Indulgences

When the Catholic Church has an important celebration more often an indulgence is granted. An informed catholic may have already known what it means and the conditions for gaining such indulgence. Those who are more educated in the faith may have known it through the church’s catechism that "an indulgence is 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" (CCC 1471; Indulgentiarum Doctrina, Norm 1). But an ordinary practicing catholic may know just the phrase "remission of temporal punishment."
The doctrine of indulgence is not very well understood especially among the vast common people. If the interest on indulgence is heightened, there would be a great influx of people going to confession and prayer in churches on occasions when indulgence is granted. Some years ago, Karl Rahner observes that the "interest in indulgences is largely diminishing in the Church even circles where religion is devoutly practised." In our becoming more secularized world today, indulgence catches attention only when a priest announces in the church that such is granted.
It is possible that practicing catholics may just be contented with attending masses on Sundays and living a good life. But the Church continues to invite people to avail indulgences even if she is not assured that the faithful are still interested in it. The Church has not considered much whether the willingness is still there among the people. Moreso, she is not assured that the faithful understand well such doctrine. There are still some catholics who falls into the understanding of quantification of indulgences even if such idea is no longer regarded after Vatican II. This idea and other misconceptions regarding indulgences need to be clarified for a right understanding of this doctrine. According to an official in the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary, Bishop Gianfranco Girotti, "… it is absolutely essential above all to know and understand the correct doctrine of the practice of indulgences, intended by the Church as a meaningful expression of God’s mercy, which assists his children, helping them to satisfy the punishment due to their sins but also and above all to impel them to greater and more fervent charity."