Q. What exactly is the plenary indulgence for praying for the souls in Purgatory during November?
A. Praying for the dead is amongst the oldest Traditions in Catholicism. It is something we all should do as often as possible.
But, obviously, just because we should do something that does not mean we do it. Sometimes we need an incentive to do something we know is good for us. This is true in all aspects of life, including our faith.
This is why the Church in Her wisdom grants indulgences. Indulgences are ways to essentially incentivize Catholics to do things we should just ordinarily do. In this case, the incentive is the partial or full remission of temporal punishment for sins whose guilt is already forgiven (CIC c. 992).
Indulgences DO NOT forgive sins, nor are they ways of buying, literally or figuratively, our way into Heaven. They simply remit whatever temporal punishment has not yet been remitted for sins we have already received sacramental absolution for.
Temporal punishment can be understood as the “debt” we still owe God for our sins. It is analogous to a child stealing money from a parent. The child steals the money, feels bad, confesses the theft to the parent, and asks forgiveness, promising to never do it again. The parent forgives the child. But the money still needs to be returned. If the child already spent the money and has no way to raise the money necessary to pay the parent back, then he or she offers to do chores or something as way of erasing the debt.
When we sin, feel contrition, and have a firm resolve to amend our life, confess our sins to God through a priest, and receive God’s forgiveness, we still “owe” God for the inequality our debt has caused. That’s why we are assigned a penance every time we go to confession. It is us “paying” God back in the only way we can; in a way He wants us to, offering prayers to draw us closer to Him, or on behalf of others so they draw closer to Him.
Indulgences are ways the Church has identified that we can “pay” God back for our sin and erase whatever “debt” remains outstanding. We can also apply them for the dead (CIC c. 994).
A partial indulgence partially frees from temporal punishment due to sins and a plenary (from the Latin plenus meaning full) totally frees from temporal punishment due to sins (CIC c. 993). Indulgences can only be gained by someone who is baptized and not excommunicated and is in the state of grace “at least at the end of the prescribed works” (CIC c. 996 §1).
To receive an indulgence, a Catholic must have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin (even venial sin), go to confession and receive Holy Communion within 20 days before or after the indulged work is performed, and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father (Apostolic Penitentiary The Gift of the Indulgence n.4-5). Any prayers can be offered for the intentions of the Holy Father, but traditionally they are an Our Father and a Hail Mary.
There are two indulgences that are able to be fulfilled on behalf of the souls in purgatory as part of the commemoration of All Souls Day. Anyone who visits a cemetery and prays, even if only mentally, for the departed between Nov. 1 through 8 can gain a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory. This indulgence only applies to the souls in purgatory, not the one who does it.
It’s the same with the second indulgence available, which is piously visiting a church on All Souls Day or All Saints Day, or the preceding or following Sunday and saying an Our Father and reciting the Creed. The past couple of years the Holy Father extended the time frame to all of November but at the time of writing, this has not been done for 2023.
Why do we have to pray at a cemetery or visit a church? Why can’t we simply pray anywhere? Doesn’t God hear our prayer wherever we are? Yes, He does, but putting the effort in to go to a cemetery or visit a church is part of the overall act of offering our prayers for the dead.
The whole point is that it is inconvenient and therefore doing it is more redemptive. We offer the sacrifice of our time and energy along with our prayers. Besides, every able-bodied Catholic should be in a church on All Saints Day (as well as the preceding and following Sunday), so we might as well say an Our Father and recite the Creed while we are there so some poor soul in purgatory can behold the Face of God. When compared with getting a poor soul out of the purifying fires of purgatory, a little inconvenience is worth it.
This question was answered by Father Caleb La Rue, chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
