He who holds the keys to the kingdom - the Catholic practice of granting indulgences

The Tablet ^ | February 18, 2006 | Robert Mickens

[Diego1618]

The soul continues to live on after death – it is immortal in nature and so it does not die when the body perishes.

Just curious as to your interpretation of this and as a follow up this

[Diego1618]

That mis-conception has been shot-down a lot here recently on Free Republic.

"You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matt. 16:18).

Why then, if Peter had been given the primacy and the keys, are they arguing about this long after the incident in Matthew 16:18. Jesus is speaking to all of them so when he says 2 verses later He will build his Church on "this" rock.....they are all within earshot.....? How could they misunderstand his simple meaning about primacy?

[twidle]

Father of Five:

Thanks for your answer. Good to know others are struggling too. Where do all those spirits linger before the end of time. Something to ponder. Suspect that God's word is just not understood yet. There is no doubt in my mind that living by the Ten Commandments is better than without them. The Holy Spirit has its work cut out with me but has always been there when I remember to ask.

Happy Days !

[wmfights]

"I do truly trust the scripture, and nowhere in the scripture does it commission the catholic church, or any popes, or cardinals, ..... nor does it support the worship of Mary nor the "Saints" in fact Peter himself told early Christians not to bow to him."
____________________________________________________
AMEN!

Trust in the SRIPTURES, never place your faith in an institution of man.

[Nihil Obstat]

"Why then, if Peter had been given the primacy and the keys, are they arguing about this long after the incident"

Why then, if they had heard that (as well as seen all the miracles), did they desert Jesus at the cross? How could they misunderstand all they had seen and heard? When it comes to the apostles we can ask a lot of questions like that.

[Diego1618]

After all, if they got it "wrong" so quickly, it makes Jesus out to be a liar and a fraud, who could not even safeguard His new faith even from the beginning

What about Passover? Where is it ever commanded to be done away with and substituted with your Friday afternoon/Sunday morning affair? Here are your "early fathers" discussing this problem.

I think it is important to note that Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna and a disciple of the Apostle John, insisted upon the proper observation of Passover on the 14th. So did all of the other Apostles and early Christians. Where does your organization get the right to change the timing of a Holy Sabbath of the Lord?

[FatherofFive]

The soul who sins, he shall die Ezekiel 18:20

Die in the sense of losing eternal life. After Christ returns at the end of time, we will have the resurrection of the body. "[I]f the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished" (1 Cor. 15:13–18).

And the judgment. God "will give to each person according to what he has done. "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good.” Rom 2:6-10 The eternal nature of hell is also shown in the New Testament. For example, in Mark 9:47–48 Jesus warns, "[I]t is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." That is eternity. A dead soul would have nothing to worry about. And in Revelation 14:11, we read: "And the smoke of their torment goes up for ever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name."

And this is directly related to your next quote:

for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; Romans 3:23

I don’t see your point here. We all have sinned, but God forgives repentant sinners. He established the sacrament of penance in John 20. This is one of my favorite passages. “Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." Note that Jesus breathed on the apostles. This is significant. The only other time God breathed on man is when He breathed life into Adam. Here, Jesus is creating His priesthood, and giving them special powers to run His Church until he comes again.

[FatherofFive]

Where do all those spirits linger before the end of time.

Time is something we mortals have a hard time with. (pun intended) Einstein showed that time is not a constant. We have scientifically shown the concept of ‘time dilation.’

Time is part of created, material world.

I struggle, but I try to “work out my salvation in fear and trembling”

[Diego1618]

Why then, if they had heard that (as well as seen all the miracles), did they desert Jesus at the cross?

Mark 14:27

[Diego1618]

Mark 9:47–48 Jesus warns, "[I]t is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell, where the worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." That is eternity.

No, that's not eternity....it is Actually a a garbage dump, "Gehenna", right outside Jerusalem. They used to take the dead bodies of criminals and indigents and cast them into the ever burning fire that never went out.....as it had a constant supply of new fuel every day! Notice the next verse... the worms are still alive. Now ask your self...are these worms in a ever burning Hell fire....or are they just normal worms crawling in and out of dead refuse in a community dump?

