Is attending Mass a necessary condition to obtain a Plenary indulgence?
Remember, the 3 conditions of gaining a plenary indulgence are: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. So based off of this one would think that the answer should be ‘Yes,’ correct? However this may surprise you, but the answer is actually NO. Mass is not required to obtain a Plenary indulgence.
Let me explain; What is required to receive a Plenary indulgence is to receive Eucharistic Communion. Although the Eucharist is most commonly distributed in the context of a Mass, and can only be consecrated during a Mass, it is possible to receive communion outside of Mass. You may be familiar with practices where communion being taken to the homebound (sick and elderly). Also, what is a less-then-commonly-known fact is that on Good Friday, no Mass is said at all. Any Good Friday service you go to is not actually a Mass, but merely a service in which communion is still distributed, being that the Eucharist was consecrated that day but rather was consecrated the night before. If full Masses were required, not just Eucharistic Communion, the Church could not apply this following Indulgence statement because of Good Friday.
7. Deserving of special mention are grants pertaining to those works by any one of which the faithful can obtain a plenary indulgence each day of the year, always safeguarding Norm 18 §1, according to which a plenary indulgence can be acquired no more than once a day:
Therefore, if Masses were required, you could not obtain an indulgence every day of the year because on Good Friday there are no Masses.
It is also worth noting that attending Mass does not necessitate that someone receives Eucharistic Communion. Eucharistic Communion should only be received after an individual has practiced a self-examined and made the judgment call that they are in an appropriate state to receive . That they have no mortal sins, no other major sins that they are aware of, and that they are in an appropriate dispositions of mind, soul, and “relationship” to honor the Blessed Sacrament (this is often times called “Being in a State of Grace”). However, attending/participating in Mass is always promoted, and even considered a weekly requirement by the Church to fulfill our weekend worship. So, even as we are called to fulfill our spiritual obligation to worship regardless of our spiritual state, we are cautioned not to partake in communion if we are in a compromised spiritual state.
I myself have personally practiced this, attending Mass without receiving the Eucharist I mean. One Lent (I love Lent) I dove into various resources of the Church and came across THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH, linked here, outlined by the Catechism (CCC. 2042-2043). These precepts provided a bare-bone, minimum list of standards that the Church holds for a person to be considered a “Practicing Catholic.” On this list is the precept that Catholics receive Holy Communion at a minimum of once a year. Some sources said this was put in place because there was a time that some people became so scrupulous that they never thought they were worthy of receiving communion, and they would not receive even once a year!
In my experience however, I have witnessed an opposite problem. It has always been insinuated to me that if you didn’t receive communion during Mass, then that Mass ‘didn’t really count.’ It was only after finding this precept and after I started occasionally refraining from receiving the Eucharist (per the results of my self examination) that I really started to notice how some people would just kind of shuffle up to Communion. Like sheep being guided without a thought, they would receive the Body of Christ, and then shuffle back to their pews. Not to say that we need to have an outward presentation to justify receiving our Lord, but you could just tell that there were people who were only going along with the motions. I should know, I used to be one of them. I wish I had known earlier that it is NOT an offense to NOT receive communion, and it’s even encouraged by the Church to refrain if one fails their own self-examination.
Anyway, pardon my side story. All of this is to show that Eucharistic Communion is required for obtaining a Plenary Indulgence, but attending an entire celebration of the Mass is not.
Why is this important?
Firstly, because if you are in a state or situation that hinders you from going to Mass, but you are able to receive Eucharistic Communion, you are still able to obtain a Plenary indulgence. Many priests and parishes have it so that parishioners who are hindered can call in and request someone bring them communion. Many Catholic churches minister to nearby hospitals and nursing homes, sometimes preforming Mass-like services on site and often bringing Communion to distribute to sick and isolated Catholics. Also, individuals who care for a homebound person may be permitted, with proper instruction, to take communion out from Mass to administer to their loved one. You can do this yourself, for your own homebound loved one, as long as you follow the instruction of your church.
My Personal Pyx
A small vessel in which the Holy Eucharist is carried to the sick.
Secondly (and this may just have been my own personal problem), this allows a Norm that I originally found to be confusing to remain true and not-all-that-confusing after all:
N21. §1. Unless otherwise stated, an indulgence cannot be gained by a work already imposed by law or precept…
Remember the CCC. 2042-2043 I sited that references THE PRECEPTS OF THE CHURCH? Another minimum precept for Catholics is to attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation. Although this Mass vs. Eucharistic Communion controversy falls mostly under “Conditions” (as in the 3 conditions) having confusion about these two things (like equating them to each other) also made it very difficult for me to process certain things that fell under prescribed "Works."
My thoughts raced along the lines of: Well, if I have to go to Mass every Sunday as a precept, but I also have to go to Mass to receive communion as a condition, and I also have to step foot in a church or oratory (where I’ll likely attend Mass) as a work, then how am I supposed to I divide these works or how many times do I have to repeat them within a day for all of these thing to be satisfied?
Thankfully, now that we know that Masses and receiving the Eucharist are related but they not the same, now we can ease our minds into the idea that maybe a Mass can be further subdivided. Fulfilling our Sunday obligation, receiving communion, and step foot in a church or oratory are all 3 separate things. All though they all may, and even should, incorporate a Mass not one of these things covers the fullness of a Mass. Just a part. Furthermore, some of these things can be done even without a Mass! Visiting a church or oratory, as some Grants require, can be done without necessitating whether a whole Mass must or must not be completed during that visit.
Pardon me if this seems to be more of a distraction than a help. It was just so confusing to me for a long time but now I think I finally have a handle on it!
Thirdly, and lastly, this shows that attending a Mass without receiving Communion, or in the case that someone receives Communion in an improper state (not in a “State of Grace”), that would disqualify one from obtaining a Plenary Indulgence, even though they logistically attended Mass.
Now I know you’re going to ask... so to further the thought of receiving communion but not in a State of Grace, the Church presents Norm 17 (N17) which states:
N17. §1. In order to be capable of gaining indulgences one must be baptized, not excommunicated, and in the state of grace at least at the completion of the prescribed works.
Because one is supposed to be in a State of Grace to receive communion, and should not receive communion outside of a State of Grace under the advisement of the Church and Scripture; to receive communion outside of a State of Grace would nullify the capacity to gain an Indulgence, even though the condition of receiving Holy Communion is logistically “checked off”. My mind is also drawn to 1 Corinthians 11:27-32, where Paul writes to the people how their reception of Holy Communion in an unworthy manner is actually causing them sin and judgment in its own way, and making them sick, weak, and even leading to death. This would be counter-intuitive to Indulgences and the Institution of the Eucharist, which are meant to give strength, health, and life. So, some further advice that is echoed by all of Christian-dom, please do not receive Eucharistic Communion to obtain a Plenary indulgence if you are not is a State of Grace. (Unbaptized, excommunicated, have serious or Moral sins that need to be confessed, etc. etc.) Doing would inevitably cause more harm than good.
Perhaps this has been more confusing than enlightening...but 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 our Catholic faith.
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