New Year’s Day is upon us, and what if instead of making the usual resolutions – lose weight, get organized, read more books – we opted to attempt to help empty Purgatory? Pope Francis gave us this gift which began on Dec. 29, 2024. We have a few days left of this Jubilee Year of Hope, which concludes on Jan. 6, 2026 when Pope Leo XIV closes the Holy Door at Saint Peter’s Basilica. Before we get to that day, people can still make a pilgrimage and through that act, obtain an indulgence for a soul in Purgatory.
An indulgence is “a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the actions of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1471).
It would benefit our own souls as well.
For those unfamiliar with the basics of an indulgence, the ordinary requirements include being free from attachment to sin, receiving the sacrament of the Eucharist and Penance, and praying for the pope’s designated intentions for the month. If part of these requirements is lacking, God’s grace as understood through the Church, allows for a partial indulgence.
Making a pilgrimage to a designated Jubilee site is part of this Jubilee Year of Hope. Opting to seek a holy site (and there are several in the Archdiocese of Washington), is an impulse towards holiness. It is a willed act to seek the good of another, and thus holy. Getting from point A to point B in this area is not without effort, and it is thus sacrificial in nature. God sees our hearts, and seeking to free a soul from even the consequences of sin, that desire performed, is uniting our will with God’s.
Additionally performing an act of penance, fasting, almsgiving, or devotion (like a holy hour or family rosary) grows us closer to Christ and indicates that all of this is not merely a ritual but a lived reality. The physical nature of a gift, of sacrifice, of effort, helps us understand the spiritual reality of the true gift we are giving and receiving better. Imitating Christ by our acts helps us understand more fully how much and how often we stray from being disciples, and how much the world needs witness.
The three most common resolutions involve losing weight, saving money, and building stronger relationships with those around us. God offers us a means to becoming more who we should be, through fasting, almsgiving and service.
If we could only see through God’s eyes, our hearts would break with wanting to shower graces and gifts down upon people starving for so much more than food. Christ knows we’re starving for love, for God’s infinite love, and so He feeds us at every Mass. Jesus wants us to discover that we were made to endlessly feast on His love, but we must grow in our desire for this Heavenly food by our words and deeds, and by what we opt not to do. Seeking indulgences for others is a means of training our souls to be able to feast more. Think of making a resolution to feast more on Christ, and perhaps, if one still makes a resolution about losing weight, fasting can be part of the prayer as well.
Financial discipline is hard, particularly if it is only negative in nature. This year, resolve to be a giver, if not of funds or goods, then of time. If we saw the poor as the means to our salvation, we would be lining up to give to food pantries and soup kitchens and coat drives and toy drives, and the line of givers would be bigger than the line of those in need. If we understood that everyone we feed is Christ in disguise, we’d be offering our feast and fasting ourselves. Every time we give, we are imitating God the Father, who allows the sun to shine on all, not merely the good. Every time we give willingly of our want, rather than our excess, we are imitating the widow Jesus praised.
The darkness of this time of year is a reminder of the reality of our fallen nature, and how much we need the Son of God, the Light of the World, to clear away the cold that comes from sin and death. If we knew how much God’s heart breaks every time we sin, every time we refuse the opportunity to love, every time we refuse His love, we’d be on our knees in deep regret for the suffering and pain we’ve caused. We’d race to Confession, we’d cling to Adoration, and we’d pray without ceasing. Even our silence would be a prayer. Indulgences, fasting, prayer, almsgiving, these acts bring light to the world, they are the means by which Christ, the Light of the World, is carried deeper into the world by His disciples.
Love grows love. Love also cultivates hope and is heralded by joy. So give your love to Christ through others this season, and you will find the joys and hope of the season, multiply. You will find yourself offering that joy and hope to others. Moreover, it will overflow abundantly and you will keep the joy, the reality, the purpose of all 365 days a year, because you will know that you can always fall deeper and deeper in love with God. You will understand more deeply, the infinite love of God is ever present but veiled, and through holiness, through acts of mercy, kindness and hope, the veil covering the face of God is lifted. Happy New Year!
Link to related story:
2025 Jubilee Churches in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
https://www.cathstan.org/local...
(Sherry Antonetti is the author of The Book of Helen, freelancer and Catholic blogger @Patheos/Chocolate for Your Brain!)
