Jubilee Year and Plenary Indulgences

On December 8th. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception we began the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. This jubilee year carries with it a special opportunity to earn plenary indulgences by making pilgrimage through a holy door.  For many Catholics that first sentence will raise a few questions. 1. What is a jubilee year? 2. What is a Holy Door? 3. What is a plenary indulgence? 4. How to I earn earn a plenary indulgence?

1. What is a jubilee year?
A jubilee year in the Catholic Church is a time of grace. The motto for this jubilee year is “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful” (Lk 6:36 ). Pope Francis has declared this year from December 8th, 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, through December 20th, 2016, The Feast of Christ the King of the Universe, to be an Extraordinary Year of Mercy.
This jubilee (or Holy Year) is extraordinary because it falls outside of the normal 25 year cycle for a Holy Year. The first Holy Year plenary indulgence was initiated by Pope Boniface VIII on Christmas in the year 1300 and set an interval of every 100 years. Clement VI shortened this interval to every 50 years in 1343, and Urban VI further reduced the interval to every 33 years in 1389. Paul II (Ineffabilis providentia, April 19, 1470) set the cycle of holy years at one every 25 years; Sixtus IV therefore declared a Jubilee in 1475; this interval has remained in force, notwithstanding the extraordinary jubilees.... Gradually, the meaning of the jubilee shifted from the simple “plenissime” indulgence to a broader and more positive intention: spiritual renewal in love for God, fidelity to the Gospel and thereby the progress of human society in justice and charity” (Pius XII, Bull Jubilaeum maximum, May 26, 1949) The Holy Year convoked by Pope Francis falls ourside of the this 25 year cycle and so is exraordinary. The Popes have convoked many extraordinary Holy Years through history both to commemorate anniversaries and to advert dangers against the church. The occasion for this holy year is the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of Vatican Council II, December 8, 1965.

2. What is a Holy Door?
The Holy Door is located in St. Peters Basilica in Rome. Traditionally during a Holy Year pilgrims would travel to Rome to walk through one of the four Holy Doors located in each of the four major basilicas. Those doors are bricked shut and only opened during Holy Years so that Pilgrims may gain the plenary indulgence associated with passing through them. Pope John Paul II stated that the Holy Door "... evokes the passage from sin to grace which every Christian is called to accomplish. Jesus said, 'I am the door' (Jn 10:7) in order to make it clear that no one can come to the Father except through Him. This designation which Jesus applies to Himself testifies to the fact that He alone is the Savior sent by the Father. There is only one way that opens wide the entrance into this life of communion with God: This is Jesus, the one and absolute way to salvation. To Him alone can the words of the psalmist be applied in full truth: 'This is the door of the Lord where the just may enter' (Ps 118:20)." 
Apostolic Constitution Per annum sacrum (December 25, 1950) proclaimed the universal character of the jubilee indulgence, which was extended until December 31, 1951. It was no longer absolutely necessary to make the journey to Rome, since ordinaries were authorized to designate in every episcopal see, for the prescribed visits, the cathedral church and three other churches of oratories in which worship services were celebrated regularly.

As part of this Holy Year of Mercy Holy Doors will for the first time be available in individual diocese. In our Diocese of Duluth the Holy Door is located in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary in Duluth. The opening of these Holy Doors provides a special opportunity for as many Catholics to be able to make the pilgrimage through a Holy Door as possible and each door provides the same opportunity for an indulgence as the Holy Door in St. Peters.

3. What is a plenary indulgence?
This is how an indulgence is defined in the Code of Canon Law (can. 992) and in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (n. 1471): "An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints". 

This indulgence can be gained for yourself or for the soul of someone already deceased. You cannot however earn the indulgence on behalf of another living person. 

A plenary indulgence can be earned once per day. 

How do I earn a plenary indulgence?

There are many ways to earn a plenary indulgence, but for the purpose of the Holy Year of Mercy the requirements are: 

— have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin, even venial sin;
— have sacramentally confessed their sins;
— receive the Holy Eucharist (it is certainly better to receive it while participating in Holy Mass, but for the indulgence only Holy Communion is required);
— pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. This can be any prayer but an Our Father and a Hail Mary are recommended. 

Having met the above requirements, for the Holy Year of Mercy the final act of the indulgence would be to make a pious pilgrimage to one of the Holy Doors and to Pass through the door. This should if possible be done on the same day as going to reconciliation, receiving the Eucharist and  praying for the intention of the Pope, however it can be performed up to 20 days away. Apostioic Penitentiary The Gift of the Indulgence

It is also possible to earn an indulgence by completing the above preparation and then performing one of the Spiritual or Corporal work of mercy. Pope Francis Says in his letter outlining the means of obtaining indulgences in the Jubliee year, "Each time that one of the faithful personally performs one or more of these actions, he or she shall surely obtain the Jubilee Indulgence." The seven corporal works of mercy are; 1. To feed the hungry, 2. To give drink to the thirsty, 3. To clothe the naked, 4. To shelter the homeless. 5. To visit the sick, 6. To visit the imprisoned, 7. To bury the dead. The seven spiritual works of mercy are; 1. To counsel the doubtful, 2. To instruct the ignorant, 3. To admonish the sinner, 4. To comfort the sorrowful, 5. To forgive all injuries, 6. To bear wrongs patiently, 7. To pray for the living and the dead.

In his letter the Pope also gives consideration to the ill and elderly who may not be able to make the pilgrimage to a holy door, in his letter he states. "those for whom, for various reasons, it will be impossible to enter the Holy Door, particularly the sick and people who are elderly and alone, often confined to the home. For them it will be of great help to live their sickness and suffering as an experience of closeness to the Lord who in the mystery of his Passion, death and Resurrection indicates the royal road which gives meaning to pain and loneliness. Living with faith and joyful hope this moment of trial, receiving communion or attending Holy Mass and community prayer, even through the various means of communication, will be for them the means of obtaining the Jubilee Indulgence."