An indulgence is attached to the work: AT THE POINT OF DEATH
For Who: the Christian faithful
For When: at the hour of death
For Where: Anywhere
Partial or Plenary: Plenary
As written in the Manuel of Indulgences, under Grant 2:
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AT THE POINT OF DEATH
§1 A priest who administers the sacraments to someone in danger of death should not fail to impart the apostolic blessing to which a plenary indulgence is attached.
§2 If a priest is unavailable, Holy Mother Church benevolently grants to the Christian faithful, who are duly disposed, a plenary indulgence to be acquired at the point of death, provided they have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime; in such a case, the Church supplies for the three conditions ordinarily required for a plenary indulgence.
§3 In this latter case, the use of a crucifix or a cross in obtaining the plenary indulgence is commendable.
§4 The faithful can obtain this plenary indulgence at the hour of death, even if they have already acquired a plenary indulgence on that same day.
§5 The catechetical instruction of the faithful should ensure that they are duly made aware and frequently reminded of this salutary benefaction of the Church.
So, a very unique PLENARY Indulgence is granted to those who, at the point of their own death, receive the apostolic blessing. If a priest is not available to impart this blessing this indulgence is offered through the Church to “the Christian faithful who are duly disposed… provided they have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime.”
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No PARTIAL Indulgence is listed for this Grant and there is no way to strive to gain this indulgence. Even the three usual conditions may be ‘supplied’ without the dying’s explicit participation if the occasion requires it. The only possible way that I could foresee this indulgence being reduced to a partial indulgence is if a person receives this blessing but does not actually pass away. This is based off of total speculation though and it is very likely that even this would not produce a Partial indulgence.
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Examining further: please allow me to address portions of this indulgence so that we may ponder deeper as to what are reasonable perimeters and expectations that may be applied to this indulgence:
Addressing “priest who administers the sacraments”
It is a long standing tradition that if a member of the Faithful is dying or about to die, that a priest be summoned to preform “Last Rites.” The Last Rites incorporate the Sacraments of Confession, Anointing of the Sick, and Eucharistic Communion, along with prayers of Apostles’ Creed, and Our Father. Therefore, because of this tradition and since priests are required for the administration of the sacraments it is very common for priests to find themselves ministering to those who are dying.
Priests may also be summoned for the dying who are Non-Catholic or fallen-away Catholics, in which case these are not applicable for an indulgence or for the complete expression of Last Rites, but they may still gain some or many benefits of the Rite.
Addressing “in danger of death”
There are no official perimeters for what “in danger of death” looks like or how it is defined. Certainly one has to have a reasonably anticipation of death to request last rights. Moreover it is understood that if one receives this blessing but does not die, then the indulgence is not applied.
An article called “Catholic Last Rites,” written by Scripturecatholic.com, addresses this in what I believe is to be a reasonable manner. “While it may be the case that most people will not ask for their Last Rites until death is all but assured, it nevertheless remains a fact that the Last Rites can be performed much earlier. Many Priest actually find it to be quite troublesome when families often wait till the last minute before calling upon them. Sometimes it may be too late, and the Priest might not arrive in time to perform the rites before the family member dies. For this reason, Priests would rather perform the last rights when there’s still plenty of time left.
If a practicing Catholic is in danger of death from sickness, illness, old age, or about to undergo a high-risk operation; they may request to have their Last Rites performed to help with their recovery, or to ask God to help ease their suffering during their final journey.”
Addressing “apostolic blessing”
Priests should be aware of this blessing and ask the dying (or their loved ones on their behalf) if they would like the blessing. If a priest fails to mention this blessing it can be asked for by the dying or family of the dying as well.
The words for this blessing are:
“Through the holy mysteries of our redemption may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy.”
or
“By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
Addressing “Holy Mother Church benevolently grants”
In circumstances where a priest is not present to physically bestow the blessing, Holy Mother Church *lovingly grants the apostolic blessing to her dying faithful. This is done in a manner that transcends physical limitations and circumstances.
