Two things to keep in mind when traveling in tourist areas in Southeast Asia:

1. There are police EVERYWHERE and they are there to protect you. You will probably not get outright rolled over or beat up just minding your own business. (Although there’s always pickpockets.)
2. The police can NOT protect you from simply being overcharged. So the main tool of the scam artist is using guilt to get your money. And guess who the number one easiest target is to use the guilt trip? Americans!

In general Americans are raised to help people, and we easily feel responsible if someone is unhappy or hurt. This is our Achilles heel.

I’ve been pickpocketed and stolen from in Southeast Asia – but by far the most effective scams in terms of dollars are the ones where I am convinced to give my money away freely.  And it has been because I thought I could help “save” people and improve their lives, or I felt responsible in some way for someone else’s well being.

It’s a good thing Americans want to help people – and I even think it’s a good thing we’re a little naive. As was said to me, “Americans have good hearts” – translation: Americans are easy targets for money when traveling.

Right now I’m in Vietnam and wanted to share a couple of the “scams” I encountered here. Vietnam is not as cutthroat as Thailand in my experience – but you really need to keep your guard up.

In Vietnam there is security on almost every corner in the tourist areas so the chances of being outright robbed seem more slim to me. But remember there’s nothing illegal about someone asking your for money and you giving it to them, or with someone charging you too much for something. That’s all fair play in business anywhere.

If traveling in SE Asia, I would keep in the forefront of your mind that you have a big bullseye on your back. People that work in the tourist areas are there specifically to part you with your money. And you’ll notice their first two questions are “Where are you from?” (If you answer “America” – then they know you will easily be guilt tripped into forking up cash) and “When you arrive Vietnam?” (Translation: “How smart are you about the scams here, are you easy?”)

So here’s a couple of the scams I encountered, certainly not limited to only Vietnam.

