The great gift of the Jubilee

Br. MichaelDavide Semeraro

At the beginning of the Jubilee, I heard about the possibility of obtaining a plenary indulgence. What is it? Can it be obtained for everyone?
C.R.

The Plenary Indulgence is one of the gifts of the Jubilee. Its meaning is not easy to understand, and the practice and doctrine of indulgence have been the target of attacks by Protestant theologians since the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. As Pope Francis underlines in the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee, “we must be aware that our thoughts, our words and our omissions leave a deep mark on our hearts, like a wound that we must heal in order to transform it into a glorious scar”. The Pope then writes: “As we know from personal experience, every sin “leaves its mark”. Sin has consequences, not only outwardly in the effects of the wrong we do, but also inwardly”.

The indulgence that we can obtain in the Jubilee Year is an act of faith in the power of mercy to heal the wounds of our hearts and to give us the original innocence, where grace becomes hope to be shared. There is nothing magical about this, but it is a profound mystery of a relationship that even death cannot break. Through prayer we remain in contact with those who have passed from this world to the world of the Father. In this regard, we understand how necessary it is to pray for those who have gone the way of the earth through prayerful intercession, which draws its strength from communion with the saints.The Jubilee Indulgence is a powerful symbol of God’s forgiveness through our prayers for the dead.

We need to be forgiven, we need the forgiveness that was given to us before we sinned: we must accept it without forgetting to ask for it. The Jubilee is a time given to us to rekindle our hope in the power of mercy that can change our hearts and renew the world, restoring it to its original beauty. Without giving in to bad inclinations, we can ask for forgiveness for our infidelities in order to walk together in God’s way towards his Kingdom, which is already among us as a seed that grows.