A year of mercy: What is a plenary indulgence?
“Pilgrims of Hope.” Pope Francis calls us to this kind of journey. We are not to sit on our couches. Rather, we are to be out there as beacons of hope for so many in our world who can find no meaning in their lives. We know that there is a supreme meaning: life eternal with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If people have no goal, they merely wander or simply stay still. But with a true star guiding us, we know we are on a pilgrimage. That star gives us the hope to keep going.
“Pilgrims of Hope.” Pope Francis calls us to this kind of journey. We are not to sit on our couches. Rather, we are to be out there as beacons of hope for so many in our world who can find no meaning in their lives. We know that there is a supreme meaning: life eternal with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. If people have no goal, they merely wander or simply stay still. But with a true star guiding us, we know we are on a pilgrimage. That star gives us the hope to keep going.
We are offered, as part of our journey, a taste of the great mercy of God. During this Holy Year, this Year of Jubilee, 2025, a plenary indulgence, a deep taste of that divine mercy, can be gained for oneself or for a soul in purgatory. This act removes the temporal punishment due to sin. When we receive forgiveness of our sins in confession, there remains the “making up for” what we have done, that is, doing our best to repair the damages which our sins have caused. If we have not accomplished this in our current lifetime, then purgatory affords us the opportunity to be cleansed of all lesser sins as well as of the responsibility for the effects of our sins. God is generous and wants us to be free and this is why he provides us, through his Church, this simple way, this plenary way, to be prepared to see him face to face.
This grace, this full or plenary healing, requires of us that we honestly seek detachment from all of our sins, that we go to confession and Holy Communion in the few days before or after our obtaining the Indulgence, that we pray for the intentions of Pope Francis, which is usually an Our Father and a Hail Mary.
During this year, the Holy Father has offered many opportunities to obtain this indulgence. This can be done by a pilgrimage to Rome or the Holy Land, or by carrying out the corporal or spiritual works of mercy, or by practicing special works of penance.
In our diocese, I invite you to make a pilgrimage to our cathedral in Lansing to obtain this divine mercy. We can also participate in one of the many Forty Hours devotions being held throughout our diocese between Pentecost and Corpus Christi. We are all especially invited to participate in our Corpus Christi procession with Mass at Lugnuts Stadium (Saturday, June 21st, in the morning) and then on to our cathedral to complete the pilgrimage.
Enjoy this feast of mercy and share it with one another.