• SHOESHINE BOY – A boy comes up to shine your shoes, says it only cost $1.20US. Seems like a good deal. He quickly informs you that your sole is loose and offers to glue it back in. Of course, he had yanked your sole out of the shoe to make this happen. But in the moment you are impressed with his professionalism. When you get your shoes back they have Dr. Schole type insoles in them. He asks if you like it, you say yes. Now he says you owe him $12US. Why ten times the amount? Because he did the extra work of gluing and the insole. Now he’s making a scene on the street and everyone is staring at you, wondering why you won’t pay this poor helpless little boy. You are evil, you are cold. You don’t have $12 for the hard working boy? You are a bad American. So you fork over the money feeling horrible. I did a little ok on this, only gave him $5US.
• CLOTHES MARKET – I have fallen for this so many times I just hate myself. In SE Asia clothing sizes I am a XXXL – so the clothes are a little more expensive because they are bigger. When I get home and put on my clothes I find small size clothes mixed in with my regular ones. I would say 20% of the clothes I buy have been switched to smaller sizes, and I guard my cl9thes like a hawk! I don’t know how they do it. The other thing that REALLY irritates me is buying matching shorts with belt, and getting home to find the belt has been switched for a small. I’ve fallen for the three times already. Of course when you buy from the outdoor stalls you can’t really try the clothes on. In general, the clothes I’ve bought are pretty good quality. It’s just the size switch.
• MOTORCYCLE RIDES – Vietnam motorcycle rides are not as bad as the TukTuk’s in Bangkok. But know that every overpriced place they take you to is getting a cut. That restaurant that costs $10 instead of $3 is kicking some back to the driver. The bus trips all do it too – you make a pit stop to have lunch at a place that is four times the normal price, and there’s nothing else around it. What a racket.
• TAXI DRIVERS – If there’s no meter running, make sure you negotiate the fare before you get in the taxi. Both Vietnam and Thailand (and probably everywhere else too) are notorious for this. The main scam is simply overcharging. Often the more elaborate scheme is to make wrong turns, ask people for directions along the way making it look like a very difficult destination. I was in Se Racha Thailand where there is only ONE tourist destination in the whole town: a buddhist temple on a little island. But my taxi driver had no idea where it was (turned out to be four blocks away) and had to drive all over town asking everyone for directions. What did I do? I simply refused to pay the full fair. Even at 50% of his asking price it was still a ripoff, but at least I felt a little less of the sting.
• BANGKOK AIRPORT TAXI – This is the worst. When you go to the “airport approved” taxi counter they give you a piece of paper. You are quickly brought to your driver and he asks you for the ticket and he reads it for destination information. Then you get to your destination and pay 600Baht, and he asks for a 100Baht tip which you give. Hey, that’s only about $20US, a good deal. The scam? That ticket they gave you has your taxi driver’s number on it with a phone number to call if you are overcharged or if the meter is turned off. You are supposed to keep that ticket, but the people at the counter won’t tell you that (even if you ask directly which I did my second time to Bangkok). They “no speekee engrish”. If you just keep that ticket and let the driver see that you have it – your fare now will only run maybe 200Baht or less, including the 50baht airport surcharge.
• MOTORCYCLE GUIDES – Vung Tao Vietnam – I experienced this mainly in Vietnam. The motorcyle guides hang out at the ferry terminals waiting for stupid tourists to walk off the boat (hence the phrase “right off the boat”). On my first experience down in Vung Tau on the coast I had the offer of a three hour tour for $200,000VND (about $12US). I told him I’d give him $200,000 if I liked it, $100,000 if I didn’t. It started off with an overpriced restaurant (no surprise) but we did hit several tourist spots which I enjoyed, even if it was a bit hurried. While he drove he talked about his family and eventually his children and in a bit he said I should come to his house for dinner and meet his family. I didn’t think of it as a scam at first, but later he kept asking me if I wanted a massage and I said ok but “no boom boom”. He brought me to a brothel which kind of pissed me off, then said he would make it up to me by bringing me to a real massage place, which also turned out to be a brothel. At that point I just left and told him I’d walk. He insisted he take me to the beach tourist area where it was safer. I agreed and then he was trying to pitch rooms to me. I saw one place but told him I’d find my own. When I found my own hotel 10 minutes later it was half the price and much nicer than what he showed me. While I’m walking to find my hotel he keeps following me down the street insisting I come over for dinner. I just tell him no – so I never saw how this scam would play out. But there’s was definately something going on. I don’t think I was going to get rolled over or robbed, but probably he had things at his house to sell me or wanted money for his family; who knows. I paid him the $100,000VND because he had wasted my time at the yucky places. He didn’t complain and finally left me alone.
• MOTORCYCLE GUIDES – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) Vietnam. This was the worst. I had walked all over District One (the tourist area) in Saigon and was too blocks from a good restaurant when a motorcycle guide pulled up. His english was very good and despite my insistence on going to my restaurant, he finally convinced me to take a tour that was “all free, not about the money, want to show people real Vietnam.” Curiosity really drove me to see where this would go. He brought me to a normal priced restaurant and several shopping areas, but not the overpriced ones taking a cut. Later we had a couple beers and even played pool at a billiard hall just for locals. This went on for several hours, the whole time he was making a big deal that “not about the money, free” and that he had “many friend in America, America very good.” After about five hours and the billiard hall, he kept wanting to steer me to an outside restaurant. I went along with it to see what would happen. The meal was overcharged a bit, about 3x normal. Then came the catch – we were in the middle of nowhere and he said he wanted to show me his souveniers. I told him I didn’t want any. His motorcyle started to slow down as he kept pressing about these souveniers. “You just see them, it’s how I make my money.” DING DING. This was probably the only time I felt a little nervous while being worked over by a huster. We were in boonies in Saigon at a locals outside makeshift restaurant eating on cardboard tables, everyone was looking at me funny like they had seen this a thousand times before, and my motorcyle guide was getting very agitated I wouldn’t look at his souveniers. I told him I wanted to go back to the hotel and he was getting pissed off. He drove very slowly telling me how difficult his life was. He dropped me off down the block from my hotel (the hotel has security that protects you from con artists). When he dropped me off he asked for one million VND (about $60 USD). I told him I would pay him in front of the hotel and he started going ballistic on me. It was about midnight and no street lights, so yeah, I was a little nervous now. I told him calmly that if he wanted money, he should have told me that – instead of saying it was free. “But you didn’t buy my souveniers!” he yelled. I gave him $200,000VND (About $12USD) which is very good pay for his time. (Hotel staff later said I should have normally paid $50,000VND or less). He asked for another $100,000 tip and I said no. I swear he almost started crying like a little schoolgirl and yelled “I take you out for 5 hours and you not help me.” Then came the kicker, he screamed at me “YOU NOT FROM AMERICA!” and tore off down the street on his motorcycle. A year ago this whole scenario would have bothered me, but I guess I’ve been through it too many times to really care. The interesting part is if he had said “I take you out tonight and you give me $500,000VND if you have good time, ok?” I would have agreed and paid. I just don’t dig the scams. End result? He still made killer money for having me buy his beers all night, so I think he’ll be ok.
• FLIGHT TICKETS HOME – I (and many people I know) have given money to buy airplane tickets in full to someone’s home country, only to find they never bought a ticket. Solution to this is simple – buy the actual ticket for them instead of giving the money. In this way we have indeed been able to help a few people.

