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What is an Indulgence?

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:04:52 GMT

Plenary or Partial

What is an Indulgence?

When we sin, two things happen:

The guilt of sin (which is forgiven in Confession)
The “damage” or consequences of sin (what we call temporal punishment)

An indulgence is the Church helping to remove that “damage.”

Super Simple Analogy

Think of sin like hammering a nail into a wall :

Confession = pulling the nail out (forgiveness)
But there’s still a hole in the wall (the damage left behind)
An indulgence = repairing the hole

Two Types of Indulgences

1. Plenary Indulgence (Full Clean-Up)

A plenary indulgence removes ALL the remaining “damage” from sin.

It’s like the wall is perfect again—no hole at all.

But it requires:

Going to Confession
Receiving Holy Communion
Praying for the Pope’s intentions
And this is key: having no attachment to sin (even small sins)

That last part is the hardest—it's about a truly free heart.

2. Partial Indulgence (Partial Clean-Up)

A partial indulgence removes SOME of the damage.

The wall is better, but not completely perfect yet.

These are easier to obtain and can happen through:

Prayer
Acts of charity
Sacrifice
Offering daily struggles to God

This is important

Indulgences help:

Purify us now , so we become holier
Reduce or eliminate time in Purgatory
Help souls in Purgatory (you can offer indulgences for them because they can not offer them for themselves.)

How to remember

Plenary = “Plenty” → everything removed
Partial = “Part” → only some removed

Don’t get overwhelmed by the conditions. The Church isn’t trying to make this complicated—it’s inviting us into deeper love, repentance, and freedom .

Even striving for a plenary indulgence is already a powerful act of grace. And every partial indulgence still matters immensely.

The Church of Convenience

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 21:15:44 GMT

The Church of Nice?

What a powerful and sobering text we just heard.

It speaks directly to the human heart—then and now.

In our first reading ( 1 Kings 12:26–32; 13:33–34) , we see Jeroboam standing at a crossroads. He is afraid. Afraid of losing control. Afraid that if the people return to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple of Jerusalem, their loyalty will shift.

And so, what does he do?

He creates a convenient religion.

He builds alternative shrines in Bethel and Dan. He fashions golden calves. He appoints priests who are not from the line chosen by God. He invents a feast of his own choosing.

Notice this: he does not reject religion. He reshapes it.

And that is the great danger.

Jeroboam’s sin was not atheism—it was manipulation. He adjusted worship to fit politics. He redesigned faith to secure his power. And Scripture tells us that even after warnings, “he did not turn from his evil way.”

Let me ask you , is this not our reality?

How often today do we see a faith redesigned for comfort? A Gospel trimmed so that it does not challenge? Morality adjusted to match public opinion? Worship reshaped to fit convenience?

Instead of going to the place God chooses, people create the place they prefer.

Instead of obedience, we substitute personalization.

Instead of conversion, we choose customization.

Jeroboam feared losing influence. Our world fears losing control. And so modern society builds its own “golden calves”: success, autonomy, pleasure, ideology. We do not abolish God—we relocate Him. We reduce Him. We make Him manageable.

But the heart that reshapes God eventually loses Him.

The tragedy in chapter 13 is that Jeroboam was warned. God sent a prophet. Grace knocked. Yet he hardened his heart. That is the real catastrophe—not the false altar, but the refusal to repent.

The question for us is simple and personal:

Where have I built small altars of convenience?
Where have I softened the truth so it feels easier?
Where have I allowed fear to guide my faith?

Where have I gone from challenge to NICE?

The Lord does not ask us to invent religion. He asks us to receive it. To trust Him enough to worship as He reveals, not as we redesign.

True faith is not built on fear of losing control.
It is built on surrender.

May we not be remembered, like Jeroboam, as those who “did not turn back,” but as those who, when corrected, humbly returned to the Lord.

And that return—always—begins in the heart.

Preparing for Lent

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:42:24 GMT

Are you getting ready?

Preparing before Lent even starts is such a grace-filled move. That’s how Lent stops being “last-minute sacrifice season” and becomes real interior renewal.

Here are small, realistic steps that gently open the heart now so Lent 2026 can go deep instead of just busy.

1. Start with awareness, not effort

Before adding anything, begin noticing.

Each night ask:

Where did I feel closest to God today?
Where did I drift?
What drained my soul? What fed it?

This builds spiritual self-knowledge — and that’s the soil where a meaningful Lent grows.

2. Add one minute of silent prayer

Not 20. One.

Sit in silence and simply say:
“Speak, Lord. I am listening.”

Lent is about conversion of heart, and that only happens if we learn to listen, not just talk at God.

Small daily silence now → deeper prayer later.

3. Befriend Scripture gently

Pick one Gospel and read just:

5–10 verses a day
Slowly
Asking: What is Jesus showing me about my heart?

You’re not studying. You’re letting Christ look at you.

4. Practice one hidden sacrifice

Don’t wait for Ash Wednesday.

Choose something tiny:

Take the less comfortable chair
Let someone else speak first
Skip complaining once a day
Offer one annoyance silently for someone

Lent trains the will. These “micro-penances” build spiritual muscles quietly.

5. Heal one relationship

Lent is reconciliation season. Start early.

Reach out
Forgive internally
Stop rehearsing old hurts

Unforgiveness blocks grace more than chocolate ever will.

6. Begin detaching from noise

You don’t have to fast yet — just loosen the grip.

Try:

No phone the first 10 minutes after waking
No scrolling before bed
One quiet meal a week

This makes space for God’s voice.

7. Ask: “What in me needs resurrection?”

Not:
“What should I give up?”
But:
“What part of my heart feels spiritually tired, lukewarm, distracted, wounded, or stuck?”

That answer becomes your real Lenten focus.

8. Choose a theme , not just a sacrifice

Start praying now about a word for Lent:

Trust
Silence
Surrender
Healing
Simplicity
Mercy

Let Lent be about transformation, not just subtraction.

9. Go to Confession before Lent starts

This is huge.

Entering Lent already reconciled is like starting a journey with a clean windshield. Grace flows more freely.

10. Pray this simple preparation prayer

“Lord, prepare my heart for the desert.
Show me what must die,
what You want to heal,
and where You want to lead me closer to You.
Don’t let me waste this Lent.”

The secret:

Lent doesn’t begin on Ash Wednesday.
It begins the moment we let God prepare our hearts.

You’re not trying to be heroic — just available . And God does wonders with that.