We are evaluating old indulgences that have been approve on todays date of:
January
15
List of Traditional materials we will be looking at today, and the current/withstanding grants that they satisfy (directly or indirectly).
128. O divine Infant
partial indulgence… Grant 15
200. My dearest Lord
partial indulgence… Grant 15
214. O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love
plenary indulgence… Grant DM
779. VISITING THE "SEVEN CHURCHES"
Notwithstanding
1950s. ROSARY OF THE SEVEN DOLORS
potential partial indulgence… Grant 17
NOTE:
Every prayer may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if applied correctly, under Grant 15.
Some spelling errors may be present.
Abbreviations that are found at the end of an indulgence prayer/practice (like S. P. Ap., and S. C. Ind.,) are, in essence, a specific ecclesiastical approval for a particular indulgence.
Traditional indulgences are ordered by their last date of approval.
The full written outline of the requirements for a partial or plenary indulgence, found at the end of an indulgence prayer/practice, may be omitted if not all of the information is unique or notable. (You will see three dots when there is a break in text …)
CHAPTER III. ‘GOD THE SON’ – Art. III. “THE INFANT JESUS” – III. Prayers
128. O divine Infant, who, after the wonders of Thy birth in Bethlehem, wishing to extend to the whole world Thine infinite mercy, didst call the Wise Men by heavenly inspiration to Thy crib, which was thus converted into a throne of royal grandeur, and didst graciously receive those holy men, who were obedient to the divine call and hastened to Thy feet, acknowledging Thee and worshiping Thee as the Prince of Peace, the Redeemer of mankind, and the very Son of God; ah, renew in us the proofs of Thy goodness and almighty power; enlighten our minds, strengthen our wills, and inflame our hearts to know Thee, to serve Thee, and to love Thee in this life, meriting thus to enjoy Thee eternally in the life to come. An indulgence of 500 days (S. P. Ap., July 14, 1924 and Jan. 15, 1935).
Every prayer may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if done correctly, under Grant 15.
The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who for their personal edification devoutly spend time in mental prayer.
CHAPTER III. ‘GOD THE SON’ – Art. V. “JESUS CRUCIFIED” – VII. Prayers in honor of the Five Wounds
200. V. O God, come unto my assistance.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me.
V. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
R. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
My dearest Lord Jesus Crucified, bending low before Thee, with Mary most holy and with all the Angels and Saints in paradise, I adore the most holy Wound in Thy right Hand. I give Thee thanks for the infinite love, wherewith Thou didst will to suffer so many bitter pains because of my sins which I detest with all my heart; I implore Thee to grant graciously to Thy holy Church victory over all her enemies, and to all her children grace to walk in holiness in the way of Thy commandments.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
My dearest Lord Jesus Crucified, bending low before Thee, together with Mary most holy and with all the Angels and Saints in paradise, I adore the sacred Wound in Thy left Hand, and I beseech Thee for grace for all poor sinners, for the dying, and especially for those who will not be reconciled to Thee.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
My dearest Lord Jesus Crucified, bending low before Thee, with Mary most holy, and with all the Angels and Saints in paradise, I adore the sacred Wound in Thy right Foot, and I beg of Thee this grace, that countless flowers of holiness may blossom among the clergy and all those who are consecrated to Thee.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
My dearest Lord Jesus Crucified, bending low before Thee, with Mary most holy and with all the Angels and Saints in paradise, I adore the sacred Wound in Thy left Foot, and implore Thee to deliver the holy souls in purgatory, and especially those who in life were most devout toward Thy sacred Wounds.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
My dearest Lord Jesus Crucified, bending low before Thee, with Mary most holy and with all the Angels and Saints in paradise, I adore the sacred Wound in Thy most holy Side, and I pray Thee to bless and graciously hear all those who have recommended themselves to my prayers.
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.
V. O Virgin most sorrowful,
R. Pray for us (to be said thrice).
My Crucified Jesus, confirm these prayers by the merits of Thy Passion; give me holiness of life, the grace to receive Thy holy Sacraments at the hour of my death, and glory everlasting. Amen. An indulgence of 3 years (S. C. of the Holy Off., May 6, 1915; S. P. Ap., Jan. 15, 1935).
Every prayer may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if done correctly, under Grant 15.
The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who for their personal edification devoutly spend time in mental prayer.
P.S. I think that it’s worth noting that under Grant 5, a partial indulgence is available for those who pray for the intentions of ‘DAYS DESIGNATED UNIVERSALLY FOR A CERTAIN RELIGIOUS INTENTION.’ In June, on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is celebrated ‘World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests.’ Prayers for universal intentions do not need to be approved, nor (as far as I know) do they have to be said on that universally designated day. There may also be other intentions within this prayer that have universally designated days, too. So maybe this prayer can be used for this Grant?
