They are like Mass intentions, prayers, rosaries, holy water. . . They encompass a great deal. Simply put, if a holy person, who regularly receives the sacraments, desires to obtain greater spiritual benefits from his prayers and actions, he can apply to the Church for these benefits. Every time, a person wishes to obtain spiritual benefit from a prayer, not only by virtue of his prayer, but by virtue of the Church supporting him in this, he should desire an indulgence, for that is what an indulgence is. However, indulgences, or better put the spiritual benefits of the treasury of the church, obtained through the Church as indulgences, are applied only to temporal punishment.
Temporal punishment is something very much too ignored by many.
It is one half of the consequences of sin. The guilt of sin is what is seen in the eyes of God's Justice. However, while through this sacrament the absolution from guilt is obtained, the remission of all temporal punishment is absolutely not obtained . And cannot be ignored. One drives along around a street corner, too fast, selfishly breaking the law.