While one of the corporal works of mercy is to bury the dead, one of the spiritual works of mercy is the pray for the dead.
November is dedicated in a special way to this important work, the first 8 days of the month in particular.
To encourage this good work, Holy Church – being a good Mother – prompts her children by enriching these days of 1-8 November with indulgences.
Indulgences are for the remittance of temporal punishment after death in Purgatory due to sins we commit in this life and for which we have not done adequate penance.
Indulgences are not for the forgiveness of those sins.
Digression….
Sins are, in the way Christ desired, ordinarily forgiven the Sacrament of Baptism, at first, and then through the Sacrament of Penance. In certain circumstances the Sacrament of Anointing can effect forgiveness of sins. There are extraordinary moments with acts of perfect contrition can result in forgiveness. However, Christ gave us a Sacrament precisely for this matter and that is what He intends for our ordinary circumstances. He gave it to us so that we would USE IT. So…
GO TO CONFESSION!
Going to confession is also what you need to do to gain indulgences.
For the November indulgences for praying for the dead, what do you need to do? After all, this is a good “work”. You have to do something.
Here are some bullet points.
- Visit a cemetery, and
- Pray for the deceased, for the “poor” souls in Purgatory.
To receive the plenary indulgence, the usual conditions must also be met:
- Be in the state of grace and – for a plenary indulgence – free from all attachment to sin, even venial sins (which requires an act of will… more on that HERE).
- Receive Holy Communion
- Receive Sacramental Confession (within 20 days)
- Pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff (that is, for the intentions designated by the Supreme Pontiff)
The classic intentions of the Supreme Pontiffs have traditionally been (more about this HERE):
- The Exaltation of the Church.
- The Propagation of the Faith.
- The Extirpation of Heresy.
- The Conversion of Sinners.
- The Concord between Christian Princes.
- The Further Welfare of the Christian People.
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“…remittance of temporal punishment after death…”
A quick search of the CCC shows at least three references to Purgatory being a place of “punishment”. My own considered opinion is that sin should be considered to be a self-inflicted injury to our own souls (and possibly to others). I think that the idea of Purgatory as being a place of punishment should be considered archaic, possibly medieval, and obsolete. Instead, considering that God is a God of Mercy, Purgatory should be considered a place of healing and curing of spiritual injuries and illnesses.
[Fine. This is also clearly the case. One’s love is being purified. One’s will is being sorted. At the same time, this is a process that – like healing of pretty much every kind I can think of – requires suffering. And the reason why we suffer in Purgatory is because we have committed faults. And suffering, justly, for having committed faults as expiation for our faults sounds an awful lot like punishment. Healing and purification and punishment are not mutually exclusive. A good topic.]
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So true on the pain. I think an apt parallel to Purgatory might be the burn unit in a hospital. I’ve never heard anything pleasant about debridement of burned flesh, but it may well be necessary for healing.
Note bene: Recognizing that death may be very sudden and unexpected (i.e., an auto accident) I include in my bedtime prayers a plea to my patron saint (in my case Anthony of Padua) to intercede for me to ensure that I will receive the benefit of the last rites and sacraments – especially the Apostolic Pardon.
Thanks for this- I have done this every year since my return to the church 10 years ago because you posted it I do have a question for you — I know we can offer this for relatives and those we know but if I’ve done it for all deceased relatives— do I have to choose some or can I just say “ for the priest who Mary picks “ or “ the priest the Holy Spirit chooses “. Or the priest nearest or farthest fro release or some so? Thanks again!