4 activities for which a Plenary Indulgence can be gained

A plenary indulgence heals all of the effects of one person’s sins. A partial indulgence heals part of the effects. One can win indulgences only for oneself or those in purgatory who have need of assistance because they currently lack bodies. Indulgences cannot be applied towards other living persons. Every living person is supposed to do his own acts of obedience to help heal the worldly effects of his own sinfulness (CCC 1471-1473).

Requirements for obtaining a plenary indulgence:

• Do the work (required to obtain the indulgence) while in a state of grace
• Receive sacramental confession within 20 days of the work (several plenary indulgences may be earned per reception)
• Receive Eucharistic communion (one plenary indulgence may be earned per reception of Eucharist)
• Pray for the pope’s intentions (an Our Father and Hail Mary, or other appropriate prayer, is sufficient)
• Have no attachment to sin (even venial) — i.e., the Christian makes an act of the will to love God and despise sin

Requirements for a partial indulgence:

• Do the work while in a state of grace
• Have the general intention of earning an indulgence

Like athletes or soldiers dedicated to their training, these “conditions” are our way of maintaining sound spiritual strength conditioning, empowering us to be the qualified contenders God can trust for His missions to battle dark forces and rescue souls. Apart from these basic “conditions,” we are weak and vulnerable and God is unlikely to choose us for His missions or bless our endeavors. We are, in essence, sidelined (benched) until we desire to choose His fundamental conditions to get in good spiritual shape.
By elevating certain prayers and good works to the level of gaining an indulgence, Mother Church is identifying which of these she most highly values and, therefore, which ones she urges us to prioritize. This is the best way for us to practice sincere obedience. These indulgenced prayers and good works are all listed in the Manual of Indulgences (and easily accessible online).
Remarkably, Holy Mother Church has elevated only four activities for which a plenary indulgence can be gained on any day (though, as we said, only once a day). Highlighting these four reveals the great esteem in which Mother Church holds them, and, therefore, she urges us to rank these as highest among our daily devotions. The “Big Four” are:

• Adoring the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour
• Devoutly reading Sacred Scripture for at least one half hour
• Devoutly performing the Stations of the Cross
• Reciting the Rosary with members of the family, or in a church, oratory, religious community, or pious association

Mother Church has provided a way for us to gain that one plenary indulgence every day for ourselves or for a poor soul in purgatory. This then raises the question: Why would we squander this incredibly generous gift? Why wouldn’t we accept Mother Church’s gracious provision and seek this plenary indulgence every day?
“As we enter Heaven we will see them,” Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “so many of them coming towards us and thanking us. We will ask who they are, and they will say, ‘a poor soul you prayed for in purgatory.’”

source : http://choosing-him.blogspot.com, http://pinterest.com, http://wikipedia.org

Posted by Hodie J