“….then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’ When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and were very much afraid!”

This passage from today’s Gospel always intrigued me. When the disciples saw a cloud and heard God’s voice, I wondered why there were overcome with fear? Ater all, they had Jesus with them, and the voice was a friendly one: God the Father’s. My suspicion is that all these signs of God’s powerful love and presence made them experience their own sins. Isn’t it true that when we experience such deep holiness we immediately fall in amazement, as we recognize how far short, we miss the mark with God. But Jesus reassures His disciples: But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do not be afraid.” This made me think of all the times we fear God when we acknowledge how sinful we can be. We fear punishment, rejection, and condemnation. Yet God is our loving Father – we just can’t wrap our minds around the depth of His love for us. To help us heal, the Church provides many means that we can use to get over our fears and trust God’s mercy. Our dear Pope Leo has given us one powerful way during this year 2026. He has offered us a way to receive a Plenary Indulgence. What is a plenary indulgence? To make a simple comparison using secular terms, we can be granted a “full pardon.” Often after we have gone to confession, we have our sins forgiven, but the guilt remains, doesn’t it? We find it hard to let go of our mistakes from the past; and even though we receive a full absolution from the confessor, we often can’t let go of the guilt and sense of shame. What a Plenary Indulgence does is precisely that. An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven. We become free to believe any kind of guilt or punishment, whether from God, from others, or from ourselves, doesn’t exist anymore. It really is a special grace, and what better time of the year than during Lent to seek one. There are, however, some visible things we need to do to show our openness to this gift. We must have the interior disposition of complete detachment from sin; we must sacramentally confess our sins; we must receive Holy Communion (better during Mass); and we must pray for the intentions of the Pope. If you have any questions about a plenary indulgence, come to see me.     ~ Fr. John