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Hi, Blake —
I found a really good piece by James Akin that I
think answers your question.
I've included the key text below.
I've also gathered what the Catechism has to say
on the issue.
Based on what James and the Catechism have said,
the answers are:
- Yes.
- Yes.
- No.
Hope this helps,
Mike
By James Akin
How To Gain An Indulgence
To gain any indulgence you must be a Catholic
in a state of grace. You must be a Catholic in
order to be under the Church's jurisdiction, and
you must be in a state
of grace because apart from
God's grace none of your actions are fundamentally
pleasing to God (meritorious). You also must have
at least the habitual intention
of gaining an indulgence
by the act performed.
To gain a partial indulgence, you must perform
with a contrite heart the act to which the indulgence
is attached.
To gain a plenary indulgence you must perform
the act with a contrite heart plus you must go
to confession (one confession may suffice for several
plenary indulgences), receive Holy Communion, and
pray for the pope's intentions. (An Our Father
and a Hail Mary said for the pope's intentions
are sufficient, although you are free to substitute
other prayers of your own choosing.) The final
condition is that you must be free from all attachment
to sin, including venial sin.
Because of the extreme difficulty in meeting the
final condition, plenary indulgences are rarely
obtained. If you attempt to receive a plenary indulgence,
but are unable to meet the last condition, a partial
indulgence is received instead.
Below are indulgences listed in the <Handbook
of Indulgences> (New York: Catholic Book Publishing,
1991). Note that there is an indulgence for Bible
reading. So, rather than discouraging Bible reading,
the Catholic Church promotes it by giving indulgences
for it! (This was the case long before Vatican
II.) An act of spiritual communion, expressed in
any devout formula whatsoever, is endowed with
a partial indulgence.
—A partial indulgence is granted the Christian
faithful who devoutly spend time in mental prayer.
—A partial indulgence is granted the Christian
faithful who read sacred Scripture with the veneration
due God's word and as a form
of spiritual reading.
The indulgence will be a plenary one when such
reading is done for at least one-half hour [provided
the other conditions are met].
—A partial indulgence is granted to the
Christian faithful who devoutly sign themselves
with the cross while saying the customary formula: "In
the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."
—Priests who administer the sacraments
to the Christian faithful who are in a life-and-
death situation should not neglect to impart
to them the apostolic blessing, with its attached
indulgence.
But if a priest cannot be present, Holy Mother
Church lovingly grants such persons who are rightly
disposed a plenary indulgence to be obtained in <articulo
mortis>,
at the approach of death, provided
they regularly prayed in some way during their
lifetime. The use of a crucifix or a cross is recommended
in obtaining this plenary indulgence. In such a
situation the three usual conditions required in
order to gain
a plenary indulgence are substituted
for by the condition "provided they regularly
prayed in some way." The Christian faithful
can obtain the plenary indulgence mentioned here
as death approaches (<in articulo mortis>)
even if they had already obtained another plenary
indulgence that same day.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church:
1032 This teaching is also based on the practice
of prayer for the dead, already mentioned in Sacred
Scripture: "Therefore [Judas Maccabeus] made
atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered
from their sin." From the beginning the Church
has honored the memory of the dead and offered
prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic
sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain
the beatific vision of God. The Church also commends
almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken
on behalf of the dead:
Let us help and commemorate them. If Job's sons
were purified by their father's sacrifice, why
would we doubt that our offerings for the dead
bring them some consolation? Let us not hesitate
to help those who have died and to offer our
prayers for them.
St. John Chrysostom (347 — 407AD)
1471 The doctrine and practice of indulgences
in the Church are closely linked to the effects
of the sacrament of Penance.
What is an indulgence?
"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."
"An indulgence is partial or plenary according
as it removes either part or all of the temporal
punishment due to sin." The faithful can gain
indulgences for themselves or apply them to the
dead.
Obtaining indulgence from God through the Church
1478 An indulgence is obtained through the Church
who, by virtue of the power of binding and loosing
granted her by Christ Jesus, intervenes in favor
of individual Christians and opens for them the
treasury of the merits of Christ and the saints
to obtain from the Father of mercies the remission
of the temporal punishments due for their sins.
Thus the Church does not want simply to come to
the aid of these Christians, but also to spur them
to works of devotion, penance, and charity.
1479 Since the faithful departed now being purified
are also members of the same communion of saints,
one way we can help them is to obtain indulgences
for them, so that the temporal punishments due
for their sins may be remitted.
1498 Through indulgences the faithful can obtain
the remission of temporal punishment resulting
from sin for themselves and also for the souls
in Purgatory.
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