What are some of the ways to avoid the scams? First you can be in a pre-arranged tour group. Even my single day trips with guides were very safe. A friend and I paid $50 each for all day trips all over Saigon and the tour guides kept all the scam artists away.

Remember you’re a target. You have a big bullseye  on your back. The thing I keep foremost in my mind is that I don’t just happen to run into nice people with hard luck stories. I am running into people that target the tourist areas and have many tricks to play on Western emotions to get money. If I’m in a tourist area, no hard luck story is going to soften my heart.

Would I react differently to someone out in the country away from tourist areas? Yes, I would. I would be more compassionate. But in a tourist area, at least I can keep a little more of my cash on me to get through my vacation in good form.

******************

UPDATE: This blog post was specifically about being scammed at tourist areas: border crossings, ports, airports, shopping areas, etc. If you want to genuinely help people – then my suggestion was to do it through a legit agency, or simply to do it away from tourist trap areas.

Here is an “Introduction to Indulgences” from www.catholic.org – the “fact driven, faith informed” pro-catholic website. After the introduction you will read “Myths About Indulgences” from www.catholic.com – These are both Catholic websites and gives the current state of affairs and apologetics from a Catholic standpoint.

It is self explanatory and deserves no additional comment from myself. Except to say “OH MY GOD THEY STILL DO THIS CRAP?”

BUT FIRST
An Example of a Modern Catholic Indulgence
From http://catholickermit.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/pope-lourdes-grotto-plenary-indulgence/

Since my home parish of St Bernadette Catholic Church has a grotto dedicated to Our Lady of Lourdes, visiting and praying at the grotto between Feb 2-11, 2008 qualifies for a special Papal plenary indulgence to encourage renewed holiness, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the appearance of Mary to St Bernadette Soubirous near Lourdes, France.

Our Lady of Lourdes grotto @ St Bernadette Catholic Church, Hollywood, FloridaAn indulgence is a remission of the temporal punishment (in this world and in purgatory) due for sins committed. A plenary indulgence is the remission of all punishment.  This is a tremendous gift from the Pope.  To receive the indulgence, one should say the Our Father, Apostleâ€s Creed and the Hail Mary at the grotto along with a prayer for our Popeâ€s intentions and go to confession before Easter Sunday.Our Lady of Lourdes grotto @ St Bernadette Catholic Church, Hollywood, Florida

For more info & details, see article at Catholic News Service (CNS).

Thank you Jesus for your mercy and the Holy Catholic Church you have left us … with the treasury of your merits.  May Our Lady continue to lead us to her Son, Jesus!  Amen.

INTRODUCTION TO INDULGENCES

You don’t hear about indulgences anymore, at least not in Catholic circles. If it could be said that at one time they were over emphasized, it’s surely true that today they’re under-emphasized. Many Catholic simply don’t know what indulgences are, and they’re at a loss to explain the Church’s position on indulgences when challenged by fundamentalists.

And fundamentalists do bring up indulgences, perhaps because they know even less about them than the average, poorly-informed Catholic.

