Today - August 2nd, is the day of the Portiuncula Indulgence. An indulgence is the full or partial remission of temporal punishment due for sins which have already been forgiven.
The Portiuncula Indulgence refers to the plenary indulgence originally granted by Pope Honorious III to those who visit the chapel of Our Lady of the Angels in Assisi on August 2nd. (This small chapel is now enshrined in a large basilica.) The indulgence has been extended to Franciscan churches the world over. Father Marion Habig, OFM, explains the history of the Portiuncula indulgence:
A special impulse led St. Francis one night to go to the chapel. There he saw our Lord and His holy Mother surrounded by a great host of angels. Filled with astonishment and reverence, the saint prostrated himself upon the ground and adored the Divine majesty. Then he heard the voice of our Lord urging him with ineffable tenderness to ask some special favor. Nothing was so near to the heart of Francis as the salvation of souls, and so, after a few moments of reflection, he asked for the grace of a full pardon for all who, being contrite and having confessed their sins, would visit this little sanctuary. Mary cast herself upon her knees before her Divine Son, and repeated the petition of her faithful servant. (The Franciscan Book of Saints, Franciscan Herald Press:1979, 570.)
One can obtain a plenary indulgence on August 2nd by visiting a parish church and doing the following:
1. Devoutly carry out the indulgenced work and devoutly pray the required prayers (if there are any) that go along with the action. In this case, visiting a parish church and reciting the "Our Father" and the Creed.
2. Say one “Our Father” and one “Hail Mary” for the intentions of the Pope on the day you perform the indulgenced work.
3. Worthily receive Holy Communion, ideally on the same day on which you perform the indulgenced work or at least within a few days of performing the indulgenced work.
4. Make a Sacramental Confession within a week of (before or after) the day on which you perform the indulgenced work.
5. It is also required that one be free from all attachment to sin, even venial sin.
Read more about the history of the Portiuncula Indulgence here.
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