[Nihil Obstat]

Thank you for that link to the various versions of the Bible. I might have to bookmark that.

Did you know that in the Catholic church we have liturgical cycles? This year we focus on the Gospel of Mark. Almost everyday this liturgical year we hear the Gospel of Mark, (but John often too) as well as a psalm, an Old Testament reading and another New Testament reading on Sundays and some other days.

And I do mean everyday, many of the Catholics on Free Republic go to mass every day of the week, not just Sundays.

My point was that things were not entirely clear to the apostles at that point in time. But can you really dispute that Peter has a special authority? Jesus did not go around re-naming everyone. And when God gives you a new name it comes with a special assignment. No one in church history until very recently calls Peter "little pebble", they all call him Rock. Ask the Orthodox if you don't trust Catholics.

God bless you for your love of scripture.

[Diego1618]

Thank you for that link to the various versions of the Bible

Your are very welcome.

Did you know that in the Catholic church we have liturgical cycles?

I was unaware.

But can you really dispute that Peter has a special authority?

No, I believe you are correct....to a degree. Jesus did have a special purpose for Peter.....as he did for the other eleven, but they are mistaken when they call Peter the "Rock".

Blessings to you and yours.

[Uri’el-2012]

XS>Great! You have taken the first step to understanding the whole counsel of G-d. Use scripture to help exegete scripture.

The whole counsel of God is not found in Scripture, it is found in the complete revelation which includes Scripture, Sacred Tradition and the Magesterium of the Church. He gave us a Church, singular, before He gave us the complete canon of Scripture. To fully understand Scripture correctly it must be read through the guidance of that which He created for the purpose. With out the right guidance of that which the gates of hell will not prevail, we are all to often left to our own devices.

His yoke is easy and His burden is light once you surrender completely to Him and His will. Struggle against Him by resisting His one Church and the yoke is a self imposed trial and His burden a crushing Stone that we alone are unable to bare.

Abandon your self imposed isolation from His full revelation and know the fullness of the Word. Christ spoke a language we can all understand if we will have ears to hear.

90 posted on 02/17/2006 10:02:00 PM MST by conservonator

The whole counsel of God is not found in Scripture,

The whole counsel of G-d are the scriptures.

He gave us a Church, singular, before He gave us the complete canon of Scripture.

The word "church" is from the Koine Greek for the word ekklesia GSN-1577
It does not mean a building nor does it mean a man-made corporation nor a city-state.

It means a group of "called-out" followers of Y'shua.

I know that I have been called out to be a follower of the Christ.

I gather with others to praise the Name above all other names on the day that YHvH commanded.

b'shem Y'shua

[whispering out loud]

that may be, it doesn't make all churches susceptible to Catholic authority.

[magisterium]

Your point was that, since Jesus charged the Apostles not to say anything about what was discussed at Caesarea Philippi, that this was evidence that Peter was not singled out. My point, in response to this, was that this is demonstrably false, as they were all within earshot of the conversation, and therefore all of them, not just Peter, would have to be warned not to discuss the matter to anyone else. Your point simply has no bearing on the issue of Peter's authority, and that's all I was trying to say.

[magisterium]

Then perhaps you would like to list the various sects around in the early centuries for us, and note how "orthodox" they are relative to your own faith today, nevermind the Catholic faith.

ALL of these "other Christians" were heretics whom you would disavow any common link to in a heart beat. Or at least you should! Whether you like it or not, your patrimonial link to the Apostolic Era runs through Rome. Regardless of whatever denomination you belong to, as a Protestant, you cannot go back in time before 1517 and link with earlier times. It simply cannot be done. As "bad" as you might want to make Catholicism out to be, it IS your Christian heritage. The multitude of Protestant denominations have since deviated from it to a greater or lesser extent, but it IS your ancestor in the Faith.


