Indulgences

"An indulgence is the remission of God of a temporal punishment to to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. The faithful... can acquire this remission through the Church..."

Partial indulgences free one from part of the temporal punishment due to sin.

Plenary indulgences free one from the whole of the temporal punishment due to sin.

"In order to gain a plenary indulgence, one must perform the prescribed work and also fulfill three conditions: sacramental Confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Supreme Pontiff."

Also, all attachment to sin, even venial sin, must be absent. If any of these prescribed conditions have not been met, then the individual will gain a partial indulgence.

The following are the most common ways of earning a partial indulgence:

1. Acts of faith, hope, charity, and contrition, according to any good formula.

2. A Visit of adoration to the Blessed Sacrament.

3. "We give Thee thanks, Almighty God, for all Thy benefits, Who lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen."

4. Reciting the Prayer to Our Guardian Angel.

5. Recitation of the Angelus or (the Regina Caeli during Easter Time).

6. Recitation of the Anime Christi.

7. For visiting a cemetery and praying for the departed. This is applicable only to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

8. Spiritual Communion, according to any devout formula.

9. Devout recitation of the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed.

10. For teaching or studying Christian Doctrine.

11. For reciting the Prayer before a Crucifix.

12. Pious recitation of the Act of Reparation.

13. Pious recitation of the Act of Dedication of the Human Race to Christ the King. A Plenary indulgence is gained if recited publicly on the Feast of Christ the King.

14. For each of the following litanies: The Most Holy Name of Jesus, The Sacred Heart of Jesus, The Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph and the Litany of the Saints.

15. Recitation of the Magnificat.

16. Recitation of the Memorare.

17. For devoutly making use of an object of piety (sacramentals) properly blessed by any priest.

18. For spending some time in devout mental prayer.

19. "V: Let us pray for our Sovereign Pontiff.N
R: The Lord preserve him and give him life, and make him blessed upon the earth, and deliver him not up to the will of his enemies."

20. For devoutly and attentively being present at a sermon.

21. "Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let your perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace." This is applicable to the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

22. Recitation of the Holy Rosary privately, outside of a Church or public oratory.

23. For reading Sacred Scripture as spiritual reading, with the veneration and devotion due to the word of God.

24. Recitation of the Salve Regina.

25. For devoutly making the Sign of the Cross, saying the words "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen."

26. Devout recitation of Tantum Ergo.

27. "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love."

28. For renewing one's baptismal vows, using any customary formula. A Plenary indulgence is granted if done during the Paschal vigil or on the anniversary of one's baptism.

From Purgatory by Fr. F. X. Schouppe, and published by Tan Books.

9th Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Can be found at EWTN. Just make sure to scroll down a bit.

8th Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Can be found at EWTN.com

More on the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Michelle of Rosetta Stone, whose blog link I also forgot to add to my sidebar (but that has been corrected), left me a about a little book, on a previous posting regarding Maria Simma. The little book is entitled The Amazing Secret of the Souls in Purgatory: An Interview with Maria Simma. My mom happened to have the book in her Catholic library. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who would like to help the holy souls and in turn help their living loved ones and themselves avoid a long stay in purgatory.

Sister Emmanuel interviewed the late Maria Simma, an Austrian women who had souls appear to her for help. The entire book which is not long at all, is very hard to put down once you start. The following is just one excerpt:

Are there priests in purgatory?

..."Yes, there are many. They didn't promote respect for the Eucharist. So faith overall suffers. They are often in Purgatory for having neglected prayer-which has diminished their faith. But there are also many who have gone straight to Heaven!

What would you say, then, to a priest who really wants to live according to the heart of God?

I would advise him to pray much to the Holy Spirit- and to say his Rosary every day.

The 7th Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Can be found at EWTN. However, the link will take you to the 4th day and you will have to scroll down to the 7th day.

Children's Mass

Every Wednesday, the morning Mass is moved to 8:30 a.m. instead of the usual 7:30 a.m. so that the parochial school children have an opportunity to attend Mass. This was the idea of the parish priest Fr. Patrick. From my observations and listening to his homilies, he seems to be a priest who really loves the Eucharist.

This is evident when you see the children approach the altar for Holy Communion. You will see many receive on the tongue, even the youngest of them. They will then proceed back to their pews with their little hands folded in prayer.

I remember one of Father's homilies about the time he went to Cardinal Ratzinger's installation as our pontiff. He arrived close to the time everyone had to take their seat, if they wanted a good seat. But instead of going to his seat, Father asked someone, where the Blessed Sacrament was. The young man who guided him to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel told him, he as the only one who had gone to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel FIRST.

I might as well share his story about why Father was so intend on attending the installation. Seems that when he was in Rome one time, he had difficulty finding a certain tomb or grave. He saw a priest approach and he asked him where it was. The priest led him to the place personally. When the priest bend over, a bit of red poked out of his coat. He then realized it was Cardinal Ratzinger! I don't recall all the details but I think that was the gist of it.

The 6th Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Can be found at EWTN

Please Help Movie BELLA

For a while now Leticia of Causa Nostrae Laetitiae has been promoting this movie. To be quite honest, it didn't really capture my interest in the beginning. However, after reading more about it and watching the trailer, I now want to do my part in promoting this pro-life movie.

“If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.” This line, spoken by Mexican actor Eduardo Verstegui, opens the movie Bella.

Sunny, of Faith and Country shared the following in a Catholic group we both belong to:

Eduardo Verastegui, one of the most successful Mexican actors in Hollywood today, has become one of the strongest voices against the legalization of abortion in Mexico City.

