A friend called a few days ago and said, "Did you get it?" "Did you get it?"
"The virus?" I replied, a bit befuddled.
"No, no," Sharon said. "The plenary indulgence. The Pope gave one out to everyone who watched him last Friday at 3 pm."
"Really," I answered. "I didn't realize that."
And why was she telling me about this after the fact I thought to myself.
In this time of crisis, especially in Italy, I understand that the Pope wants to support and bring comfort to his flock and I suppose an indulgence may well serve that function for some.
But what exactly is a plenary indulgence? I should know but for some reason, I can't help but think of a fastpass at Disneyland.
According to Catholic sources, "even though a sinner repents, there is a type of punishment that still remains." Apparently, an indulgence removes the residue of sin as it "brings about the necessary restoration and reparation without the suffering that normally accompanies it."
Sounds to me that an indulgence works a bit like a damp cloth taking the chalk dust off a dusty blackboard.
I've never heard the term 'residue of sin' and I wonder if it's actually a corollary of the concept of original sin.
In any case, I really don't buy it.
Not sure if that makes me a bad Catholic but I am sure that Jesus worked exclusively with instant clean whiteboards.
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