Indulgences

          Today, I would like to talk about indulgences. An indulgence, plain and simply, is a certain set of actions that a priest tells you to do, and by doing these actions the Church, instituted by Christ, guarantees that you will receive grace from God. Furthermore, an indulgence for a certain set of actions can only be given once those actions have been forgiven. It either removes "part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin" (CC 1471).
          An indulgence requires faith and normally involves the act of prayer, sacrifice, work, or a journey (this is only in extreme conditions). When you went to do something in order to lessen the punishment of your sin, you can do whatever you desire to do, whether it be pray ten Hail Mary's for a month or go on a long pilgrimage. An indulgence though, is given by a priest and, through the Church, gives grace.The grace receive from the Church comes from a "treasury of merits" which is the everlasting grace Christ won for our Salvation. By partaking in these indulgences, we not only lessen the graveness of our sins, but we gain good virtues along the way, allowing us to come closer in relationship to Christ. An indulgence is either partial or plenary depending on whether or not all of the debt due to the sin is removed. It is important to receive confession and the Eucharist once the indulgence has been completed in order to fully complete it. Indulgences are often giving on certain feast days or special occasions. Furthermore, the Church has an official list of indulgences called the Enchiridion of Indulgences. Some acts in this book include visiting the Stations of the Cross and praying at certain locations.