The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

""INDULGENCES. 429our Saviour empowered His Church to deliver herchildren (if properly disposed) from every obstaclethat might retard them from the kingdom of heaven.Now there are two impediments that withhold a manfrom the heavenly kingdom, sin, and the temporalpunishment incurred by And it. the Church havingpower to remit the greater obstacle, which is sin, haspower also to remove the smaller obstacle, which isthe temporal punishment due on account of it.The prerogative of granting Indulgence has beenexercised by the teachers of the Church from thebeginning of her existence.St. Paul exercised it in behalf of the incestuousCorinthian whom he had condemned to a severepenance proportioned to his guilt,. that his spiritmight be saved in the day of the Lord." 1 Andhaving learned afterwards of the Corinthian s ferventcontrition, the Apostle absolves him from the penancewhich he had imposed: To him, that is such a one,this rebuke is sufficient, which is given by many.So that contrariwise you should rather pardon andcomfort him, lest, perhaps, such a one be swallowedup with over-much sorrow And to whom youFor, what I havehave pardoned anything,I also.pardoned, if I have pardoned anything, for yourmkes I have done it, in the person of Christ." 2Here we have all the elements that constitutean Indulgence.1. A penance, or temporal punishment proportionedto the gravityof the offence,~I. Cor. v. 5.8 II. Cor. ii. 6-10.