Indulgences and Spiritual Closure

Penance and Reconciliation. In the Catechism, Confession is called the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. Both aspects are necessary for the healing grace found in this sacrament of our salvation. After going to Confession, we should not only do our penance but also strive for reconciliation as a result of our penance. Both are necessary parts of our ongoing conversion of life in the pursuit of the spiritual perfection to which Christ Our Lord calls us.

  • Penance is for our ongoing conversion of life. When sacramental absolution resolves the eternal consequences of our sins, we are restored to grace and strengthened by it as well. This eternal forgiveness motivates us to seek reconciliation as part of the ongoing amendment of our lives.
  • Reconciliation is for the healing of our sins. Out of both charity and justice, the temporal consequences of our sins are addressed as part of our penance. When such reconciliation is not possible due to circumstances beyond our control, we can find spiritual closure through indulgences.

When we die, we will not rest in peace until our venial sins are forgiven and the temporal damages of our already-forgiven sins are resolved, through the prayers of the church in heaven and on earth. In this regard, we should always aim high. If we aim for heaven, we may have to experience purgatory. But, if we only aim for purgatory, we might risk consigning ourselves to hell forever. So, let us obtain God’s forgiveness through his sacraments (John 20:22-23) now.

For information about going to Confession, please click here. For information about God’s mercy, please click here. For information about obtaining an indulgence, please continue reading below. In all our prayerful efforts. motivated by God’s sacramental grace, let us work out our salvation in fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12) by filling up what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ, for the sake of his body, the church (Colossians 1:24). Our first priority should always be to bring about reconciliation in fulfillment of our sacramental penance, which is part of the amendment of our lives as forgiven sinners.

Indulgences and Spiritual Closure. There are two practical reasons for obtaining an indulgence. First, we may discover that reconciliation is not possible or practical due to circumstances that are beyond our control. Second, we may be concerned that there may still be temporal consequences to our forgiven sins of which we may not be aware. In both cases, an indulgence is not for the forgiveness of our sins but is instead a pardon for our inability to achieve reconciliation for the collateral damage of our forgiven sins. Here is how to obtain an Indulgence as a path to spiritual closure in your personal life:

  • First, go to Confession, with a commitment to be free from any and all attachments to sin, even venial sin. Make it a point to mention why reconciliation may not be possible, despite your best penitential efforts, for the resolution of the temporal consequences of your already-forgiven sins. Any unfinished business needs to be addressed as part of our amendment of our lives in the pursuit of Christian perfection and our pursuit of holiness of life. But, even if we are not seeking an indulgence, we should always leave Confession with the same resolution of avoiding all attachments to sin, even venial sin.
  • Second, conscientiously perform one of the following devotions, with the intention of obtaining the Indulgence: Recite the Rosary in church with a group of people or at home with your family, prayerfully meditating on five mysteries; spend a half-hour in reflective prayerful adoration before the Tabernacle in church; spend a half-hour in reflective prayerful reading of the Bible at home or in church; or meditate on the Stations of the Cross in church. Other examples of ways to obtain indulgences are contained in the book, Enchiridion of Indulgences, but these are the main ones.
  • Third, go to Holy Communion, and pray the Our Father and Hail Mary for the special intentions of the Pope, upon whose sacramental authority the indulgence is being granted. Then, we should rejoice in the peace of Christ we have received, especially through the offering up of any further active or passive mortifications that may come about in the course of our lives. In Confession as it is practiced today, the assigned penance is completed after the Absolution is granted. With indulgences, however, the Pardon is obtained upon the conscientious completion of the designated penitential actions.
The keys of the kingdom of heaven include the power of binding and loosing, which includes pardoning us even from the collateral damage that remains even after the forgiveness of our sins in Confession. Sometimes, we cannot resolve the temporal consequences of our sins, despite our best efforts, or because we are impeded in some manner. Here the mercy of God reaches out to us in a most caring way through indulgences. In this regard, the merciful practice of indulgences is a second pardon, not of our sins, but of the temporal consequences of our already-forgiven sins, promoting inner peace and spiritual closure.

Talking Points about Indulgences. Here are some further discussion suggestions in regard to the healing ministry that indulgences can often help provide.

  • Indulgences are not about the forgiveness of sins. Indulgences are about the process of reconciliation after the forgiveness of our sins.
  • Indulgences were never officially sold by the church. Unauthorized people sold indulgences but were corrected too late to avoid a scandal.
  • Indulgences are not a replacement for our duty to amend our lives and to address the collateral damage caused by our (forgiven) sins.
  • Indulgences are designed for those situations when we cannot personally or effectively address these residual consequences of our sins.
  • Indulgences are part of the office of the keys, through which binding and loosing, forgiving and retaining, are spiritually exercised for our healing.
What we do not resolve in our lives here and now, may be resolved for us in the experience of purgatory before we enter into the fullness of heavenly glory.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Fill me with your Spirit, so that I may live a new life.
Help me to know you, to love you, and to serve you in this world,
So that I may be happy with you, both now and for all eternity.
Thank you, Lord. Amen!

Keep in mind that we, as Catholic Christians, are forgiven sinners who are on the way to becoming saints!