Here’s a scenario for gaining a plenary indulgence today …

(A more detailed explanation is available HERE)

CONDITIONS

First, I have the conditions in place:

1) I’m in a state of grace.

2) I’ve gone to Confession within 20 days (before or after today).

3) Going to Mass and receiving Communion today.

4) I prayed an Our Father and a Hail Mary for the pope’s intentions.

5) I have not let any sin(s) defeat me, by hanging on to it. In other words, at my last confession, I made my confession with a truly “contrite” spirit … meaning, I did NOT confess my sins, while saying to myself something like,  “… even though I know I will do this again” or, “… even though I am confessing that I am angry with this person, I am not letting go of that anger.”

DOING THE WORK 

Okay, now that the conditions (above) are in place … now I simply need to choose which of the four activities the Church allows on any given day for gaining a plenary indulgence. I call these the “Big Four:”

*Adoring the Blessed Sacrament for at least one half hour
*Devoutly reading Sacred Scripture for at least one half hour
*Devoutly performing the Stations of the Cross (only at approved Stations)
*Reciting the Rosary with members of the family, or in a church, oratory, religious community, or pious association

In order to gain a plenary indulgence today, I chose to pray the rosary before the Blessed Sacrament.

HOLY ALLIANCE

Now I simply choose a Holy Soul. I chose my dad, Walter Heilman

Now I simply choose a saint to pray with me for my dad. I chose St. Joseph

So, after I have prayed the rosary with St. Joseph for my dad, I went from a “force of one” (just me) to a “force of three” (St. Joseph, dad and me).

That’s just after Day One. If I add two every day (recruited Saint and grateful Holy Soul), inside of five months, I will have a Battalion of 300+ (Saints and Holy Souls) in my own Holy Alliance.

STEALTH EVANGELIZATION

Now I simply ask my Holy Alliance to pray with me a Divine Mercy Chaplet for someone I know who is in need of conversion, or simply someone I want to pray for to receive more grace in their life. (in the photo above, Mary Smith is a fictitious name)

JOURNALING

You can get your own blank journal to use, or you could use my Field Manual or Field Journal as seen HERE. But, it is also real simple just to keep a journal right on your computer, as seen in the photo above.

TO SUM UP

So, there you have it … I gained a plenary indulgence for my dad today, with the help of St. Joseph and my Holy Alliance. And, I asked God, with my Holy Alliance, to grant more grace for Mary Smith.

I am developing my spiritual muscles, because I am doing these “acts of obedience.” This is “Resistance Training,” because I am choosing to do it the Church’s way which is God’s way, while “resisting” my desire to “do it my way.” At the same time, I am becoming a “force to be reckoned with” as I grow in God’s grace, and grow my Holy Alliance.

It was not hard at all!!!