Category: Blessings

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Blessings

Exploring the Apostolic Pardon

Father James Goodwin

January 23, 2023 10:37 am January 23, 2023

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4 min read

To reflect on the last things, one of which is death, is a longstanding Catholic custom. This is not a pleasant subject, but it is good to consider our final…

To reflect on the last things, one of which is death, is a longstanding Catholic custom. This is not a pleasant subject, but it is good to consider our final end and how we prepare for it. As the old saying goes, memento mori (remember death).

One great gift that the Church gives to us when death is near is the apostolic blessing or apostolic pardon. This blessing comes with a plenary indulgence, which means the recipient is granted the remission of all the temporal punishment due to sin already forgiven. The Church teaches that priests should not fail to impart this blessing on the dying and that the faithful should be instructed about it. Even if the dying person has already received a plenary indulgence this is the one time they can receive another on the same day. The Code of Canon Law entrusts this responsibility especially to the pastor (Canon 530.3), but any priest can and should offer it to those in danger of death. Normally, only the pope can grant a plenary indulgence with his blessing, but this is one of the times any priest has that same power. If he should forget, the faithful are encouraged to request this special blessing to their dying loved ones.

If a priest is not available, the Church still grants to the dying the opportunity to receive the plenary indulgence at the moment of death. This is granted to those who have been in the habit of reciting some prayers during their lifetime. In this case, the Church supplies for the three conditions required for a plenary indulgence namely sacramental confession, holy Communion, and prayers for the pope. The use of a crucifix or cross is highly recommended. It is the earnest desire of the Church to offer this indulgence is the broadest way possible to those who are in danger of death.

There are two forms of the apostolic blessing in the Church rites for the dying:

A. “Through the holy mysteries of our redemption may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting joy.”

B. “By the authority which the Apostolic See has given me, I grant you a full pardon and the remission of all your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Often the apostolic pardon is given in the context of what is referred to commonly as the “last rites.” This consists principally of viaticum, which is holy Communion as “food for the journey,” and the commendation of the dying, although confession and anointing of the sick may be administered then, too. At the moment of death, the Church is present to offer the sacraments so at that pivotal time Christ’s grace and presence is near.

The rite called the Commendation of the Dying is intended to “help sustain the union of the soul with Christ until it is brought to fulfillment after death.” It expresses the desire for God’s mercy and confidence in Christ. Others who are present can join in the prayers and assist the person at their last moments. These prayers can help and give consolation, especially if the person is suffering from fear.

Scripture and a litany of the saints prepare for a prayer of commendation where the priest or another minister entrusts the soul of the dying to God and invokes his mercy. For some, it gives permission for them to let go and accept their death. It concludes with the Hail Holy Queen where we ask for Mary’s prayers to help the soul at the hour of death. This rite can be very helpful and should not be omitted if at all possible.

Once death has occurred, the same rite has a section of prayers after death. These consist of psalms and some ancient prayers for the dead. These prayers commend the soul to God and ask for forgiveness for his or her sins. In addition, we pray for the family and friends of the deceased. The body may be sprinkled with holy water as a final blessing.

Death is perhaps the most difficult moment in our lives. The Church provides the apostolic pardon and other rites to help us prepare for death and our particular judgment. They can give us a sense of peace and serenity. We can experience the hope given by Christ who has conquered death by his death and shares with us his eternal life.

Father James Goodwin is judicial vicar of the Diocese of Fargo.

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2 min read

Blessings

What is The Apostolic Pardon?

Msgr. Charles Pope

January 18, 2023 7:47 pm January 18, 2023

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2 min read

The Apostolic Pardon forgives temporal punishment due to sins (not the sins themselves). Presuming that we die in a state of grace, anything for which we have not done adequate…

The Apostolic Pardon forgives temporal punishment due to sins (not the sins themselves). Presuming that we die in a state of grace, anything for which we have not done adequate penance in this life (which is also called the “temporal punishment” due to those sins) can be forgiven us through the Apostolic Pardon. The Apostolic Pardon is often given when it is rather certain that the person is nearing death. It is given after the conferral of the Sacraments of Penance, the Anointing of the Sick and viaticum.

