Indulgences and Partial Indulgences, their differences and benefits.
If you are to persevere make no judgment based upon your finite reasoning. Rather, come to the Font of All Wisdom, the Holy Spirit and beg the grace of discernment and enlightenment. The Holy Spirit is Truth and you will not be deceived.
The Feast of my Annunciation is coming. Reflect upon this sublime mystery when Love became Incarnate in my Virginal womb that through me, a mere creature, He might come to His people.
Now I solemnly tell you that I have come and I announce to you the Advent of His Coming again, when satan shall be crushed and His Sacred Heart will reign in all hearts - bringing one flock, one fold.
There will be great purging of all the earth. Therefore, pray and be consecrated to my Divine Son through my Immaculate Heart. Here is your refuge and all you shall need shall be given unto you.
Pray, watch and wait. The moment is at hand. Thank you for responding to my Call!
On this the eve of the Feast of the Annunciation I ask all of my children to humbly kneel before God and to surrender themselves to Him, Who is All. I ask each one of my little ones to renew their consecration to my Divine Son through my Immaculate Heart.
Dear children, from my apparition at LaSalette, at Fatima, at Medjugorje and countless other apparitions I have announced to the world both God's Justice and the plans of the evil one.
You have heard my words, but you have not truly understood my warnings. O! As you kneel with me, your Heavenly Mother, will you not give to God your fiat as I continually gave mine throughout time and now in eternity?
O, little children, how swiftly the world heads for the abyss. So few of my little ones desire to be saved and work to be one with the Divine Will. To them has been given great understanding, Divine Wisdom, and my Son's Peace.
If you would have these graces you must surrender self daily and come and kneel with me as I gave God my 'YES'. In this way you shall have the strength to bear your cross unto Calvary. There shall you endure all in union with my Divine Son.
Therefore, I announce to all the world the fulfillment of all my words, the fulfillment of Sacred Scripture.
Pray, pray, pray! Thank you for responding to my Call!
For more on Medjugorje, click on MEDJUGORJE AND MORE