There is surely no better place to turn than to the Enchiridion of Indulgences. “Enchiridion” means “handbook,” and the Enchiridion of Indulgences is the Church’s official handbook on what acts and prayers carry indulgences and what indulgences actually are.

An indulgences is defined as “the remission before God of the temporal punishment due for sins already forgiven as far as their guilt is concerned.” The first thing to note is that forgiveness of a sin is separate from punishment for the sin. Through sacramental confession we obtain forgiveness, but we aren’t let off the hook as far as punishment goes.

Indulgences are two kinds: partial and plenary. A partial indulgences removes part of the temporal punishment due for sins. A plenary indulgence removes all of it. This punishment may come either in this life, in the form of various sufferings, or in the next life, in purgatory. What we don’t get rid of here we suffer there.
TIME OFF FOR GOOD BEHAVIOR?

If you uncover a holy card or prayer book, you’ll notice pious acts or recitation of prayers might carry an indication of time, such as “300 days or “two years.” Most fundamentalists, and even many Catholics, think such phrases refer to how much “time off for good behavior” you’d get in purgatory. If you perform a pious act labeled as “300 days’ partial indulgence,” then you’d spend 300 fewer days in purgatory.

It’s easy to see how misinformed Catholics might scurry around for years, toting up indulgences, keeping a little register in which they add up the days. “Let’s see, last year’s tally comes to one thousand three hundred twelve years, give or take a week or so, and my lifetime tally is now past the twenty thousand mark. I can cancel out a lot of sinning with this!”

Or so some people might think. Well, there are no days or years in purgatory– or in heaven or hell, for that matter — and the indication of days or years attached to partial indulgences never meant you’d get that much time off in purgatory.
AS GOD SEES FIT

What it means was that you’d bet a partial indulgence commensurate with what the early Christians got for doing penances for a certain length of time. But there has never been any way for us to measure how much “good time” that represents. All the Church could say, and all it ever did say, was that your temporal punishment would be reduced — as God saw fit.

Since some Catholics were confused by the designation of days and years attached to partial indulgences, and since nearly all Protestants got a wrong idea of what those numbers meant, the rules for indulgences were modified in 1967, and now “the grant of a partial indulgence is designated only with the words “partial indulgence,” without any determination of days or years,” according to the Enchiridion.

To receive a partial indulgence, you have to recite the prayer or do the act of charity assigned. You have to be in the state of grace at least by the completion of the prescribed work. The rule says” at the completion” because often part of the prescribed work is going to confession, and you might not be in the state of grace before you do that. The other thing required is having a general intention to gain the indulgence. If you perform the required act but don’t want to gain the indulgence, obviously you won’t gain it.

The requirements for a plenary indulgence are tougher than for a partial. After all, a plenary indulgence remove all the temporal punishment due for the sins committed up to that time.

(If you sin later, of course, the temporal punishment connected with the new sins isn’t covered by the earlier plenary indulgence, but, at least the punishment for the old sins isn’t revived.)

“To acquire a plenary indulgence,” says the Enchiridion, “it is necessary to perform the work to which the indulgence is attached and to fulfill the following three conditions: sacramental confession, Eucharistic Communion, and prayer for the intention of the Sovereign Pontiff. It is further required that all attachment to sin, even venial sin, be absent.”

THE TOUGHEST REQUIREMENT

The greatest hurdle is the last. Making a good confession is not particularly difficult, and going to Communion and praying for the Pope’s intentions are easier still. It’s being free from all attachment to sin that’s hard and it’s quite possible that even evi-dently good people, who seek plenary indulgences regularly, never, in their whole lives, obtain one, because they are unwilling to relinquish their favorite little sins.

There is an account of St. Philip Neri, who died in 1595, preaching a jubilee indulgence in a crowed church. A revelation was given to him that only two people in the church were actually getting it, an old char-woman and the saint himself. Not exactly encouraging, huh? But don’t worry. If you aren’t perfectly disposed and can’t get the plenary indulgence. you’ll at least come away with a partial.

It should be pointed out that the first three conditions may be fulfilled several days before or after doing the prescribed work, through receiving Communion and praying for the Pope are usually done the same day the work is performed.