Since Catholicism can demonstrate commonality with these early Church Fathers, and all of their rival, contemporary "Christian" sects have effectively become extinct long since, a strong case can be made, based, among other things, on Divine Providence as well as logic, that the ONLY group of people demonstrating an unbroken continuum from the Apostles to now being the Catholics, THAT Church is likely to be the one Christ founded. Again, if this is not so, then the early Christians evidently got it all entirely "wrong" from the very beginning, and STAYED wrong for over 1500 years! The burden of proof on you would be to show how this is tenable given that the Church was founded by God Himself, and He promised to be with the Church ALL DAYS until the end of time (Matthew 28:20). None of the other groups that coexisted with the Catholic Church back then could trace their ancestry back to the Apostles, and, in any case, none of them even exists today. Therefore, not one of them can be the True Church. Nevertheless, I'll humor you, let's suppose any given one of them DID survive to the present: name *one* group, from the first to fifth centuries, that you would be proud to link yourself to as a Christian. If you cannot come up with one, and you insist that the Catholic Church, exemplified by the Fathers, is not that Church either, then you leave a 1500 year VOID where Jesus Christ, the omniscient, omnipotent Son of the Living God, FAILED to keep His promises regarding the Church's preservation! If He so miserably failed, then Christianity itself in any form is manifestly a FALSE religion, and both of us are wasting our time.

[gscc]

N.1. An indulgence is the remission before God of the temporal punishment due sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is concerned, which the follower of Christ with the proper dispositions and under certain determined conditions acquires through the intervention of the Church which, as minister of the Redemption, authoritatively dispenses and applies the treasury of the satisfaction won by Christ and the saints.

N.2. And indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due sin.

N.3. Partial as well as plenary indulgences can always be applied to the dead by way of suffrage.

N.4. A partial indulgence will henceforth be designated only with the words "partial indulgence" without any determination of days or years.

N.5. The faithful who at least with a contrite heart perform an action to which a partial indulgence is attached obtain, in addition to the remission of temporal punishment acquired by the action itself, an equal remission of punishment through the intervention of the Church.

N.6. A plenary indulgence can be acquired only once a day, except for the provisions contained in No. 18 for those who are on the point of death. A partial indulgence can be acquired more than once a day, unless there is an explicit indication to the contrary.

N.7. To acquire a plenary indulgence it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached and to fulfill three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to sin, even to venial sin, be absent. If this disposition is in any way less than complete, or if the prescribed three conditions are not fulfilled, the indulgence will be only partial, except for the provisions contained in No. 11 for those who are "impeded."

N.8. The three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after the performance of the prescribed work; nevertheless it is fitting that Communion be received and the prayers for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff be said the same day the work is performed.

N.9. A single sacramental confession suffices for gaining several plenary indulgences, but Communion must be received and prayers for the Supreme Pontiff's intentions recited for the gaining of each plenary indulgence.

N.10. The condition of praying for the Supreme Pontiff's intentions is fully satisfied by reciting one Our Father and one Hail Mary; nevertheless the individual faithful are free to recite any other prayer according to their own piety and devotion toward the Supreme Pontiff.

N.11. While there is no change in the faculty granted by canon 935 of the Code of Canon Law to confessors to commute for those who are "impeded" either the prescribed work itself or the required conditions [for the acquisition of indulgences], local Ordinaries can grant to the faithful over whom they exercise authority in accordance with the law, and who live in places where it is impossible or at least very difficult for them to receive the sacraments of confession and Communion, permission to acquire a plenary indulgence without confession and Communion provided they are sorry for their sins and have the intention of receiving these sacraments as soon as possible.

N.12. The division of indulgences into "personal," "real' and "local" is abolished so as to make it clearer that indulgences are attached to the actions of the faithful even though at times they may be linked with some object or place.

N.13. The "Enchridion of Indulgences" is to be revised with a view to attaching indulgences only to the most important prayers and works of piety, charity and penance.

N.14. The list and summaries of indulgences special to religious orders, congregations, societies of those living in community without vows, secular institutes and the pious associations of faithful are to be revised as soon as possible in such a way that plenary indulgences may be acquired only on particular days established by the Holy See acting on the recommendation of the Superior General, or in the case of pious associations, of the local Ordinary.

