The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1875-07-14

efficacy of penitential works, is attested
by the readiness with which they sub
mitted to the severe laws or canons then
/ in force. By these laws they were re-
quired to perform the most painful ana
/ bumiliatinc works of penance, often for
, five. or seven, or ten years; sometimes for
life. But the Church did not intend to
measure the length of the suferings IN
! Purgatory which one might have de-
served. by the duration of their canoni-
cal nenances. What amount of punish
ment any sin deserves, is known only to
God; so too, what is the precise efficacy
of any meritorious work, He alone can
| tell.
When now the church affixes to any
pious or penitential work, an indulgence
of a specified period; for example, of one
hundred or three hundred daysi-she
does not mean as some imagine, TO remit
just that many days of suffering in Purga-
tory, but she simply grants to the prop
er performance of the prescribed good
work, the same remission of temporal
punishment, which would have been Sc
cured by performing that number o. days
canonical penance according to the an
cient discipline OF the church. BY full
filling the conditions required for gaining
an indulgence, we are only substituting
one kind of good work for another gen.
orally less severe, but, in virtue OF the
church's power, deserving the same re-
mission of temporal punishment, but not
necessarily the same amount OF future re-
compense.
Whether or not indulgences, properly
so-called, were granted by the Church In
her earliest days may be disputed. We
may concede that they were not without
detriment to the Chulch's power to grant
them. For the power to grantinduigen-
ces and their use are two very different
things. 1t is doctrine Of faith that the
Church has, and always has had, this
power; but the exercise of this power per-
tains to the discipline OF the Church,
which she is at liberty to change, as she
considers most conducive to the good OF
her children. In primitive times the
Church may not have deemed it necessary
or useful to use this powerto any great
extent, 1t is certain that then there
was very much more fervor among
Christians. The very severity OF the
canonical penances, so checriuliy per,
formed, shows that they were not afraid
to expate in full, if possible, here below,
the temporal pain due to their sins. AS
long as this generous spirit possessed
them the Church did not judge it wise to
check their spirit of heroic sacrifice, ana
she found not the same reasons to mltl'
gate her discipline by the exercise OF
mower the use of which was left to her
own discretion. Should she consider it
proper. she could ut any time so alter her
discipline as to grant those favors more
rarely, or to suppress them entirely. That
there have been abuses by private midi
viduals in dispensing indulgences we do
not denv; but the Church Is not to be
blamed for these abuses, which she has
always endeavored to prevent or correct.
OF this fact every well-read student Of
ecclesiastical history must be satisfied
The reverend clergy will read this Pas
toral to their people as soon rs possible
after its reception, not only in their
parish churches, but also at the stations
in their missions, and they will leave
nothing undone to induce the faithful
under their charge to secure all the
cruces OF this privileged year.
Given at our residence in Wheeling
on the Nativity Of st. John the Baptist,
A ID. 1919. + john JOSEPH,
Bishop of Wheeling.
JOHN 7. SULLIVAN, Secretary.