By the way, the standard prayers for the Pope are one Our Father and one Creed, though you’re at liberty to substitute other prayers.
VARIOUS GRANTS

The bulk of the Enchiridion is a listing of indulgenced prayers and acts. First come three “general grants.”

The first says “a partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in the performance of their duties and in bearing the trials of life, raise their mind with humble confidence to God, adding — even if only mentally– some pious invocation.” It is noted that this grant “is intended to serve as an incentive to the faithful to practice the commandment of Christ that `they must always pray and not lose heart'” (Luke 18:1)

The second general grant is this: “A partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in a spirit of faith and mercy, give of themselves or of their goods to serve their brothers in need.” This grant “is intended to serve as an incentive to the faithful to perform more frequent acts of charity and mercy,” as Christ commanded (John 13:15, Acts 10:38).

The third general grant provides that “a partial indulgence is granted to the faithful who, in a spirit of penance, voluntarily deprive them-selves of what is licit and pleasing to them.” This provision is meant “to move the faithful to bridle their passions and thus to bring to their bodies into subjection and to conform themselves to Christ in his poverty and suffering” (Matt 8:20, Matt 16:24).
PROVISIONS

After the discussion of the general grants comes a listing of miscellaneous prayers and acts to which indulgences are attached. This list is much shorter than in former years, the Church having decided to limit indulgences to the most important works.

There is no room or need to mention all the pious acts which are indulgenced, but it’s worth noting that a plenary indulgence is given for the recitation of the rosary in a church or family group (and not just the recitation, of course, but the fulfilling of the usual conditions for a plenary indulgence).

Likewise, first communicants and those who “assist at the sacred ceremonies of a First Communion — for example, the parents — can receive a plenary indulgence. And the same reward is given to those who, “with the veneration due the divine word, make a spiritual reading from Sacred Scripture” for at least half an hour. Even making the Sign of the Cross has a partial indulgence attached to it.

MYTHS ABOUT INDULGENCES

Indulgences. The very word stirs up more misconceptions than perhaps any other teaching in Catholic theology. Those who attack the Church for its use of indulgences rely upon—and take advantage of—the ignorance of both Catholics and non-Catholics.

What is an indulgence? The Church explains, “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain defined conditions through the Churchâ€s help when, as a minister of redemption, she dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions won by Christ and the saints” (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1). To see the biblical foundations for indulgences, see the Catholic Answers tract A Primer on Indulgences.

Step number one in explaining indulgences is to know what they are. Step number two is to clarify what they are not. Here are the seven most common myths about indulgences:

Myth 1: A person can buy his way out of hell with indulgences.

This charge is without foundation. Since indulgences remit only temporal penalties, they cannot remit the eternal penalty of hell. Once a person is in hell, no amount of indulgences will ever change that fact. The only way to avoid hell is by appealing to Godâ€s eternal mercy while still alive. After death, oneâ€s eternal fate is set (Heb. 9:27).

Myth 2: A person can buy indulgences for sins not yet committed.

The Church has always taught that indulgences do not apply to sins not yet committed. The Catholic Encyclopedia notes, “[An indulgence] is not a permission to commit sin, nor a pardon of future sin; neither could be granted by any power.”

Myth 3: A person can “buy forgiveness” with indulgences.

The definition of indulgences presupposes that forgiveness has already taken place: “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven” (Indulgentarium Doctrina 1, emphasis added). Indulgences in no way forgive sins. They deal only with punishments left after sins have been forgiven.

Myth 4: Indulgences were invented as a means for the Church to raise money.
Indulgences developed from reflection on the sacrament of reconciliation. They are a way of shortening the penance of sacramental discipline and were in use centuries before money-related problems appeared.

Myth 5: An indulgence will shorten your time in purgatory by a fixed number of days.

The number of days which used to be attached to indulgences were references to the period of penance one might undergo during life on earth. The Catholic Church does not claim to know anything about how long or short purgatory is in general, much less in a specific personâ€s case.

Myth 6: A person can buy indulgences.

