In the Catholic Church an indulgence takes away the punishment due for sin.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “an indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. (CCC, 1471).
The misunderstanding of indulgences stems from something many people overlook about sin.
Sin has a double consequence.
1. Grave sin (mortal sin) separates us from God and leads us into the eternal punishment of hell.
2. All sins (venial sin) reveal an attachment to things of this world other than God. This attachment must be cleansed in order to fully accept our salvation. Purgatory between death and heaven purifies us of those attachments.
Purgatory is a “temporal punishment” because it is not experienced for eternity, but for a necessary amount of time. We are not sentenced to a certain number of years as if it was purgatory prison. Purgatory lasts as long as it will take us to be purified of our earthly desires. This purification does not grant us salvation. Salvation is already granted. Purgatory prepares us to be ready to receive the salvation that Jesus Christ has given to us.
Forgiveness and punishment are separate. By God’s grace we are forgiven from eternal punishment. Though God has forgiven us, the attachment to temptation and sin must still be removed.
How, then, do we find purification in our earthly lives prior to Purgatory?
The Church calls this an indulgence.
Indulgences can be obtained by:
- acts of charity
- special prayers
But charitable works and prayers should not be seen as transactions. There are no certificates for indulgences and knowing if it “worked” or not is difficult to prove. This is because along with these prayers and works, one must also have a contrite heart and reconciliation through the Sacrament of Penance. To have a contrite heart means to truly live the words we say in the Act of Contrition that we “fully intend with God’s help to sin no more.”
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