Indulgences
Today March 27, 2013 Mr. Cole taught about indulgences in the Church. Indulgences discharge one's debt (trespass toward Perfection) during this life.
The Communion of Saints states, "'We being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another' (Romans 12:5). As each organ shares in the life of the whole body, so does each of the faithful profit by the prayers and good works of all the rest—a benefit which accrues, in the first instance, to those who are in the state of grace, but also, though less fully, to the sinful members."
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07783a.htm
Indulgences pardon one from more time in Purgatory. In Purgatory, one is in a state of repentance to become prepared for Heaven. Purgatory is a state of trial, meaning the souls are tested by God. An indulgence is not a pardon for a future sin. The one thing that interest me about indulgences is that there is no "time" in the afterlife; so does one stay in Purgatory for years in "human time" therefore indulgences are accomplished to shortened the "time" in Purgatory? Indulgences were sold by people; therefore, the Council of Trent clarified:
"Since the power of granting indulgences has been given to the Church by Christ, and since the Church from the earliest times has made use of this Divinely given power, the holy synod teaches and ordains that the use of indulgences, as most salutary to Christians and as approved by the authority of the councils, shall be retained in the Church; and it further pronounces anathema against those who either declare that indulgences are useless or deny that the Church has the power to grant them (Enchridion, 989)."
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| Selling of indulgences |