The Council of Trent instituted severe reforms in the practice of granting indulgences, and, because of prior abuses, “in 1567 Pope Pius V canceled all grants of indulgences involving any fees or other financial transactions” (Catholic Encyclopedia). This act proved the Churchâ€s seriousness about removing abuses from indulgences.

Myth 7: A person used to be able to buy indulgences.

One never could “buy” indulgences. The financial scandal surrounding indulgences, the scandal that gave Martin Luther an excuse for his heterodoxy, involved alms—indulgences in which the giving of alms to some charitable fund or foundation was used as the occasion to grant the indulgence. There was no outright selling of indulgences. The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “[I]t is easy to see how abuses crept in. Among the good works which might be encouraged by being made the condition of an indulgence, almsgiving would naturally hold a conspicuous place. . . . It is well to observe that in these purposes there is nothing essentially evil. To give money to God or to the poor is a praiseworthy act, and, when it is done from right motives, it will surely not go unrewarded.”

Being able to explain these seven myths will be a large step in helping others to understand indulgences. But, there are still questions to be asked:

“How many of oneâ€s temporal penalties can be remitted?”

Potentially, all of them. The Church recognizes that Christ and the saints are interested in helping penitents deal with the aftermath of their sins, as indicated by the fact they always pray for us (Heb. 7:25, Rev. 5:8). Fulfilling its role in the administration of temporal penalties, the Church draws upon the rich supply of rewards God chose to bestow on the saints, who pleased him, and on his Son, who pleased him most of all.

The rewards on which the Church draws are infinite because Christ is God, so the rewards he accrued are infinite and never can be exhausted. His rewards alone, apart from the saintsâ€, could remove all temporal penalties from everyone, everywhere. The rewards of the saints are added to Christâ€s—not because anything is lacking in his, but because it is fitting that they be united with his rewards as the saints are united with him. Although immense, their rewards are finite, but his are infinite.

“If the Church has the resources to wipe out everyoneâ€s temporal penalties, why doesnâ€t it do so?”

Because God does not wish this to be done. God himself instituted the pattern of temporal penalties being left behind. They fulfill valid functions, one of them disciplinary. If a child were never disciplined, he would never learn obedience. God disciplines us as his children — “the Lord disciplines him whom he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives” (Heb. 12:6) — so some temporal penalties must remain.

The Church cannot wipe out, with a stroke of the pen, so to speak, everyoneâ€s temporal punishments because their remission depends on the dispositions of the persons who suffer those temporal punishments. Just as repentance and faith are needed for the remission of eternal penalties, so they are needed for the remission of temporal penalties. Pope Paul VI stated, “Indulgences cannot be gained without a sincere conversion of outlook and unity with God”(Indulgentarium Doctrina 11). We might say that the degree of remission depends on how well the penitent has learned his lesson.

“How does one determine by what amount penalties have been lessened?”

Before Vatican II each indulgence was said to remove a certain number of “days” from oneâ€s discipline—for instance, an act might gain “300 days†indulgence”—but the use of the term “days” confused people, giving them the mistaken impression that in purgatory time as we know it still exists and that we can calculate our “good time” in a mechanical way. The number of days associated with indulgences actually never meant that that much “time” would be taken off oneâ€s stay in purgatory. Instead, it meant that an indefinite but partial (not complete) amount of remission would be granted, proportionate to what ancient Christians would have received for performing that many days†penance. So, someone gaining 300 days†indulgence gained roughly what an early Christian would have gained by, say, reciting a particular prayer on arising for 300 days.

To overcome the confusion Paul VI issued a revision of the handbook (Enchiridion is the formal name) of indulgences. Today, numbers of days are not associated with indulgences. They are either plenary or partial.

“Whatâ€s the difference between a partial and a plenary indulgence?”

“An indulgence is partial or plenary according as it removes either part or all of the temporal punishment due to sin” (Indulgentarium Doctrina 2, 3). Only God knows exactly how efficacious any particular partial indulgence is or whether a plenary indulgence was received at all.

“Donâ€t indulgences duplicate or even negate the work of Christ?”

