Although it is not explicitly defined anywhere in relation to indulgences some understanding of what “Works” and “Grants” are can still be observed based off of what Indulgence documents do say about them.
Presented in the Apostolic Constitution Indulgentiarum doctrina (OF POPE PAUL VI) of 1968, these (relevant) segments read as follows:
(7…) The use of indulgences, which spread gradually, became a very evident fact in the history of the Church when the Roman Pontiffs decreed that certain works useful to the common good of the Church “could replace all penitential practices” and that the faithful who were “truly repentant and had confessed their sins” and performed such works were granted “by the mercy of Almighty God and... trusting in the merits and the authority of His Apostles” and ‘by virtue of the fullness of the apostolic power,’ not only full and abundant forgiveness, but the most complete forgiveness for their sins possible.”
(8…) The aim pursued by ecclesiastical authority in granting indulgences is not only that of helping the faithful to expiate the punishment due sin but also that of urging them to perform works of piety, penitence and charity—particularly those which lead to growth in faith and which favor the common good.
Found in the Introduction of the “Manuel of Indulgences,” it also reads:
1. [In] The publication of the first edition of this Manual of Indulgences in June 1968... [and in further revisions] “...only the principal prayers and principal works of piety, charity and penance have an indulgence attached to them.”
2. In this regard the principal prayers and principal works have been taken to be those which by tradition and by their suitability for present-day needs seem particularly apt, so that not only are the faithful helped to make satisfaction for the punishment due their sins, but also, and above all, are encouraged to a greater zeal for the exercise of charity. This is the principle upon which the compilation of this work is based.
(3...)Nevertheless an indulgence can be attached, according to tradition, to various works of piety, both private and public; likewise, works of charity and penance, which in our own times are accorded increased importance, can also be so enriched.
7. There follows a listing of grants pertaining to certain works of religion. These, however, are few in number, since several works are covered by the general grants, and since in the case of prayers explicit mention is limited to those of universal appeal and character…
So, now that you have been loaded up with official information we return to our question, "What are Indulgence Works/Grants?" To phrase it: Indulgence Works are prayers and practices of piety, charity and penance, that have been enriched by an attached indulgence. These prayers and works can be of private or public need, or traditional or of current need.
These certain works, even prior to having an indulgence attached to them, are useful to the common good of the Church, lead to growth in faith, and when paired with ones true repentance and confession of sins they are seen as capable of replace all penitential practices (aka. penance). Therefore the church attaches indulgences to these, not just so the faithful can be helped to make satisfaction for the punishment due their sins, but also and above all so that the faithful are encouraged to a greater zeal for the exercise of charity.
The word 'Grant' is simply a means of categorizing these Works. They pertain to certain specific works that have universal appeal and character (of which there is about 33 ‘special/specific’ Grants). Or they cover a variety of works (of which there are 4 “General Grants”).
The works covered in General Grants can be expressed in many ways. Therefore few to no ways are explicitly described in the Grant. For example: General Grant II says:
A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, led by the spirit of faith, give compassionately of themselves or of their goods to serve their brothers in need.
This Grant could be expressed in thousands of ways, and even though the Grant does provide more paragraphs to read that would give you an understanding of the Grant, it could never count out all the ways this Grant could be fulfilled.
It does further note though that not all of the works that CAN fall under these general categories are enriched with indulgences, but only those works which are carried out in a special manner and spirit. It's important to remember this because these General Grants are intended to incorporate one's full daily life and spirituality (they are broad enough in language to incorporate all of that). But, simply because one might preform works in their daily life and spirituality that CAN fall under a General Grant, this does not mean that it is able to gain an Indulgence if it's not done in that special manner and/or spirit too, which is geared towards the Indulgences.
The works covered in the rest of the Grants that are more specific can be seen as ‘special occasion’ Grants. These Grants are usually limited to a particular time, place, day, event, occasion, or have specific prayer or actions. So, even though there are more of these types of Grants, most of them only apply to one specific action or 1 specific type of actions.
Fun fact: These ‘special’ Grants are also where the opportunity to gain Plenary Indulgences lie, since the General Grants are only able to grant Partial Indulgences. Not to say that every special Grants is open to a Plenary Indulgence (there are in fact many partial indulgences for special occasions) but there are no Plenary Indulgences that are designed to be covered by the broad language of the 4 General Grants.
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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