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Maryse Usher's avatar

I think indulgences are really easy to perform .... except for the perfect contrition requirement. Am I really resolved to detach from all sins (knowing my track record) and do these include even venial sins? That's where I am hopeful for a partial indulgence even when I have aimed for the heavens but landed on a bramble bush.

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ALT's avatar

That's generally the catch. Because it definitely includes venial sins. That doesn't mean so much that you will never again commit a sin, but it does mean that you have to be opposed to the idea, for all sins. I assume (but do not know) that this implies you don't have any habits of venial sin, as this implies an unbroken attachment. Which would certainly reduce my chances to zero.

Partial indulgences are so soothing after brambles.

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Bridget's avatar

The simple thing to do is, before doing the indulgenced action, ask God for "detachment from all sin for at least the duration of the indulgenced action", and then do not worry about it.

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ALT's avatar

This feels vaguely like a cheat code in a video game, but I'm not averse to cheat codes.

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Bridget's avatar

It is a cheat code but in the other direction. It is a cheat code that God is using to get ahead in a game he is playing, not one we are using to get ahead in a game we are playing.

God wants to detach us from all created things, or at any rate, from their misuse (tl;dr: because he wants us to be happy, and he knows the only way for us to be happy.) But I don't want that because e.g. I think that eating an entire chocolate cake in one sitting is the only way for me to be happy, or I think life would be unbearable if I could not tear down my friends' reputations behind their backs, etc.; God has said I would be happy without these things but I just don't trust him, what does he know about it? So any little time that I say "actually I would like to be detached from just this one thing that I have been misusing (which I realize is ruining my life in a small way)" or "actually I would like to not be attached to sin for just a few minutes (instead of having a few sins that I just don't want to ever give up)" then God, a very persistent door to door salesman of eternal happiness, can get a foot in the door. If he can DEMONSTRATE to me (repeatedly and in small ways) that life really is not only liveable but much more joyful when I have given up such-and-such, then eventually (gradually) I am less resistant to being saved from (not to put too fine a point on it) my own stupidity and distrustfulness.

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ALT's avatar

This is an awesome comment and I will now subscribe to this cheat code. In time for Divine Mercy Sunday too.

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