CHAPTER III. ‘GOD THE SON’ – Art. V. “JESUS CRUCIFIED” – IX. Prayers
214. O Jesus, Who by reason of Thy burning love for us hast willed to be crucified and to shed Thy Most Precious Blood for the redemption and salvation of our souls, look down upon us here gathered together in remembrance of Thy most sorrowful Passion and Death, fully trusting in Thy mercy; cleanse us from sin by Thy grace, sanctify our toil, give unto us and unto all those who are dear to us our daily bread, sweeten our sufferings, bless our families, and to the nations so sorely afflicted, grant Thy peace, which is the only true peace, so that by obeying Thy commandments we may come at last to the glory of heaven. Amen.
The faithful, who recite this prayer with devotion at three o'clock on Good Friday, the hour when Our Lord Jesus Christ expired on the Cross, are granted: An indulgence of 500 days (S. P. Ap., Jan. 15, 1940).
The most recent indulgence Grant (we will refer to it as Grant DM) is based on Christ’s Divine Mercy and Divine Mercy Sunday. This prayer, since it is themed towards trusting in the Divine Mercy of Christ, would be a good prayer for this Grant. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: a plenary indulgence, granted under the usual conditions (...) to the faithful who, on the Second Sunday of Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday, in any church or chapel, in a spirit that is completely detached from the affection for a sin, even a venial sin, take part in the prayers and devotions held in honor of Divine Mercy, or who, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament exposed or reserved in the tabernacle, recite the Our Father and the Creed, adding a devout prayer to the merciful Lord Jesus;
APPENDIX. “Indulgences attached to visiting certain holy places in Rome” – VII. Visiting the “Seven Churches”
779. THE VISIT TO THE SO-CALLED "SEVEN CHURCHES" - The faithful who in one day, accordion to the rule of canon 923 of the Code of Canon Law, complete the devout visitation of the Seven Basilicas of the city of Rome, to wit, St. Peter's in the Vatican, St. Paul's outside the Walls, St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, St. Sebastian's, St. Lawrence outside the Walls, and Holy Cross in Jerusalem, reciting in each Basilica Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be, five time before the alter of the Blessed Sacrament and the same prayers once more for the intentions of His Holiness the Pope, adding also some prayer, according to their liking, to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the Titular Saint of the respective Basilicas, and substituting, in memory of the Passion of our Lord in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, the Apostles' Creed and the versicle "We Adore Thee, O Christ," etc., for the prayer to the titular Saint, may gain: A plenary indulgence for the visit to each of the Basilicas, on condition of confession and Holy Communion; in such a way, however, that if they are accidentally hindered from completing the entire pilgrimage through to fault of their own, they are not deprived by this interruption of the indulgences which they have gained by the visits already completed (S. P. Ap., Jan. 15, 1935).
Under Grant 33, pilgrimages to Patriarchal Basilicas in Rome still carries an indulgence today. Other aspects mentioned here carry an indulgence when done in an appropriate manner. (such as praying to the Titular Saints and pilgrimages to some other holy sites). However, all of these things, put together, do not offer a unique indulgence. There is no indulgence that requires visiting the “seven churches” in a single pilgrimage or praying the appropriate prayers in all these locations (except for the Our Father and Creed that is required in Grant 33). Therefore this traditional indulgence, as it stands, is obsolete.
“Addenda to The Raccolta” - .APPROVED-SINCE 1950. - ROSARY OF THE SEVEN DOLORS
1950s. ROSARY OF THE SEVEN DOLORS - The faithful who piously recite the Rosary of the Seven Dolors of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament publicly exposed or even reserved in the tabernacle may gain: Plenary indulgence once a day on condition of Confession and Communion (S.P. Ap., Jan. 15, 1954).
“Dolors” is a traditional term that means ‘pains’ or ‘sorrows’ and usually refers to the Sorrows of Mary. If you have never heard of this type of ‘rosary’: the ‘Rosary of the Seven Sorrows’ is a seven-decade rosary, where it’s mysteries reflect upon 7 experiences of pains/sorrows that Mary had due to the imminent passion and death of her son Jesus. The Prophesy of Simeon, Flight to Egypt, and receiving Christ’s body are a few of these mysteries. Although traditional rosaries may carry a plenary indulgence, this is not included in that. So, this prayer is granted a partial indulgence under Grant 17, as a Marian Prayer, because it has been “approved” at least once. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly address the Blessed Virgin Mary with some approved prayer.
There is also no special privilege to this prayer being said before the Blessed Sacrament. Other indulgences may reflect some aspects present here (like traditional rosaries granting an indulgence by being prayed in a church, or spending 30 mins adoring the Blessed Sacrament, which may include prayers like this) but otherwise, should this indulgence be considered as a whole, with all it’s requirements, it would be obsolete.
This concluded the Traditional Indulgences
Every prayer/practice that we evaluated today is taken from the last approved publication of the Raccolta. The Raccolta was once the official book/document/list of approved Indulgences. In its last publication there were 780+ individualized prayers/practices that were approved for gaining indulgences.
In 1967 indulgence practices were revised so that indulgences are now, today, granted more in the style of “category” of prayers/practices rather than individually. This leaves me with the question: how do the indulgenced prayers/practices from the Raccolta (traditional indulgence) line up with the indulgences of today? That question is what this “study” seeks to answer.
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