The Jubilee Year Indulgence

You may recall that I spoke of this in an earlier article. I encourage those participating in the diocesan pilgrimage to form the intention to receive this indulgence, which may be applied to oneself or to a soul in Purgatory. An indulgence can never be obtained for another living person, though one may use the pilgrimage to intercede for another’s spiritual or material need.  

The National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is a designated pilgrimage site for the Jubilee Year of Hope. Bishop Checchio has designated four sites in the diocese as places of pilgrimage in which the indulgence may be obtained. They are:

·The Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi in Metuchen

·The National Blue Army Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Washington NJ

·National Shrine of St. Lucy Filippini at St. Mary of Mt. Virgin Church in New Brunswick

·The Shrine Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament in Raritan

Those who cannot make the trip to Washington DC but wish to obtain the indulgence may visit any one of these designated sites. 

What is an Indulgence?

Indulgences in the Catholic tradition are a gift flowing from the mercy of Christ and the communion of saints. Spiritually, they express the Church’s authority, given by Christ, to bind and loose (cf. Mt 16:19), and her maternal care for the faithful. A plenary indulgence does not forgive sin. The forgiveness of sins only comes through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Rather, an indulgence remits the temporal punishment due to sins already forgiven. In simpler terms, it is the healing of the lingering effects of sin in the soul, like a scar that remains even after the wound has closed. By granting indulgences, the Church draws from the "treasury of merits" of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the saints, to strengthen us in holiness and to encourage us to unite more closely with God’s grace. Thus, an indulgence is not something magical or mechanical but deeply relational: it is meant to foster within us deeper conversion, humility, and love.

How To Obtain the Jubilee Year Indulgence

To obtain a plenary indulgence, the Church asks for both a particular indulgenced act and the proper spiritual dispositions. The act may be the pilgrimage, but it also may include prayers (such as praying the Rosary in a church or family setting), devotional practices (like the Stations of the Cross or Eucharistic Adoration), or the works of charity. 

Along with this, four essential conditions must be fulfilled: 

·Sacramental Confession. 

·The worthy reception of Holy Communion. 

·Prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father. 

·Complete renunciation and detachment from all sin, even venial sins. (Ask God for this grace!)

These may be completed within several days of the indulgenced act, but the interior detachment from sin is crucial for the indulgence to be plenary otherwise it becomes a partial. 

Indulgences, properly understood, are not a “get out of jail free card”, but an encounter with the healing power of God’s mercy through the Church which not only binds up the wounds of our sins but also heals their scars.