May 27-30 - Traditional Indulgence of the day!

We are evaluating old indulgences that have been approve on todays date of: 

May

27, 28, 29 & 30

List of Traditional materials we will be looking at today, and the current/withstanding grants that they satisfy (directly or indirectly).

• 204. Dear Jesu, who for love of me

  • potential plenary indulgence… Grant 13

• 588. Novena for the souls of the faithful departed

  • partial indulgence… Grant 22

• 349. Holy Mary, be thou a help

  • partial indulgence… Grant 17

• 300. Mother of love

  • partial indulgence… General Grant 1

NOTE:

• Every prayer may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if applied correctly, under Grant 15.

• Every invocation may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if applied correctly, under ‘General Grant ’ 1 

• Every practice may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if it is applied correctly, under one of the ‘General Grant’s 2, 3, or 4

• 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.

CHAPTER III. ‘GOD THE SON’ – Art. V. “JESUS CRUCIFIED” – VIII. Prayers in memory of the Seven Words on the Cross

204. V. O God, come unto my assistance.

R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

V. Glory be, etc.

R. As it was, etc.

FIRST WORD Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.

Dear Jesu, who for love of me dost suffer upon the Cross in order to pay with Thy sufferings the debt of my sins and dost open Thy divine lips to obtain for me their remission from the eternal justice of God, have pity on all the faithful who are in their last agony and upon me; and when I shall come to that final hour, by the merits of Thy Most Precious Blood which was shed for our salvation, give me such a lively sorrow for my sins as shall cause my soul to expire in the bosom of Thine infinite mercy.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times). Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us.

My God, I believe in Thee, I hope in Thee, I love Thee and I repent of having offended Thee by my sins.

SECOND WORD This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise

Dear Jesu, who for love of me dost hang in agony upon the Cross, and with such readiness and bounty dost respond to the faith of the good thief who in the midst of Thy humiliation acknowledges Thee to be the Son of God, and dost assure him of paradise, have pity on all the faithful who are in their agony and upon me; and when I shall come to my latter end, by the merits of Thy Most Precious Blood, inspire in my soul a faith so firm and constant that it shall not waver at any suggestions of the evil spirit; so may I obtain the reward of Thy holy paradise.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times). Have mercy, etc. (as above). My God, etc. (as above).

THIRD WORD Behold thy mother; behold thy son.

Dear Jesu, who for love of me dost hang in agony upon the Cross, and who, forgetting Thine own sufferings, dost bequeath to me Thy most holy Mother as a pledge of Thy love, in order that, through her, I may be enabled to have recourse to Thee with all confidence in my greatest necessities, have pity on all the faithful who are in their agony and upon me; and when I shall come to my latter end, by the interior martyrdom of Thy dear Mother, inspire in my heart a firm trust in the infinite merits of Thy Most Precious Blood, whereby I may be able to escape the eternal damnation which I have merited by my sins.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times). Have mercy, etc. My God, etc. (as above).

FOURTH WORD My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?

Dear Jesu, who for love of me dost hang in agony upon the Cross, and who, adding suffering to suffering, besides Thy bodily pains, dost endure with infinite patience the most painful affliction of spirit at being abandoned by Thine eternal Father, have pity on all the faithful who are in their agony and upon me; and when I shall come to the hour of death, by the merits of Thy Most Precious Blood, give me the grace of suffering with true patience all the pains and agony of my death-struggle, so that by uniting my suffering to Thine, I may be able at the last to share Thy glory in paradise.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times). Have mercy, etc. My God, etc.

FIFTH WORD I thirst.

Dear Jesu, who for love of me dost hang in agony upon the Cross, and who, not yet satisfied with so many reproaches and sufferings, wouldst suffer even more, if thereby all men might be saved, showing thus that the whole torrent of Thy Passion is not enough to slake the thirst of Thy loving Heart, have pity on all the faithful who are in their agony and upon me; and when I shall come to my final hour, by the merits of Thy Most Precious Blood, enkindle so great a fire of love within my heart as shall cause it to die for very desire of being united to Thee through all eternity.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times). Have mercy, etc. My God, etc.

SIXTH WORD All is finished.

Dear Jesu, who for love of me dost hang in agony upon the Cross, and from the pulpit of truth dost proclaim that Thou hast finished the work of our redemption, where-by man, from being a child of wrath and perdition, has been made a son of God and an heir of heaven, have pity on all the faithful who are in their agony and upon me; and when I shall come to my last hour, by the merits of Thy Most Precious Blood, detach me wholly from the world and from myself, giving me the grace to offer Thee from my heart the sacrifice of my life in expiation of my sins.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times). Have mercy, etc. My God, etc.

SEVENTH WORD Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.

