What Kids Should Do

Answering five questions about the Jubilee Year

01/13/2025

Mark 1:14-20 After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” As he passed by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting their nets into the sea; they were fishermen. Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Then they left their nets and followed him. He walked along a little farther and saw James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They too were in a boat mending their nets. Then he called them. So they left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him.

This homily is way overdue but I wanted to respond to some questions swirling around like snow regarding the Jubilee Year, being a Jubilee church, and plenary indulgences. As you know, Pope Francis has declared a Jubilee Year beginning on Dec. 24, 2024 and ending on Jan. 6, 2026, and its title is “Pilgrims of Hope.” Then, Bishop Taylor designated Immaculate Conception in Fort Smith as one of the five “jubilee churches” in Arkansas. This a great honor for us, but also a great responsibility. Now, let me address 5 frequently asked questions about these matters.

First, what must a jubilee church do differently from other churches? Being a jubilee church means we have to provide: (1) regular Mass times (we have Mass every day), (2) frequent opportunities for confession (we have confessions on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday), (3) regular times when the church is open for prayer, and (4) information about plenary indulgences. But jubilee churches are NOT required to designate a “holy door” for people to pass through. All our doors are holy!

Second, how do you obtain a plenary indulgence? There are 5 requirements to get a plenary indulgence. (1) Make a sincere confession; (2) receive Holy Communion in the state of grace not conscious of serious sins; (3) pray for the intentions of the pope and make a profession of faith (read the Creed); (4) make a pilgrimage to a jubilee church, and (5) be completely detached from mortal and venial sins. Notice the unique requirement to make a "pilgrimage" because this jubilee is called “Pilgrims of Hope.”

Third, since I.C. is a jubilee church, can we fulfill the pilgrimage requirement by simply coming to Mass at I.C.? I.C. parishioners fulfill the "letter of the law" (to visit a jubilee church) by coming to Mass here on Sunday. However, we would do better and fulfill "the spirit of the law" by making a pilgrimage and visit either the Cathedral of St. Andrew, or St. Edward Church (Little Rock), St. Joseph Church (Pine Bluff), or St. Mary Church (Helena).

Fourth, what does being completely detached from sin mean? That rigorous detachment from all sin mortal and venial means not only avoiding murder, adultery, and robbing a bank. It also involves a sincere and firm conviction to avoid telling small lies, complaining, procrastinating, wasting time, dressing immodestly, vanity, impatience, not praying frequently, not exercising, etc. Put positively, we should strive to be a saint every moment of our lives.

Fifth, is a plenary indulgence a short-cut to heaven? Here I must correct an exaggeration I made recently. It is not entirely correct to say a plenary indulgence is “ a get out of jail free card” (like I did in a homily a few weeks ago!). Why not? Well, on the one hand, it is true that it remits the punishments due to our sins for which we deserve purgatory.

But on the other hand, more than “get out of purgatory”, if you study the 5 conditions of a plenary indulgence, you discover these are really the necessary conditions to “get into heaven.” In a sense, a plenary indulgence is trying to get us to do our purgatory on earth, and that is why they are not easy, especially being detached from all sins, mortal and venial.

We cannot enter heaven still attached to our sins, bad habits, or vices. Only saints can pass through the Pearly Gates, the true and eternal Holy Doors. Remember the parable of the man who tried to crash a wedding party without the proper wedding garment in Mt 22:13? He was thrown out on his ear because he was not entirely purified and prepared. A plenary indulgence will not get you into heaven without also being a saint.

Let me add a final word about all this, and it is perhaps the most important. Ultimately, Pope Francis’ “Pilgrims of Hope” Jubilee Year and plenary indulgence merely follow in the footsteps of his predecessor, St. Peter, who wrote: “God’s divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion” (2 Pt 1:3).

In other words, we receive that "divine power" for holiness and becoming saints through a sincere reception of the sacraments, especially Mass and confession, which is the real purpose of a plenary indulgence and this Jubilee Year. Wise parents are always just trying to find clever ways to get their kids to do what they should be doing anyway.

Praised be Jesus Christ!