Are indulgences important? Having lawfully erected Via Crucis in Catholic Churches

Pieta Book/Various | February 1, 2008 | Vanity

[topher]

The Pieta Book very clearly states the conditions for gaining the indulgences of performing the Via Crucis or Stations of the Cross.

It is important to note that the Lamb of God was slain upon the cross. The cross of wood became the sacrificial altar on which Jesus gave up His life for us sinners.

When Jesus traveled to Calvary carrying His heavy wooden cross, one might speculate that splinters from the cross embedded in his back -- raw from the scourging at the pillar. The Pieta Book mentions about the wound in Jesus' shoulder that the cross dug into as He carried his cross.

Unfortunately, post-Vatican II, there are churches that have wonderful plaster images for the stations of the cross, but no wooden cross at each statement -- which is a requirement for receiving the indulgences.

Additionally to having the a wooden cross at each station, Liturgical Law requires the Stations of the Cross to be blessed by a Franciscan (OFM, OFM conv, OFM cap, etc).

The promise of these indulgences given by the church in what Jesus said in the Gospel of John: "Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven..."

How many churches have this problem? After the funeral of the late Bishop Gerard Frey of the Diocese of Lafayette [Louisiana], I asked a couple of Franciscans about this. They did not seem to care that two churches that I knew of were not liturgically correct for the Stations of the Cross.

If a Roman Catholic Church was missing thousands of dollars, there would be an uproar about this. What if the same church was missing tens of thousands of days of indulgences or plenary indulgences because of this? Would not the suffering souls in Purgatory be denied the graces? Would not there be lost graces for the conversion of sinners?

For me, it is serious that two churches with a few miles of where I live have this problem. I wonder if there is a problem like this across the United Stated (and Canada).

[topher]

I had posted:

Finally, some people say the Via Crucis to help the poor souls in purgatory. By denying the Papal Authority behind the Stations of the Cross, the FULL SPIRITUAL MERIT MAY BE ATTAINED.

I had meant to post:

Finally, some people say the Via Crucis to help the poor souls in purgatory. By denying the Papal Authority behind the Stations of the Cross, the FULL SPIRITUAL MERIT MAY NOT BE ATTAINED.

The point being that there is some mystery in our faith and how Church functions. It may be that for a PLENARY INDULGENCE heaven must intervene in some unseen way.

That is why there are many attachments to the provisions for a PLENARY INDULGENCE.

[markomalley]

I would submit that point #5 of the current Enchiridion covers those who are in the situation of not having valid stations:

5. Legitime impediti eamdem indulgentiam acquirere poterunt, si piae lectioni et meditationi Passionis et Mortis Domini nostri Iesu Christi saltem per aliquod tempus, e.g. per horae quadrantem, incubuerint.

But, whatever.

[magisterium]

The easiest way is if the designation “Catholic Caucus” is put in parentheses immediately after the title of the thread when it is first posted. After the article is posted, you will no longer be able to modify the title further, so you just need to contact the Religion Forum administrator and ask him to add Catholic Caucus to the title.

You might also want to review the rules regarding caucus status here on the Religion Forum. This thread would certainly have qualified. The main rule is that nothing in the contents of a posted article can reference any other denominational stance, pro or con. The standard is sometimes too broad for my tastes, but it ain’t gonna change. Anyway, once the designation has been established, the thread cannot be trashed or hijacked by non-Catholic parties. It is a good protection against the just plain sacrilege that can take place in the comments against Catholic topics sometimes!