He rediscovered the faith of his parents in the most unlikely place on the planet and he has no fear of public rejection for his denouncing of the holocaust of abortion. Verastegui has revealed his pro-life convictions to various Mexican media outlets and he has created an organization in California to help those in need, especially women who are seeking abortions.

You can find the entire article at Catholic News Agency

So, if BELLA, comes to a theater near you, consider yourself blessed and go see it and more importantly, spread the word.

5th Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Can be found at EWTN

The Chaplet of the Holy Spirit

You can find the Chaplet of the Holy Spirit at the Miracle of the Rosary Mission

Thanks to Sue for sharing this one too!

The Fruits of the Holy Spirit Through Reflection and Prayer

The following is from my friend Sue via email:

Pentecost is next Sunday, May 27th. Marianne, who is leading the Patron Saint of the Year campaign, is also offering to help us discern the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit that are ours for reflection and prayer. Her email is at the end of this message if you'd like her to pick some from her "Fruits and Gifts" bowl for you.

To learn more about the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit, click here: THE VATICAN
Blessings,
Sue <*}}}>< <*}}}><

This is the introduction to the fruit and gift of the Holy Spirit - I'm thinking that this may help to explain better ... if not, let me know and I will try to help. The best thing that I can suggest is to "Google" fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit and get to know more what yours would be ... then pray and listen ... perhaps you are truly blessed in these areas and need to share them, maybe you need work in these areas, maybe who knows? Only you and the Holy Spirit can figure it out ... some people feel instant connections, such as you and St. Luke, others have to wait for a connection ...

I just received an email from someone whose Saint interceded for them just last week and her saint was picked before Christmas! Let me know what you think. God bless you abundantly!

Many people have enjoyed having a patron saint "pick" them for the year ... There have been many testimonies on all the connections and intercessions that have occurred. How wonderful it is to know that we are not walking alone!

In the same sense, we are doing the same thing with Pentecost and the Holy Spirit "picking" a fruit and gift just for us to reflect on and pray about for the year.

Curious?

As we approach Pentecost, let's reflect on what happened to the Apostles on that day and what happened to us when we were confirmed.

The Holy Spirit is first introduced to a Catholic the day that they are baptized, because the entire Holy Trinity — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — are invoked at the ceremony. During Confirmation, God the Holy Spirit comes upon the person, accompanied by God the Father and God the Son, just as he did at Pentecost. The Feast of Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit from heaven to earth upon the 12 apostles and the Virgin Mary, occurring 50 days after Easter and 10 days after Jesus' Ascension (Acts 2:1–4).

This sacrament is called Confirmation, because the faith given in Baptism is now confirmed and made strong. Sometimes, those who benefit from Confirmation are referred to as "soldiers of Christ". This isn't a military designation but a spiritual duty to fight the war between good and evil, light and darkness — a war between the human race and all the powers of hell.

Confirmation means accepting responsibility for your faith and destiny. Childhood is a time when you're told what to do, and you react positively to reward and negatively to punishment. Adulthood, even young adulthood, means that you must do what's right on your own, not for the recognition or reward but merely because it's the right thing to do. The focus is on the Holy Spirit, who confirmed the apostles on Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4) and gave them courage to practice their faith. We, as Catholics, believe that the same Holy Spirit confirms Catholics during the Sacrament of Confirmation and gives them the same gifts and fruits.

Traditionally, the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit are charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, long-suffering, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity. These are human qualities that can be activated by the Holy Spirit. The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. These gifts are supernatural graces given to the soul.

When was the last time you thought about these blessing bestowed upon you? Have some of your "fruits" rotted or dried up? Are your gifts sitting on a shelf, collecting dust?

To commemorate Pentecost, how about asking the Holy Spirit to look inside you, deep inside you and pick out one particular fruit and one particular gift that is unique to you that He wants you to pray about? He may want you to develop this gift and fruit. He may want you to share this gift and fruit. He may want you to be an example of your fruit and gift. Only you and the Holy Spirit will know. You may have an instant connection with the fruit and gift that the Spirit picks for you. Or you may wonder what in the world is He thinking? Everyone's will be different and everyone's will be unique, just for them.

I would suggest doing some research on your particular fruit and gift and then reflecting on how they play in your life. Do a lot of listening, the Holy Spirit will be doing a lot of talking! To have a fruit and gift for the year, please contact me. I have a container full of all the fruits and all of the gifts and will be happy to pick one and send it to you. Just let me know! God bless! P.S. It's still not too late to receive a patron saint for the year! All you have to do is request one! Marianne mare54n@bellsouth.net

NOTE FROM ESTHER: IF YOU HAVE ALREADY REQUESTED A PATRON SAINT FROM A Catholic Life IT IS ONE AND THE SAME.

Fourth Day of the Novena for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

Can be found at EWTN

Where Can You Get the Best Tasting Bagels?

Well, New Jersey of course!

I have been looking forward to a hot bagel from our local bagelry. My sister picked some up for us the other morning. Was it worth waiting for! She got me onion bagels and a salt bagel. The salt bagel was a bit salty. I think I like the everything bagel the best though.

Question Regarding Saturday Evening Mass

At my mom's parish, the Saturday evening Mass (to fulfill Sunday obligation) begins at 4:30 p.m. This seems a little early for an evening Mass. Does anyone know what the guidelines are for Saturday evening Mass in order to fulfill Sunday Mass obligations? We go this morning anyway, but I was just wondering.

Marian Slide Show

H/T to Jean

Third Day of the Novena for the Holy Spirit's Gifts

Can be found at EWTN