November 4-7 - Traditional Indulgence of the day!

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

November

4, 5, 6, & 7

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

• 249. Visit a church / Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

  • potential plenary indulgence… Grant 33

• 229. Divine Heart of Jesus

  • partial indulgence… General Grant 1

• 572. Prayers - Saint Margret Mary

  • partial indulgence… Grant 21

• 736. The Recitation of the Divine Office in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament

  • plenary/partial indulgence… Grant 7

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. VII. “THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS” – V. Pious Practices

249. The faithful who devoutly visit a church or public oratory where the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is being celebrated (even though it has been transferred with the consent of the Ordinary may gain: A plenary indulgence on conditions of confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff (Secret Mem., July 7, 1815; S. P. Ap., Nov. 4, 1934).

As I understand this traditional indulgence, it impels that any church that celebrates the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus would offer an indulgence. According to current indulgences this is ‘Notwithstanding.’ The only way this would offer an indulgence today is if the Church’s Titular is the Sacred Heart of Jesus. That is taken from Grant 33. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who visit, and there devoutly recite an Our Father and the Creed,… b. on the solemnity of its Titular;… -a minor basilica -the cathedral church -a parish church [or] -an international, national, or diocesan shrine established by competent authority

---

CHAPTER III. ‘GOD THE SON’ – Art. VII. “THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS”

– I. Ejaculations and Invocations

229. Divine Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, deliver the holy souls in purgatory. An indulgence of 300 days (Pius X, Rescript in his own hand, July 13, 1906, exhib. Nov. 5, 1906).

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.

---

CHAPTER VII. - “THE SAINTS” – Art. IV “IN HONOR OF OTHER SAINTS” – LV. Saint Margret Mary Alacoque, Virgin

572. Prayers - Saint Margret Mary, thou who wast made a partaker of the divine treasures of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, obtain for us, we beseech thee, from this adorable Heart, the graces we need so sorely. We ask these favors of thee with unbounded confidence. May the divine Heart of Jesus be pleased to bestow them upon us through thy intercession, so that once again He may be loved and glorified through thee. Amen.

V. Pray for us, O blessed Margaret;

R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus Christ, who didst wondrously open the unsearchable riches of Thy Heart to blessed Margaret Mary, the Virgin: grant unto us, by her merits and our imitation of her, that we may love Thee in all things and above all things, and may be worthy to have our everlasting dwelling in the same Thy Sacred Heart: Who livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

An indulgence of 300 days, once a day. A plenary indulgence on the usual conditions, if these prayers are said every day for a month (S. P. Ap., June 22, 1922 and Nov. 6, 1935).

Approved prayers may be said on the memorial of any saint listed in the calendar, according to Grant 21. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who on the memorial of any saint listed in the calendar recite in that saint’s honor the prayer taken from the Missal or another one approved by legitimate authority.

---

CHAPTER IX. “FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS” – PART II. “IN FAVOR OF CERTAIN GROUPS OF PERSONS” – III. PRAYERS TO BE SAID BY CLERICS IN HOLY ORDERS AND BY PRIESTS - (B) FOR THE DUE FULFILLMENT OF THEIR SACRED DUITES

736. The Recitation of the Divine Office in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament – a) Clerics in Holy Orders, who devoutly recite the entire Divine Office, even when separated into parts, before the Blessed Sacrament whether exposed for public adoration or reserved in the Tabernacle, are granted: A plenary indulgence, if they make their confession, receive Holy Communion and pray for the intentions of the Holy Father (S. P. Ap., Oct. 23, 1930).

b) Those, however, who recite only a part of the Divine Office before the Blessed Sacrament, as above, are granted: An indulgence of 500 days for each canonical Hour (S. P. Ap., May 18, 1933).

c) Moreover, those clerics who have duly obtained the commutation of the Divine Office into other prayers, if they recite these prayers devoutly before the Blessed Sacrament, as above, may gain: A plenary indulgence, on condition of confession, Holy Communion and prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father (S. P. Ap., Nov. 7, 1932).

The Divine Office is also known as the Liturgy of Hours. Some prayers of the Liturgy of Hours are mentioned in the Manuel of Indulgences directly. Certainly the rest of the Liturgy of Hours may be indulgenced under other generalized grants, like Grant 15 for mental prayer at the very least.

As for the adoration portion of this, the Divine Office does not need to be prayed before the Blessed Sacrament to gain any indulgence, but an hour and a half of Adoration does offer a potential plenary indulgence, under Grant 7. The specific reference in the 'Manuel of Indulgences' is as follows: A plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful who visit the Blessed Sacrament for adoration lasting at least a half hour; A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who visit the Blessed Sacrament for adoration;

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.