“The grace of complete remission of sins and punishment”. Misterium indulgentiae — “ex thesauro ecclesiae”
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/ps.29304Keywords:
Feast of Mercy, Church, plenary indulgence, confession, God's mercyAbstract
On May 5, 2000 The Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments announced that “the Holy Father John Paul II graciously recommended that the term ‘or Divine Mercy’ be added after the title ‘Second Sunday of Easter’ in the Roman Missal.” On June 29, 2002, the Solemnity of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, the Apostolic Penitentiary made public that “the Holy Father has decreed that a plenary indulgence may be granted on the aforementioned Sunday.” The final decree by the power of the Church’s jurisdiction crowns the long legislative process concerning the revelation of Sunday, April 25, 1937, and which we find in the “Diary” in No. 1109: “I wish to grant a plenary indulgence to those souls who go to confession and Holy Communion on the Feast of My Mercy.” The Holy See’s decision is a response to the revelations of Jesus, who promises that “whosoever comes to the Fountain of Life on this day shall obtain complete remission of trespasses and punishments” (“Diary”, 300) and “whichever soul comes to Confession and Holy Communion shall obtain complete remission of trespasses and punishments” (“Diary”, 699). The Feast of Mercy, by its theological depth and the power of its pastoral impact, takes on the character of an annually awaited solemn jubilee of mercy, a “solemn plenary indulgence,” i.e., the fullest one, calling the faithful to holiness of life, bringing hope for peace, revealing the value of works of mercy and penitential practices. Defining in the course of the deliberations undertaken the concept of indulgence and the conditions necessary to obtain this gift of mercy, it is confirmed the need for the Church’s mediation and the necessity of a sacramental life, especially the life of the sacrament of penance and reconciliation, so pastorally tangible on the Feast of Mercy.
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