Indulgences
311. Indulgences are the remission of the temporal punishment due to our sins, which the Church grants us outside the sacrament of Penance.
312. The Church has received the power to grant indulgences from Jesus Christ himself.
The indulgence is plenary and partial.
313. The plenary indulgence is that which forgives us all the temporal punishment due to our sins.
314. A partial indulgence is one that forgives us only a part of the temporal penalty due for our sins.
An indulgence of one hundred days or seven years, for example, does not mean that it would forgive one hundred days or seven years of purgatory, but that one would obtain the forgiveness of so much temporal punishment, as one would obtain by doing a hundred days or seven years the penance formerly prescribed by the Church.
In the early days of Christianity, the Holy Church imposed very rigorous penances on those who had publicly committed mortal sins.
The Church grants indulgences to help us atone in this world for the temporal punishment due for sins.
Jesus Christ gave His Church the power to grant indulgences, when He said to Peter: "Whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
The Pope can grant indulgences throughout the Church, and the Bishop in his diocese.
By indulgences the superabundant satisfactions of Jesus Christ, of the Most Holy Mary and of the Saints are applied to us.
These superabundant satisfactions form the treasure of the Church.
We must greatly appreciate indulgences, for by means of them, with very little labor, we satisfy Divine Justice much and easily, for ourselves and for the dead.
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Conditions for earning indulgences
315. Indulgences are obtained by doing in the state of grace what is commanded for this purpose, if it is a single work; and if there are several, one must be in God's grace in fulfilling the last of the prescribed works.
1º. To be in God's grace
2º Comply with what is prescribed to earn them
3º Have the intention of winning them.
The general intention of winning as many as one can is enough; It is good to renew it every day.
In order for the temporary penalty to be pardoned, it is necessary that the guilt to which the penalty corresponds has been forgiven.
For this reason, in order to gain a plenary indulgence, in addition to being in God's grace, it is necessary to repent of all venial sins.
If we cannot obtain the plenary, we can win partially, depending on the disposition we have. [And it also depends on how devoutly we received communion, how much we are more or less sorry, etc.]
If the concession does not state otherwise, the Plenary Indulgence for the same work may be obtained only once per day, even if the prescribed work is repeated. Partial indulgence may be earned as many times as the work to which it is granted is repeated.
All indulgences granted by the Pope are applicable to the deceased.
He who has made a Vow of Souls has the privilege of being able to apply all the indulgences in suffrage of the Blessed Souls in purgatory. An indulgence cannot be applied to another living person. [It is clear that we can win indulgences for us or for the deceased]
If the contrary is not expressed in the concession, one cannot gain indulgences by doing what one is bound to do by law or precept.
However, when a work granted with indulgences is performed in order to perform sacramental penance, one can at the same time perform penances and earn indulgences.
When it is necessary to pray according to the intention of the Supreme Pontiff, mental prayer alone is not enough, but vocal prayer is necessary, and if there is no special prayer appointed, it is left to the discretion of the faithful to choose the vocal prayer.
Pious works appointed to gain indulgences may be commuted by the confessor, when there is a legitimate impediment to their practice.
Indulgences attached to rosaries and other things cease only when the indulgent objects become unusable or are sold. [I understand that a blessed thing cannot be sold]
Jubilee is a Plenary Indulgence to which are annexed many privileges and particular concessions, such as the ability to obtain absolution from certain reserved sins and censures, and also the commutation of some vows.
Ordinarily, the jubilee is granted every twenty-five years.
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Conditions for gaining any indulgence that requires confession and communion
Confession may be made on the same day fixed for gaining the indulgence, or on any of the previous eight days.
Communion may be made on the same day fixed for gaining the indulgence or on the day before.
Both confession and communion can also be made throughout the subsequent octave. [But you have to be in grace when performing the action. To make ir short: if one goes to confession one day and is in a state of grace for the next eight days, one can gain a plenary indulgence all those 8 days, e.g. by praying a rosary in front of the Tabernacle and receiving Sacramental Communion. And, if we are in state of grace and think about confessing eight days later, we can gain plenary indulgences all those days, doing the action and receiving the Eucharist.]
To gain the indulgences granted by pious exercises lasting three days, a week, etc., confession and communion may also be made within the octave immediately following the completed exercise.
Those who are accustomed to go to confession twice a month, and those who receive Communion worthily every day, even if they abstain once or twice a week, may, without going to confession, gain all the indulgences that require confession, with the exception of those of the ordinary and extraordinary jubilee, or by way of jubilee.
A single Confession and Communion can serve to gain several indulgences that require, each in itself, confession and communion.
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Means of satisfying by temporal penalties and gaining many indulgences.
1. To hear Mass and receive Communion as often as possible.
2. To pray the Way of the Cross, the Holy Rosary and other prayers that have been blesses with indulgences.
3º To wear the scapulars of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, of the Immaculate Conception and others.
In order to gain the many indulgences granted to those who wear the scapulars, it is necessary to have received them in due form from the one who has the power to impose them. [Do not allow the brown Scapular to be imposed except by a Carmelite or Franciscan priest. You must ask the parish priest to bless it and you put it on and you look as soon as possible for a monastery where there are Carmelite or Franciscan monks, after Mass you look for the priest to say the special prayers and impose it on you.
Instead of scapulars, medals can be used, blessed for this purpose, by the one who has the power to impose the scapulars. [Our Lady of the Roses tells us that the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel must be made of brown wool, the medal is not enough. And it must have a single cord for both parts (you buy it and cut the two ribbons and buy a very long cord, join it and sew the two parts, one for the chest and the other that falls on the back. Our Lady of the Roses says that the brown Scapular, for women, must be very large (I guess approx. 10x7 cm) and, in the front, it should hang from the waist down
For those who were not clear:
Partial indulgences (days, years) can be earned as many times as the action is done (e.g., praying the prayer blessed with indulgences); Plenary indulgences require confession and communion and doing the work in the state of grace. If we go to confession and receive Communion one day, indulgences may be earned all the previous 8 days and the following 8 days, while in the state of grace.]