N.15. A plenary indulgence applicable only to the dead can be acquired in all churches and public oratories -- and in semipublic oratories by those who have the right to use them --on November 2. In addition, a plenary indulgence can be acquired twice a year in parish churches; on the feast of the church's titular saint and on August 2, when the "Portiuncula" occurs, or on some other more opportune day determined by the Ordinary. All the indulgences mentioned above can be acquired either on the days established or--with the consent of the Ordinary--on the preceding or the following Sunday. Other indulgences attached to churches and oratories are to be revised as soon as possible.

N.16. The work prescribed for acquiring a plenary indulgence connected with a church or oratory consists in a devout visit and the recitation of one Our Father and the Creed.

N.17. The faithful who use with devotion an "object of piety" (crucifix, cross, rosary, scapular or medal) properly blessed by any priest, can acquire a partial indulgence. But if this "object of piety" is blessed by the Supreme Pontiff or any bishop, the faithful who use it devoutly can also acquire a plenary indulgence on the feast of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, provided they also make a profession of faith using any legitimate formula.

N.18. To the faithful in danger of death who cannot be assisted by a priest to bring them the sacraments and impart the apostolic blessing with its attendant plenary indulgence (according to canon 468, sec.2 of the Code of Canon Law) Holy Mother Church nevertheless grants a plenary indulgence to be acquired at the point of death (in articulo mortis), provided they are properly disposed and have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime. To use a crucifix or cross in connection with the acquisition of this plenary indulgence is a laudable practice. This plenary indulgence at the point of death can be acquired by the faithful even if they have already obtained another plenary indulgence on the same day.

N.19. The norms established regarding plenary indulgences, particularly those referred to in N.6, apply also to what up to now have been known as the "toties quoties" ["as often as"] plenary indulgences.

N.20. Holy Mother Church, extremely solicitous for the faithful departed, has decided that suffrages be applied to them to the widest possible extent at any Sacrifice of the Mass whatsoever, abolishing all special privileges in this regard.
Transitional Norms

These new norms regulating the acquisition of indulgences will become valid three months from the date of publication of this constitution in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

Indulgences attached to the use of "objects of piety" which are not mentioned above cease three months after the date of publication of this constitution in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.

The revisions mentioned in N.14 and N.15 must be submitted to the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary within a year. Two years after the date of this constitution, indulgences which have not been confirmed will become null and void.

We will that these statutes and prescriptions of ours be established now and remain in force for the future notwithstanding, if it is necessary so to state, the Apostolic Constitutions and Directives published by our Predecessors or any other prescriptions even if they might be worthy of special mention or should required particular repeal.

Given at Rome at St. Peter's on January 1, the octave of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, 1967, the fourth year of Our Pontificate.

POPE PAUL VI

[magisterium]

Do you hear what you are saying? You all but admitted Conservonator's point, that there is only one Church, one set of truths, one pillar and ground for that truth to rest upon. Yet, you *still* say that "that may be, it doesn't make all churches subject to Catholic authority."

But if you concede Conservonator's points, even just rhetorically, shouldn't you WANT to associate yourself with that Church, demonstrably one, true and the pillar and ground of truth? Having identified that Church, don't the others become irrelevant appendages to the True Faith, merely mimicking the one founded by Christ Himself? You manifest a spirit that willfully defies God if you make the statement you made. Either that, or it's fence-straddling, which is akin to being lukewarm.

If you even sort of agree to what you said in reply to Conservonator, then you ought to engage in prayerful discernment and follow through with the implications of your words. Follow the Spirit.

[whispering out loud]

no, I did not admit that Catholicism embodied the "one true church", merely that they fall inside of the one true church, along with other Christian denominations

[gscc]

there is only one Church, one set of truths, one pillar and ground for that truth to rest upon

There is only one Church - the Bride of Christ, one set of truths - the Scriptures, one pillar and ground for that truth - faith in the saving grace of the work of Christ on our behalf.