Dear Jesu, who for the love of me dost hang in agony upon the Cross, and who to complete this great sacrifice dost embrace the will of thine eternal Father, resigning Thy spirit into His hands, and then dost bow Thy head and die, have pity on all the faithful who are in their agony and upon me; and when I shall come to my latter end, by the merits of Thy Most Precious Blood give me a perfect conformity to Thy divine will, so that I may be ready to live or die, as it shall please Thee; nor do I desire anything else except the perfect fulfillment in me of Thine adorable will.

Glory be to the Father, etc. (three times). Have mercy, etc. My God, etc.

Prayer to the Sorrowful Mother

Most holy Mother of sorrows, by that soul-piercing martyrdom thou didst undergo at the foot of the Cross during the three hours' agony of Jesus, deign to assist me also, who am the child of thy sorrows, in my agony, so that by thine intercession I may be found worthy to pass from my deathbed to thy blessed society in paradise.

V. From a sudden and unprovided death,

R. Deliver me, O Lord.

V. From the snares of the devil,

R. Deliver me, O Lord.

V. From everlasting death,

R. Deliver me, O Lord.

Let us pray.

O God, who for the salvation of mankind hast made for us in the most bitter death of Thy Son both an example and a refuge; grant, we beseech Thee, that we may be found worthy to obtain the fruit of His great love in our final peril at the hour of death, and to be made partakers of our Redeemer's glory. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

An indulgence of 7 years. A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if this prayer is recited daily for a month (S. C. Rit., Aug. 26, 1814; S. C. Ind., Dec. 8, 1897; S. P. Ap., May 27, 1935).

In Grant 13, regarding Stations of the Cross/Way of the Cross, it says this: “According to common custom, the pious exercise consists of fourteen devotional readings, to which some vocal prayers are added. To make the Way of the Cross, however, it is sufficient to meditate devoutly on the Lord’s Passion and Death, and therefore reflection on the particular mysteries of the individual stations is not necessary.” This would mean that a prayer like this could be used as a meditation, so long as the rest of the guidelines are followed from the Grant.

Also in this Grant, an exception is given: “Those legitimately impeded can acquire the same indulgence, if they spend some time, e.g., at least a quarter of an hour, in reading and meditating on the Passion and Death of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” Therefore, if you are legitimately impeded, a prayer like this could satisfy the whole plenary indulgence in this way.

The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who personally make the pious Way of the Cross, or devoutly unite themselves to the Way of the Cross while it is being led by the Supreme Pontiff and broadcast live on television or radio.

Lastly, if there is any reason why this prayer wouldn’t be good to use for Grant 13, it could still gain a partial indulgence under Grant 15 for Mental Prayer.

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CHAPTER VIII. ‘FOR THE FAITHFUL DEPARTED’ – IV. Devout Exercises

588. The faithful who devoutly offer prayers at any season of the year in intercession for the souls of the faithful departed, with the intention of so continuing for seven or nine successive days, may obtain: An indulgence of 3 years once each day; A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions at the end of their seven or nine days of prayer (Pius IX, Audience Jan. 5, 1849; S. C. of Bishops and Religious, Jan. 28, 1850; S. C. Ind., Nov. 26, 1876; S. P. Ap., May 28, 1933)

The seven days of prayer may be granted under Grant 15 for Mental Prayer. The nine days would fall under Grant 22. For an indulgence, novenas need to be said “publicly,” which is generally understood that a parish or diocese or the Church at large set-up/approves a novena to be said by the laity. You cannot do it only on your own or in a group that is not sets/approved by a current ecclesiastic authority. Novenas like these, known as ‘private’ novenas, are notwithstanding for an indulgence.

The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who devoutly assist at public novenas.

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CHAPTER V. “THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY” – Art. I “GENERAL DEVOTIONS TO THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN” – IX. Prayers

349. Holy Mary, be thou a help to the helpless, strength to the fearful, comfort to the sorrowful, pray for the people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all holy women consecrated to God; may all who keep thy sacred commemoration feel the might of thine assistance (Roman Breviary). An indulgence of 3 years. A plenary indulgence once a month on the usual conditions for the devout recitation of this prayer every day (S. P. Ap., May 29, 1936).

This prayer is granted a partial indulgence under Grant 17, 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

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CHAPTER V. “THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY” – Art. I “GENERAL DEVOTIONS TO THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN” – I. Ejaculations and Invocations.

300. Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us. An indulgence of 300 days (Pius X, Audience, May 14, 1908; S. C. Ind., May 30, 1908).

Every invocation may be eligible for a partial indulgence, if applied correctly, under ‘General Grant’ 1. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who, while carrying out their duties and enduring the hardships of life, raise their minds in humble trust to God and make, at least mentally, some pious invocation.

This concludes 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.