A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the Jubilee Year that we are in the midst of. As a followup to that article, today we will focus on the Holy Doors and the granting of Indulgences in this Holy Year.
For centuries a feature of holy year celebrations has been the indulgence, which the church describes as a remission of the temporal punishment a person is due for their sins. "Every sin 'leaves its mark'" even after a person has received forgiveness and absolution through the sacrament of reconciliation, Pope Francis wrote in the document proclaiming the Holy Year. "Sin has consequences, not only outwardly in the effects of the wrong we do, but also inwardly, inasmuch as 'every sin, even venial, entails an unhealthy attachment to creatures, which must be purified either here on earth, or after death, in the state called Purgatory,'" he wrote, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
During the Jubilee of 2025 all the faithful: who are truly repentant and free from any affection for sin, who are moved by a spirit of charity and who, during the Holy Year, are purified through the sacrament of penance and refreshed by Holy Communion, pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff, will be able to obtain from the treasury of the Church a plenary indulgence, with remission and forgiveness of all their sins, which can be applied in suffrage to the souls in Purgatory in the following ways:
Pilgrimage: to any sacred Jubilee site (and devoutly participating in Holy Mass or other liturgical service). That is to Rome and visiting one of the four Major Papal Basilicas (St. Peter’s, St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, or St. John Lateran); to the Holy Land and visiting the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, or Nazareth; or a church designated by your local Bishop; a visit to sacred places (mostly in Rome or world sites) or a site designated by local Bishop.
The Church wants to make this available to everyone! If one who is homebound or who cannot get out (elderly, sick, prisoners, those who serve the sick), if they unite in spirit with those who can do pilgrimage and visits and recite in their homes the Our Father, Creed, and other prayers that match objectives of the Holy Year while offering up any suffering or hardship in their life can also receive this indulgence as well.
Works of Mercy: These would be practicing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. If one visits (for an appropriate amount of time) someone in need or difficulty (which is making a pilgrimage to Christ present in the least of our brothers and sisters.
Works of Penance: Doing a penance like abstaining on Fridays from media or superfluous consumption, fasting, not eating meat, giving alms to the poor, supporting in some way the protection of life in all its phases (unborn, abandoned children, young people in difficulty, needy, lonely, migrants), dedicating reasonable portion of one’s free time to acts of service in volunteering.
Growing in the Faith: Participating in a mission, spiritual exercise, or formation activity on the documents of Vatican II or the Catechism.
In this Jubilee year, we have many opportunities to receive these Indulgences, in fact you can receive one a day either for yourself or a loved one who has passed! The requirements are that within a three week period you have gone to confession, received the Eucharist, and prayed for the Intentions of the Holy Father each day! Be sure to not let this great gift from the treasury of the Church pass you by!
- Fr. Andrew