One of the more mysterious aspects of the Catholic Faith is the plenary indulgence. If you?re unclear as to its meaning, you?re in good company. The majority of Catholics don?t fully understand the concept, as evidenced by their lack of interest in obtaining this tremendous gift. Let?s look at the Church?s definition of an ?indulgence?:

An indulgence is defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) as ?a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints. An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin. The faithful can gain indulgences for themselves or apply them to the dead.? (CCC 1471)

The Church teaches that unforgiven grave sin makes it impossible for us to get to Heaven. Fortunately, we can obtain forgiveness for our sins through the sacrament of Confession. However, even though our sins can be forgiven, we still need to be cleansed of the ?attachment to creatures? that caused us to sin in the first place. That cleansing process is known as ?temporal punishment?. That purification can take place here on earth or after death in Purgatory. That?s great, but what does this have to do with indulgences?

If you read the Catechism?s definition of an indulgence above, you?ll see that a plenary indulgence removes all of the temporal punishment due to sin. Reading further, you?ll note that an indulgence can be applied to the dead. Therefore, if you have a friend or relative that has died and may be in purgatory (and despite what some may incorrectly try to tell you?we have to assume that this is everyone with the exception of canonized saints) you can obtain a plenary indulgence for them and allow them to go directly to Heaven!

Do you see why this is such an important matter? It becomes even more important when we consider the fact that the individuals in Purgatory can?t help themselves get to Heaven any faster. Yet, we can do something that helps them achieve eternal happiness instantly. It sounds unbelievable, but it?s really true.

In tomorrow?s blog, I?ll discuss how it?s possible.

The gospel reading from today?s Mass details the familiar story of the 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35). While it?s hard to imagine not recognizing Jesus as He walked with them, you and I often fall into the same trap. Isn?t it sad that they ?looked downcast? even though The Lord was right beside them?

As Catholics, we believe that Jesus Christ redeemed us by His death and resurrection. Despite this knowledge, we still manage to let the worries and problems of this life weigh us down. While that is very sad, there are a few things that we can do to break free of useless fear and sadness. One thing we can do is to read the Bible. In it, we encounter the same risen Christ who walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus. We often make the mistake of treating God?s written word as just another book. When we read the Bible, we truly encounter Jesus Christ, ?The Word Made Flesh?.

Like the 2 disciples, we can meet Jesus in the Holy Mass. Are we able to recognize Him when He appears during the consecration? Just as they finally recognized Our Lord when He broke the bread on the road to Emmaus, we can strive to recognize Him when He appears in the Eucharist. Even better is the fact that we are able to unite ourselves with Him in the most intimate way imaginable as we receive His Body in Holy Communion.

While it?s very difficult for our finite minds to grasp these actual encounters with Christ, it is certainly worthwhile to keep trying. For if we truly believe that He is still with us, all of the problems that weigh us down will begin to seem less important and His presence will set our hearts aflame.

Two days ago, we celebrated the Resurrection of The Lord. By His death and resurrection, Jesus made it possible for us to live with Him forever in Heaven. Prior to that miraculous event 2000 years ago, the possibility did not exist. What could possibly rob of us of the joy that goes along with spending eternity with God?

How about financial worries, death in the family, loneliness, marital difficulties, problems with our children, fear of the unknown, unemployment, ill health, bad weather, boredom and any number of things that will all end someday.

While I?m as guilty of this as everyone else, why don?t we all try to maintain our Easter joy for the entire year?or at least through the remainder of the Easter Season?ok, how about for a few more days!

No matter how painful, all suffering in this life will come to an end? Eternal happiness in Heaven will not ? Alleluia!

Today the Church commemorates Holy Saturday, a day of waiting and trusting. Yesterday, we recalled the painful death Jesus Christ and tomorrow we will celebrate His resurrection. Today, we wait for The Lord to fulfill His promise of rising from the dead.

Unlike the individuals who experienced this event for the first time 2000 years ago, we know how the story will end. But what about those ?Holy Saturdays? that you and I face nearly every day? What will happen to our savings? Will our job be secure? Will we become seriously ill? Will we be faced with the death of a family member? We simply don?t know the answers to those questions, but unlike the original disciples of Jesus?we must trust.

God?s will is perfect and everything that happens in our lives can ultimately help us get to Heaven. In order to achieve that goal, we must trust God and obey His commandments. As we live our lives, there are going to be situations that we don?t understand and suffering which we must endure. When faced with this uncertainty we find ourselves in the same position as the original disciples on the day after The Lord?s death. Will we trust Him or will we panic?

The words of Jesus are clear. Let?s use this Holy Saturday as an opportunity to trust Him.

So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil. (Mt 6:31-34)

This Evening?s Holy Thursday Liturgy commemorates the institution of 2 sacraments – The Eucharist and the priesthood. In his document, Gift and Mystery – On the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priestly Ordination (1996), Pope John Paul II pointed out the connection between the two when he wrote, ?There can be no Eucharist without the priesthood, just as there can be no priesthood without the Eucharist.?

Today would be a good time to reflect on our appreciation of these sacraments:

Do we ever criticize priests for their homilies?

Do we expect our priests to be perfect and never have a ?bad day??

Do we get angry if a priest doesn?t give us enough of his time?

Do we ever receive The Eucharist in the state of mortal sin?

Do we ever daydream as we?re walking down the aisle to receive Our Lord in Holy Communion?

Do we leave Church immediately after receiving the Eucharist (without waiting for the Mass to end)?

If we are honest with ourselves, we have probably been guilty of some of these offenses at one time or another. While not all are sins, they certainly can be categorized as imperfections. Why not use the remaining days before Easter to correct some of this behavior and receive The Lord?s forgiveness in the sacrament of Confession? Also, make it a point to thank Jesus the next time you receive Him in Holy Communion. Furthermore, you may also want to thank your priest for making that Communion possible.

Today is my wife?s birthday and I?m taking a day off from blogging in order to celebrate with her. The Bible tells us that ?When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls. Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize.? (Proverbs 31:10-11). My wife is certainly a prize and I am truly blessed to have her in my life!

I?ll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on Holy Thursday.