Despite the biblical underpinnings of indulgences, some are sharply critical of them and insist the doctrine supplants the work of Christ and turns us into our own saviors. This objection results from confusion about the nature of indulgences and about how Christâ€s work is applied to us.

Indulgences apply only to temporal penalties, not to eternal ones. The Bible indicates that these penalties may remain after a sin has been forgiven and that God lessens these penalties as rewards to those who have pleased him. Since the Bible indicates this, Christâ€s work cannot be said to have been supplanted by indulgences.

The merits of Christ, since they are infinite, comprise most of those in the treasury of merits. By applying these to believers, the Church acts as Christâ€s servant in the application of what he has done for us, and we know from Scripture that Christâ€s work is applied to us over time and not in one big lump (Phil. 2:12, 1 Pet. 1:9).

“Isnâ€t it better to put all of the emphasis on Christ alone?”

If we ignore the fact of indulgences, we neglect what Christ does through us, and we fail to recognize the value of what he has done in us. Paul used this very sort of language: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christâ€s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24).

Even though Christâ€s sufferings were superabundant (far more than needed to pay for anything), Paul spoke of completing what was “lacking” in Christâ€s sufferings. If this mode of speech was permissible for Paul, it is permissible for us, even though the Catholic language about indulgences is far less shocking than was Paulâ€s language about his own role in salvation.

Catholics should not be defensive about indulgences. They are based on principles straight from the Bible, and we can be confident not only that indulgences exist, but that they are useful and worth obtaining.

Pope Paul VI declared, “[T]he Church invites all its children to think over and weigh up in their minds as well as they can how the use of indulgences benefits their lives and all Christian society…. Supported by these truths, holy Mother Church again recommends the practice of indulgences to the faithful. It has been very dear to Christian people for many centuries as well as in our own day. Experience proves this” (Indulgentarium Doctrina, 9, 11).

HOW TO GAIN AN INDULGENCE

To gain any indulgence you must be a Catholic in a state of grace. You must be a Catholic in order to be under the Churchâ€s jurisdiction, and you must be in a state of grace because apart from Godâ€s grace none of your actions are fundamentally pleasing to God (meritorious). You also must have at least the habitual intention of gaining an indulgence by the act performed.

To gain a partial indulgence, you must perform with a contrite heart the act to which the indulgence is attached.

To gain a plenary indulgence you must perform the act with a contrite heart, plus you must go to confession (one confession may suffice for several plenary indulgences), receive Holy Communion, and pray for the popeâ€s intentions. (An Our Father and a Hail Mary said for the popeâ€s intentions are sufficient, although you are free to substitute other prayers of your own choice.) The final condition is that you must be free from all attachment to sin, including venial sin.

If you attempt to receive a plenary indulgence, but are unable to meet the last condition, a partial indulgence is received instead.

Below are indulgences listed in the Handbook of Indulgences (New York: Catholic Book Publishing, 1991). Note that there is an indulgence for Bible reading. So, rather than discouraging Bible reading, the Catholic Church promotes it by giving indulgences for it! (This was the case long before Vatican II.)

• An act of spiritual communion, expressed in any devout formula whatsoever, is endowed with a partial indulgence.

• A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who devoutly spend time in mental prayer.

• A plenary indulgence is granted when the rosary is recited in a church or oratory or when it is recited in a family, a religious community, or a pious association. A partial indulgence is granted for its recitation in all other circumstances.

• A partial indulgence is granted the Christian faithful who read sacred Scripture with the veneration due Godâ€s word and as a form of spiritual reading. The indulgence will be a plenary one when such reading is done for at least one-half hour [provided the other conditions are met].

• A partial indulgence is granted to the Christian faithful who devoutly sign themselves with the cross while saying the customary formula: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

In summary, the practice of indulgences neither takes away nor adds to the work of Christ. It is his work, through his body the Church, raising up children in his own likeness. “The Christian who seeks to purify himself of his sin and to become holy with the help of Godâ€s grace is not alone. ‘The life of each of Godâ€s children is joined in Christ and through Christ in a wonderful way to the life of all the other Christian brethren in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ, as in a single mystical person— (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1474 [Indulgentarium Doctrina 5]).

NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004

IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004

So I get an email from a friend that says something like “instead of sending Christmas presents this year I am going to make a donation to a charity in your name”. That really sucks. I want a present.

How about sending the same letter to the charity? Make a donation to ME and send the charity an email: “I sent money to some guy I know in your name.” I’m sure the charity would be happy about it, maybe even print the email and post it up on their bulletin board. That is if they have a bulletin board or ink in their printer – they might not be able to afford those things now that they don’t have the donation.

The reason it bugs me is that I don’t really get the “bonus points” on this – my friend does. I didn’t do anything nice, my friend did. I didn’t inconvenience myself, my friend did. They get the bonus points and all I’m left with is the knowledge that I DEFINETELY WON’T GET A PRESENT THIS YEAR.

And I didn’t EXPECT a present. This was a friend who lives on a different continent from me; not a Mom or a Sister where you might expect a present. And on top of that I now have the guilt because I know I’m such a schlub that doesn’t fully grasp the wonderful Christmas spirit of this donation.

Many moons ago, probably 20 years or so ago, I had a Christmas where I gave presents to everyone. I mean dozens and dozens of gifts with full wrapping. For me at the time it was very expensive and I spent several months paying off credit cards. The next year I stopped giving out Christmas presents, not to anyone. Call me Scrooge, but it was a wonderful feeling. I was now lost in the “spirit of Christmas” and the time of the season, and not feeling all the guilt of who got what.

When you start giving presents outside your immediate family it’s a slippery slope. The list starts expanding exponentially – and then you’re faced with “Oh no, I forgot so-and-so”, and their name is added. It never ends.

And then there’s always the one name you forgot; and again you are left with the empty guilt for snubbing that one person.

But I’ve been denied the ultimate experience with this donation. Christmas presents usually aren’t that good anyway as an adult. But the best part is seeing the package and wondering what it is. I have an overactive imagination so I imagine the wrapped present is some rare archeological find from Egypt or a lost manuscript of music by Mozart. THAT’S the fun part of it. Looking at the presents and knowing someone took the time out to wrap something for you, and wondering with wide eyes “what could this be?”.  There was a point in time where the gift-giver thought “Hey, this person should get a present.” It doesn’t matter what it is, they thought of you. THAT’S so awesome. But not for me this year. Somehow the donation doesn’t make it into the “oh wow, they thought of me” category.

So this year’s Christmas for me will be something like this:

• Print up all the emails of donations made in my name
• Run to the store to get more ink because my printer ran out
• Print up all the emails of donations made in my name
• Run back to the store because I’ve ran out of paper
• Print up all the emails of donations made in my name
• Collate them – should it be alphabetically by sender, name of charity or by date sent? That’s a tough one.
• Get a little plastic paper holder to hold my donation email treasures.
• Stare at them.
• Feel Christmasy.
• Have a mental breakdown running down the street naked with foamy froth coming out of my mouth like a dog with rabies because I didn’t get any Christmas presents.
• Meanwhile the people that work for the charity are having a big Christmas honey glazed ham with their families with the perfect Better Home and Gardens Christmas tree glowing in the background. And they are laughing at me, probably even toasting my demise.

How do you fix this situation? You can’t. Here’s fixes I can think of and all the horrible outcomes:

1. Gift giver sees this blog post and says “I tried to do something nice, you’re a loser”. I lose.
2. Gift giver says “Fine, I’ll take your name off the donation and not send you anything until you grow up and understand the Spirit of Christmas.” I lose.
3. Gift giver says “Fine, I’ll take your name off the donation and send you a present.” Now I have the guilt of knowing the charity won’t get the money, and I’m denied any possibility of future maturity in accepting my “bonus points” for the donation. I lose.
4. Blog readers from all over the world read my blog and feel sorry for me; each sending me ten dollars. I accumulate over 20 million dollars. I give 10 million to charity and keep the rest. Well ok, I guess I DO win in that scenario…

I want my Christmas present. I didn’t say I deserve it. I don’t. Thank you for turning my Christmas into a bottomless chasm of hopeless hell. And it’s not even Thanksgiving yet…..