The current form of the blessing is: “Through the holy mysteries of our redemption, may almighty God release you from all punishments in this life and in the life to come. May he open to you the gates of paradise and welcome you to everlasting life.”

The Handbook of Indulgences states: “Priests who minister the sacraments to the Christian faithful who are in a life-and-death situation should not neglect to impart to them the apostolic blessing, with its attached indulgence. But if a priest cannot be present, holy mother Church lovingly grants such persons who are rightly disposed a plenary indulgence to be obtained in articulo mortis (‘at the approach of death’), provided they regularly prayed in some way during their lifetime. The use of a crucifix or a cross is recommended in obtaining this plenary indulgence. In such a situation the three usual conditions required in order to gain a plenary indulgence are substituted for by the condition provided they regularly prayed in some way” (No. 28).

The granting of the apostolic blessing (or pardon) is not an automatic guarantee that no purgation is necessary. Surely, the blessing helps, but as the norm states above, the usual conditions for obtaining a plenary indulgence apply: confession, Communion and (if possible for the dying) prayer for the intention of the pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent. If the latter disposition is in any way less than perfect, the indulgence will be partial only.

The last condition especially is difficult to attain to, though perhaps easier if death is near. Nevertheless, while we cannot know the state of anyone’s soul perfectly, even of those who would be later canonized as saints, neither can we simply presume they met the required conditions, one of which is difficult.

Msgr. Charles E. Pope is a priest of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.

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3 min read

Blessings

Blessing Mothers After Childbirth

Msgr. M. Francis Mannion

February 22, 2019 7:49 am February 22, 2019

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3 min read

Throughout Church history, mothers were very often not present for the baptism of their children for two reasons. The first is that there was a strong emphasis on early baptism…

Throughout Church history, mothers were very often not present for the baptism of their children for two reasons. The first is that there was a strong emphasis on early baptism of children. Baptism took place in a matter of days rather than weeks after birth. The second is that the time for the recovery of women after childbirth was, until recent times, a couple of weeks, so mothers were not physically able to be present.

By the early Middle Ages, a rite was developing for the blessing of women a couple of weeks after they gave birth. This rite, generally known as “churching,” was a blessing of women for the gift of new children, and marked their return to the Church’s liturgical life.

The development of the rite of churching was not unproblematic, however. Already in the early Middle Ages, some commentators linked the absence of the mother from the baptism of her child and her eventual churching to Old Testament notions of impurity and uncleanliness associated with childbirth. One of the principal texts used to interpret churching was Leviticus 12:2-9, which declares that women were to be considered unclean after giving birth, and that they could not touch anything holy or be in a holy place.

This teaching was not carried over into official Church teaching, but it was carried over unofficially by commentators and preachers trying to explain the rite. So the very practical absence of mothers from the celebration of baptism and the rite of churching began to take on a life of their own. The official rite was framed in simple terms of thanksgiving and blessing.

Unfortunately, the corrupt understanding of the rite of churching was carried over even into the 20th century. I can personally vouch for this, as my mother, who was churched after the birth of each of her six children, always spoke negatively of the experience, but never would explain why. It was only during my days of studying sacramental theology that I learned of the history that I have tried to explain here.

Many had a problematic understanding of this rite. The fault lay, however, not with the official ritual and theology of the Church, but with inadequate popular understanding and poor catechesis.

The liturgical reforms that came after the Second Vatican Council gave the old rite of churching a new expression. In the 1984 Book of Blessings, an Order for the Blessing of a Mother after Childbirth is provided.

The introduction states: “When a new mother has been unable to take part in the celebration of her child’s baptism, it is fitting to have a special celebration in order to provide the opportunity for her to benefit from the blessing that in the rite of baptism prompts the mother and all present to thank God for the gift of the newborn child” (No. 258).

This rite is rarely used nowadays, as modern medicine generally allows women to recover from childbirth in a matter of days, and the baptism of children generally takes place a number of weeks after birth, so mothers are able to participate.

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