Addressing “duly disposed”
To understand what "duly disposed" may mean for this indulgence, we might consider looking at other information like the criteria of Norm 17 (N17) which outlines who is qualifiable to gain an indulgence: those who are baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace. You may hear other sources use other phrases (ex. no mortal sins), but by look closely at these three qualifications we come to realize that additional phrases are often just sub-groups of the requirements of N17. (ex: Mortal sin would fall under not being ‘in a state of grace’).
Addressing “in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime”
Certainly the Catholic Church has many thoughts and theologies surrounding prayer.
In their article “Prayer and Worship” the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) addresses prayer by saying this: “The Catechism clearly defines prayer as a "vital and personal relationship with the living and true God" (CCC, no. 2558). Prayer is Christian "insofar as it is communion with Christ" (CCC, no. 2565), and a "covenant relationship between God and man in Christ" (CCC, no. 2564).”
Having a habit of prayer, though very lightly touched upon, is yet very important and expressly mentioned in this Grant for the gaining of this indulgence.
Addressing “the Church supplies for the three conditions ordinarily required ”
Similar to how Holy Mother Church supplies the apostolic blessing to her dying faithful if a priest is unable to bestow the blessing (not wanting physical limitations to hinder any benefit or grace), the church also recognizes that there may be occasions at the end of ones life where one may not be able to to fulfill the three (3) conditions of Confession, Eucharistic communion, and praying for the Pope. Some occasions are as follows: if a priest isn't available for Last Rites/confession, if a person is unable to swallow the Eucharist, if a person is unconscious, if a person dies suddenly, or if that person is no longer in their right state of mind. So on occasions like these the Church offers to supply these conditions for her dying Faithful as well.
Addressing “the use of a crucifix or a cross… is commendable.”
In past years, when it may have been harder for priests to travel or have items readily available when they were called to travel, a particular devotional item was produced for home-use called a “Sick Call Crucifix.” This crucifix that was hung on the wall was also a case, which could be opened to reveal items that could be used for the sick/dying. Candles and holy water usually, sometimes oils too. Although travel is much easier now, and although these crosses have decreased in popularity these items are still around. One store addresses how to use this item and this is what is said about the inclusion of the crucifix: “The crucifix is a reminder that we are to suffer with patience as Jesus did and to put our entire trust in Jesus' mercy and loving care.”
Addressing “even if they have already acquired a plenary indulgence on that same day”
Under Norm 18 (N18), part 2 it states:
§2. The faithful however can obtain the plenary indulgence at the hour of death, even if they have already gained one on the same day.
This Norm 18 is usually what is refer to when we point out that only one Plenary indulgence can be gained per day. However, the Church gives this one and only exception that a person may potentially gain two (2) indulgences in a day when that person is at the hour of their own death.
Addressing “Requirement §5”
§5 The catechetical instruction of the faithful should ensure that they are duly made aware and frequently reminded of this salutary benefaction of the Church.
In order to understand what catechetical instruction is, we first need to know what catechesis is. Catechesis is a learning that happens through the course of ones life. Sometimes it is taught by church authorities to convey theology or doctrine. Othertimes it might also be learned naturally as one travels through life with God. Furthermore, some Catholic resources provide this understanding: "Catechesis is nothing other than the process of transmitting the Gospel, as the Christian community has received it, understands it, celebrates it, lives it and communicates it in many ways." (General Directory for Catechesis #105). Catechetical instruction is thus the instruction of Catechesis. This would be less of the naturally learned Catechesis and lean more towards a formal process of learning theology or doctrine, taught thought the Church.
Focusing in on this indulgence Grant, this requirement has been added because the Church wants to give a reminder to the congregation and Church authorities that it’s important to make people aware of this Indulgence opportunity (aka. salutary benefit). This isn’t something that aught to be explained at the point of death because someone hasn’t heard of it before. Instead, it’s important to make sure the faithful are made aware of this beforehand so that one has this information at the end of their life and/or so that one may dive more deeply into the benefits that the Church offers during their life/before the hour of their death.
And that wraps up Grant 21. I hope this has been helpful. Indulgences can be a confusing topic so please feel free to leave your thoughts and questions. I hope to address all I can so that we can come to know this hidden gem of the Catholic Faith.
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