 Sisters of Life: Sr Mary Rose & Sr Mariea Dolorosa
Sr Marea Dolorosa is a Sister of Life, and might be walking around in Sydney for WYD. The Sisters of Life are down at the Love and Life Site during WYD at the University of Notre Dame. Indulgences are the remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. Indulgencesallow us to be both givers and receivers of God’s merciful love. An indulgenceis the Church’s way of teaching us how merciful and gentle God is toward us inour weakness. Many indulgences may be gained through small acts ofcharity, short prayers in the midst of your daily work or study. Also, theChurch assigns places and events, such as visiting a church or going on apilgrimage like World Youth Day. Indulgences may be gained either for oneselfor for a deceased person. Pope Benedict tells in Spe Salvi: “Who would not feel the need to convey to their departedloved ones a sign of kindness, a gesture of gratitude or even a request forpardon? Now a further question arises: if “Purgatory” is simply purificationthrough fire in the encounter with the Lord, Judge and Saviour, how can a thirdperson intervene, even if he or she is particularly close to the other? When weask such a question, we should recall that no man is an island, entire ofitself. Our lives are involved with one another, through innumerableinteractions they are linked together. No one lives alone. No one sins alone.No one is saved alone. The lives of others continually spill over into mine: inwhat I think, say, do and achieve. And conversely, my life spills over intothat of others: for better and for worse. "So my prayer for another is notsomething extraneous to that person, something external, not even after death.In the interconnectedness of Being, my gratitude to the other—my prayer forhim—can play a small part in his purification. And for that there is no need toconvert earthly time into God's time: in the communion of souls simple terrestrialtime is superseded. It is never too late to touch the heart of another, nor isit ever in vain. In this way we further clarify an important element of theChristian concept of hope. Our hope is always essentially also hope for others;only thus is it truly hope for me too.40 "As Christians we shouldnever limit ourselves to asking: how can I save myself? We should also ask:what can I do in order that others may be saved and that for them too the starof hope may rise? Then I will have done my utmost for my own personal salvationas well.” – Spe Salvi You canlearn more about indulgences from the Vatican website, www.vatican.va, and from the Handbook ofIndulgences. Related Links: Pilgrims visiting WYD may gain an indulgence. |
