In the year of Saint Joseph, the gift of indulgences

Benedetta Capelli – Vatican City

San José, a “treasure” that the Church continues to discover. It is the beautiful image contained in the Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary, signed by Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, in which is sketched the figure of the “guardian of Jesus”. Pope Francis dedicated a special year to him, 150 years after his proclamation as patron of the Universal Church. Hence the decision of the Penitentiary, in accordance with the will of the Pope, to grant the Plenary Indulgence until December 8, 2021 under the usual conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Pope’s intentions.

Meditate on Saint Joseph

The faithful, by participating in the Year of Saint Joseph “with a soul stripped of all sin”, will be able to obtain the Indulgence by various methods that the Penitentiary lists in the Decree.

Anyone who will meditate “for at least 30 minutes on the Lord’s Prayer”, or participate in a spiritual retreat even for a day “which includes a meditation on Saint Joseph” can benefit from this special gift. “Saint Joseph, an authentic man of faith, invites us – says the decree – to rediscover our filial relationship with the Father, to renew our fidelity to prayer, to listen and to correspond with deep discernment to the will of God.

Mercy in the name of “the just man”

Indulgence can be obtained by accomplishing “a work of physical or spiritual mercy”, following the example of Saint Joseph, “depositary of the mystery of God”, who “urges us to rediscover the value of silence, prudence and loyalty in the performance of our duties ”. The virtue of righteousness, practiced by Joseph, is “the law of mercy” and is “the mercy of God which brings true justice to its fulfillment”.

Family prayer

One of the ways to obtain this gift is to recite the Rosary as a family and between the bride and groom. Saint Joseph was the husband of Mary, father of Jesus and guardian of the Nazareth family, where his vocation flourished. Hence the Apostolic Penitentiary’s invitation to Christian families to recreate “the same atmosphere of intimate communion, love and prayer that has been lived in the Holy Family”.

For decent work

Anyone who confidently turns to the “craftsman of Nazareth” to find a job and to be worthy of all, will be able to obtain the plenary indulgence, also extended to those who “entrust their own activity every day to the protection of Saint Joseph”. Precisely on May 1, 1955, Pius XII instituted the feast of the saint “with the intention that the dignity of work be recognized by all, and that it inspires social life and laws, based on the equitable distribution of rights. and homework “.

A prayer for the suffering Church

The Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary provides for indulgence “to the faithful who will recite the Litanies to Saint Joseph (for the Latin tradition), or the Akathistos to Saint Joseph, in whole or at least in part (for the Byzantine tradition), or a another prayer to Saint Joseph, typical of other liturgical traditions. “Prayers which are thus in favor” of the persecuted Church ad intra and ad extra and for the relief of all Christians who suffer from all forms of persecution “because , says the text, “the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt shows us that God is where man is in danger, where man suffers, where he escapes, where he experiences rejection and abandonment ”.

A universal saint

Other occasions to obtain plenary indulgence are “any prayer or act of piety legitimately approved in honor of Saint Joseph” as for example, explains the penitentiary “.To you, oh blessed Joseph“specially” the feasts of March 19 and May 1, the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, Saint Joseph Sunday (according to Byzantine tradition), the 19th of each month, and each Wednesday, a day dedicated to the memory of the Saint according to the Latin tradition “.

The decree recalls the universality of the patronage of Joseph in the Church, relating the words of Saint Teresa of Avila who considered him, more than the other saints, capable of responding to many needs. “A renewed topicality for the Church of our time, in relation to the new Christian millennium”, this is what Saint John Paul II highlighted with regard to the figure of Joseph.

Pandemic comfort

The attention paid to those suffering in this emergency caused by the coronavirus is special. The decree establishes that “the gift of plenary indulgence extends particularly to the elderly, the sick, the dying and all those who, for legitimate reasons, cannot leave their homes”. Those who will recite “an act of piety in honor of Saint Joseph, offering to God with confidence the sufferings and difficulties of their life” will be able to receive this gift “with a spirit free from all sin and with the intention of accomplishing , as soon as possible, the usual three conditions, in their own home or wherever the handicap holds them. ”

The role of priests

The last exhortation is for priests “to offer themselves willingly and generously to the celebration of the sacrament of penance and to administer Holy Communion often to the sick”.