Martin Luther

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MARTIN LUTHER: THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY PROF. M. M. NINAN Prior to the modern period, indulgences could be obtained by offering a certain amount of money as alms to the Church, and in some cases were offered for forgiveness for sins not yet committed. This "selling" of indulgences was first practiced in the late thirteenth century and was changed after the Protestant Reformation, which was sparked in 1517 by <strong>Martin</strong> <strong>Luther</strong>'s objections to abuses of the tradition. In 1567, following the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V outlawed financial giving in relation to indulgences. Absolution certificates used by the Eastern Orthodox Church, first seen in Jerusalem in the sixteenth century, ceased entirely by the beginning of the twentieth century. ______________________________________________________________________________ Theology of Indulgences In Roman Catholic theology, indulgences are granted for personal sins—specific sins committed by a person—as opposed to the inherited Original Sin. Such sins are either mortal or venial ("light"). Punishments for sin can be either temporal or eternal. Temporal punishments are temporary punishments—those that affect us in this life or in purgatory. The more temporal punishments one incurs, the more suffering one must endure on earth or in purgatory. Eternal punishment, on the other hand, is everlasting. Even though one may be forgiven of a mortal sin (through the sacrament of Reconciliation)—and relieved of the eternal punishment of Hell—temporal punishments may still remain. Indulgences may be either plenary (complete) or partial. An indulgence is granted to deal with the remaining temporal punishments due to sins that have already been forgiven. The sacrament of reconciliation removes the guilt of sin and restores the penitent person to a state of grace. However, temporal punishments may still remain. In other words, although God has mercy upon sinners who repent their sins—thus enabling them to avoid eternal punishment in Hell—His justice still requires that the sinner be punished for the wrongdoing. An analogy might be a convicted murderer who has been given the death sentence but is granted clemency because of his authentic remorse, yet must still serve time in prison. Thus, even though an individual is in a state of grace, if he dies without having served any remaining temporal punishments, he is not yet qualified to enter Heaven. Therefore, these individuals “enter” purgatory, where the punishment they owe is "purged." Indulgences occur when the Church applies merit from its spiritual treasury to an individual, enabling him or her to be relieved from punishments which would otherwise have to be purged through suffering in purgatory. “According to church teaching, even after sinners are absolved in the confessional and say their Our Fathers or Hail Marys as penance, they still face punishment after death, in Purgatory, before they can enter heaven. In exchange for certain prayers, devotions or pilgrimages in special years, a Catholic can receive an indulgence, which reduces or erases that punishment instantly, with no formal ceremony or sacrament. There are partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed. You can get one for yourself, or for someone who is dead. You cannot buy one — the church outlawed the sale of indulgences in 1567 — but charitable contributions, combined with other acts, can help you earn one. There is a limit of one plenary indulgence per sinner per day. (Vitello, “Door to Absolution”) “ 14
MARTIN LUTHER: THE RELUCTANT REVOLUTIONARY PROF. M. M. NINAN Pope Saint Pius V, born Antonio Ghislieri, was Pope from 1566 to 1572. Pius V declared that indulgences could no longer be related to fees or donations. The Church changed its attitude toward some issues regarding indulgences after the Protestant Reformation. In 1567, following the Council of Trent, Pope Pius V issued a decree declaring that it is forbidden to attach the receipt of an indulgence to any financial act, including the giving of alms. In addition, the only punishment remitted by an indulgence would henceforth be existing punishment, that is, for sins already committed. Thus, indulgences would no longer be issued that could be used, in effect, as a license to sin. An individual may still gain the indulgence for a specific individual in purgatory other than himself. To gain an indulgence, an individual must be “in communion” with the Church, and have the intention of performing the work for which the indulgence is granted. To be “in communion,” the individual must be a baptized Catholic without any un-reconciled mortal sins and must not be dissenting from the Church’s teaching. Generally, a plenary indulgence requires the following conditions in order to be valid: • reconciliation, which is required for all indulgences • receiving the Eucharist • all attachment to sin must be absent • prayer for the intentions of the pope 1525 woodcut of forgiveness from Christ outweighing the pope's indulgences 15
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Published Books by Prof.M.M.Ninan w
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Martin Luther

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