Were the indulgences in the Catholic Church always to be followed by Confession?
Upvote:2
Without going to confession, one could not gain an plenary indulgence. However that is not required for gaining a partial indulgence.
To gain indulgences, whether plenary or partial, it is necessary that the faithful be in the state of grace at least at the time the indulgenced work is completed. - THE GIFT OF THE INDULGENCE
Indulgences are not feats of magic and in order to gain any indulgence certain rules must be met. It has been the constant teaching of the Church that mortal sins must be confessed in the Sacrament of Penance. Indulgences have never nor could not ever substitute this fact.
A plenary indulgence means that by the merits of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, the full remission of the temporal punishment due to sacramentally forgiven sins is obtained. The person becomes as if just baptized and would fly immediately to heaven if he died in that instant. A partial indulgence means that a portion of the temporal punishment due to forgiven sin is remitted. Partial indulgences are received either by doing some act to which a partial indulgence is attached (e.g. praying a partially indulgenced prayer), or by the incomplete fulfillment of the conditions attached to a plenary indulgence. - What is an Indulgence?
An indulgence does not forgive the guilt of sin, nor does it provide release from the eternal punishment associated with unforgiven mortal sins. The Catholic Church teaches that indulgences relieve only the temporal punishment resulting from the effect of sin (the effect of rejecting God the source of good), and that a person is still required to have his grave sins absolved, ordinarily through the sacrament of Confession, to receive salvation. Similarly, an indulgence is not a permit to commit sin, a pardon of future sin, nor a guarantee of salvation for oneself or for another. Ordinarily, forgiveness of mortal sins is obtained through Confession (i.e., penance or reconciliation).
It seems that from the very conception of indulgence, the Sacrament of Reconciliation was an integral part of the gaining of an indulgence. Only valid sacramentally confessed mortal sins can be forgiven by a confessor. No works (no matter how holy) can take the place of the need to confess one's sins to a priest.
The earliest record of a plenary indulgence was Pope Urban II's declaration at the Council of Clermont (1095) that he remitted all penance incurred by crusaders who had confessed their sins in the Sacrament of Penance, considering participation in the crusade equivalent to a complete penance.
The actual act of going to confession does not have to be on the same day as the day in which one has completed the indulgenced act. Contemporary norms say that it should be carried out 20 days before or after the indulgenced act is done. In days of old, it was 8 days (before or after).
It is appropriate, but not necessary, that the sacramental Confession and especially Holy Communion and the prayer for the Pope's intentions take place on the same day that the indulgenced work is performed; but it is sufficient that these sacred rites and prayers be carried out within several days (about 20) before or after the indulgenced act. - THE GIFT OF THE INDULGENCE
More post
- 📝 In dispensationalism: Was gracious salvation through Christ an alternative plan
- 📝 Is there an Arabic translation of the Book of Mormon?
- 📝 What does "Style" mean in the context of feast days
- 📝 According to Catholicism, when a person dies, is that person's spirit/soul limited as to where it can be present?
- 📝 What does it mean to "worship in truth"?
- 📝 What does James mean when he says that Judging a Brother Equals Judging the Law?
- 📝 How does the mainstream Christian view of the physical body differ from that presented in The Gospel of Thomas?
- 📝 Was there any case of a h*m*sexual priest in the early Church and how did the Church handle that?
- 📝 Is the gender of the Holy Spirit, feminine or masculine?
- 📝 What Bible verses deal with a man stealing bread and having to pay double?
- 📝 Bishop Heahmund's denomination?
- 📝 What is the significance of Lamech's boast?
- 📝 Can the Word of God and God's wisdom be beneficial to an unbeliever?
- 📝 What does Genesis 3:16 mean?
- 📝 What is the Biblical basis against Melchizedek being the Holy Spirit?
- 📝 Abraham's Temptation: only a matter of Faith, or also of Hope?
- 📝 Did God create man to worship and praise Him?
- 📝 Which prophets died outside Jerusalem?
- 📝 Clarifications on the concept of Trinity according to Catholic creed
- 📝 Why did "versus populum" (instead of "ad orientem") become commonplace after Vatican II?
- 📝 Mentioning of Prophets
- 📝 How does the LDS Church reconcile their understanding of the "Godhead" which is three beings/three gods with the Bible stating there is only one God?
- 📝 Why were Catholic fasting obligations steadily relaxed?
- 📝 What are the Presbyterian denominations in England?
- 📝 What was the charge that was given by the Jewish court to Jesus?
- 📝 What does the quote from the Old Testament in Luke 2: 23 refer to?
- 📝 What is the origin of the idea that Matthew, Mark, and Luke didn't mention Lazarus in order to protect him?
- 📝 Could the Revelation have happened right when Jesus died?
- 📝 What were Martin Luther's opinions on the Crusades?
- 📝 Which of these interpretations of Malachi 3:1 can be eliminated?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Were the indulgences in the Catholic Church always to be followed by Confession?
- 📝 Why doesn't the Catholic Church give indulgences to everybody, regardless of their works?
- 📝 Were there any Roman Catholic Church martyrs in the 10–15th centuries?
- 📝 Does the Catholic church believe that God really forgives by confession alone?
- 📝 When did the practice of Confession in the Catholic Church begin?
- 📝 Has the Catholic Church always believed that sex before marriage is fornication?
- 📝 Confession and Penance in the Catholic church
- 📝 When did the prohibition of marriage for priests in the Catholic church originate?
- 📝 What were Martin Luther's main disagreements with the Catholic Church?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church officially recognize Protestants as Christians?
- 📝 Do the Catholic Church ex cathedra pronouncements about necessity of Catholicism to be saved still apply?
- 📝 How does the Catholic church explain Matthew 19:9, which seems to allow divorce in case of sexual misconduct?
- 📝 If both the Orthodox and Catholic Church affirm salvation by grace through faith, why did the Protestant Reformation happen?
- 📝 What does the Catholic church teach about fate of non-Catholic christians?
- 📝 What does the Roman Catholic church teach about those who die having never heard of Christ?
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church oppose universalism?
- 📝 How does the Catholic Church reconcile evolution with original sin?
- 📝 Significance of Virgins in the Catholic Church
- 📝 Does the Catholic Church teach there is only one person?
- 📝 What doctrinal changes did the Westminster Confession bring to the Church of Scotland?
- 📝 Is there any evidence for the claim that the Catholic church suppressed translation of Scripture?
- 📝 How has the position of the Catholic Church on drugs changed over time?
- 📝 Why does the Roman Catholic Church not hold to the perspicuity of Scripture?
- 📝 Where does the Catholic church procure most of its Bibles?
- 📝 Why can the Catholic Church declare one person a saint but has never declared another damned?
- 📝 What were the beliefs, teachings, and practices of the church regarding slavery in the New World?
- 📝 How does the Catholic Church understand the priesthood of all believers?
- 📝 Why did the Catholic Church change so radically after Vatican II in regards to the status of Jews?
- 📝 Has the Catholic Church ever opposed interracial marriage?
- 📝 What does Catholic Church say about the post-resurrection wound marks of Jesus?