The Irish standard., 1915-09-11
MGR. sENsoN's LETTER
ON PAPAL INDuLGENcEs

NV dear Sir: / am glad that you
think that have made the doctrine
Of penance appear to you. at any rate,
rather reasonable. l quite understand,
however, that you will need thought
and consideration before you can say
more.
You have put your finger exactly
on the point when you raise the ques-
ton Of indulgences, and you very
properly say that you do not under
stand how 1t can be that If absolution
really forgives sin, anything like an
indulgence is required.
Now, you will pardon me for saying
In return that I gather you have not
quite grasped what it is that Catholics
mean by an Indulgence" l am very
thankful, however, that obviously you
do not think it to be a "leave to com.
init sin," or any nonsense of that kind.
However, perhaps, the best thing for
me to do is to explain clearly why an
indulgence is as reasonable and newt
able, granted the main premises OF
Christianity and common sense, as are
the other Catholic doctrines. But l
shall have to begin some way of from
the subject.
Imagine, If you please, drunkard
of fifty years standing who repents
with his whole heart and amends his
life. Such a man as this is at once
according to both Catholic and Protes'
tant doctrine, forgiven by the power
of the Precious Blood. Yet, it is q
matter of experience, is it not, that
such a man still has to pay the pen
atty Of his sins-not the eternal pen
atty, of course, that is forgiven him
as soon as his guilt Is washed away
in the blood of the Lamb-but the
temporal" penalties; he does not
that is to say, Immediately regain his
health or the money he has wasted OF
the friends he has alienated. Here
then, is a great principle-to the eff
feet that God does not always remit
the punishment Of the sin when He
RENTS the guilt. (You remember how
it was after David's sin. "The Lord
hath put away thy sin," said Nathan
the priest to the King, as soon as Da
vid had made his confession; never.
the less, the child that is born to thee
shall surely die.")
Now, we Catholics believe, as do you
Professionals also, that Gods attitude
8 to US is a reasonable and consistent
attitude. We may conclude then, that
since in physical sins, such as drunk
enness or lust or excess, there are
temporal penalties. usually physical
so, too, it is in other sins-spiritua
sins, for instance-such as pride o.
resentment or anger or envy-ever
though we cannot always see what tn,
penalties are.
Now, imagine that our drunkard onl.
repents on his deathbed, two minutes
: before he dies. What about thes'
temporal penalties which he still owe
to God? Is he going to escape then
altogether? Is it fair that he shout,
not have to pay anything, wherea
other men who have perhaps repente
long ago have still their shattere'
health and their poverty and thei
loneliness? Could we believe in God
Justice If that were so?
We Catholics, then, hold that
those penalties are not paid in thi
world they are in the next; that thi
drunkard of ours, or, let US say.
proud, sriteful, revengeful man VIII
has always had the best of everything
and who has repented only just Il
time-that men like this, even thougl
their guilt has been washed away, still
must pay their temporal" debts t
God; and we call the place where tn
transaction is completed, Purgatory.
Now, please do not be alarmed a
the word. The word is nothing. Pu
out of your mind all the false thing
you have heard said about that doc
trine. Face the fact. Is not the ide.
perfectly reasonable and perfectly con
! sistent both with Christianity ant
common sense? Unless you holt
a...n.na -,