11/10/2025
Luke
17:1-6 Jesus
said to his disciples, "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but
woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a
millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him
to cause one of thes
e little ones to sin. Be on your guard! If your brother
sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. And if he wrongs you seven
times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, 'I am sorry,' you
should forgive him." And the Apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our
faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard
seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the
sea,' and it would obey you."
Recently
I had a lively discussion – actually it was more of a heated disagreement –
with three brother priests over the meaning of one condition for a plenary
indulgence. Let me describe the debate
and see whose side you would land on. Since I.C. is a Jubilee Church many
“pilgrims of hope” have traveled from all parts of western Arkansas to obtain a
plenary indulgence.
The
four straight-forward conditions for a Jubilee indulgence are: (1) make a
sincere confession, (2) receive Holy Communion in the state of grace, (3) pray
for the intentions of the pope, and (4) visit a Jubilee church. Easy-peasy. But
the discussion arose when I texted some priest-friends about the meaning of the
fifth condition: total detachment from both mortal and venial sins.
My
argument was that last condition constituted the hardest – almost impossible –
of the 5 requirements. Why? Because a Christian should be entirely detached,
that is, not even desire, to commit not only mortal sins, but also venial sins,
like gossip, telling white lies, procrastinating, eating too much, or drinking
to excess, or doomscrolling on social media, harboring grudges, lustful
thoughts, etc.
I
argued that seemed a very high bar for moral behavior. By the way, every Sunday
morning about 9:30 a.m. my Iphone tells me I averaged around 4 hours and 29
minutes on my phone per day in the previous week. The average daily screen time
for most Americans is 5 to 6 hours per day. How about you? We Americans do a
lot of doomscrolling.
But
one priest-friend insisted that the 5th condition was essentially the same as
the intention everyone makes at the end of a confession, when they say: “I
firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near
occasions of sin.” I countered his argument by saying: “But we already
formulate that intention in going to confession as one of the four conditions,
so why add an entirely distinct fifth condition?”
In
other words, what is the difference between the penitent’s firm purpose of
amendment in confession and total detachment from mortal and venial sins? If
they are essentially the same, then there are really only 4 conditions for a
plenary indulgence, and the 5th condition is superfluous. Now, who would you
side with in that discussion?
In
the gospel today, Jesus seems to weigh in on the discussion about the 5th
condition for an indulgence, and adds “avoiding scandal” to the list of mortal
and venial sins we must be detached from. Jesus states in no uncertain terms:
“It would be better for [someone] if a millstone were put around his neck and
he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to
sin.”
Now,
Jesus is not talking directly about the conditions for a plenary indulgence.
Nonetheless, he is taking a very hardline stance on the seriousness of sin –
especially causing scandal which causes others to sin – and the need to avoid
it at all costs. In other words, Jesus would agree there is a need for a
distinct fifth condition of total detachment from mortal and venial sin that is
more than the simple “firm purpose of amendment” that we all make when we go to
confession.
Think
about it this way: you only have to do the minimum to receive the sacraments
because we want everyone to receive them. But you have to do the maximum to
receive a plenary indulgence because not everyone can easily receive them. Why?
Well, because the sacraments are sufficient to get into Purgatory; whereas a
plenary indulgence is sufficient to get into Paradise. You can be imperfect for
Purgatory, but you have to be perfect for Paradise, which requires total
detachment from doomscrolling and scandal.
Let
me add a personal caveat for my argument for the fifth condition for a plenary
indulgence. If I had created Christianity and written the rules and by-laws for
this religion, I would let everyone into Paradise with no questions asked, and
dispensed with Purgatory all together.
But
when we are dealing with the rules and regulations of authentic Christianity –
or “mere Christianity” as C. S. Lewis puts it – then we have to consult with
the One who established it, namely, Jesus. And at least in my reading of Luke
17, our gospel this morning, Jesus seems to set the bar rather high for entry
into heaven, indeed, the bar is perfection.
That
is, we have to avoid sin ourselves, but also take great care not to cause
others to sin. In other words, we are not just trying to get ourselves into
heaven, but as many others along with us. Or, at least get them into Purgatory.
Why? Because there will be total detachment from doomscrolling in Paradise.
Praised be Jesus Christ!
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