Dear Joseph:

Here is an excerpt from the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia on St. Peter:

Concerning the manner of Peter's death, we possess a tradition--attested to by Tertullian at the end of the second century (in "Scorpiace", xv) and by Origen (in Eusebius, "Hist. Eccl.", II, i)--that he suffered crucifixion. Origen says: "Peter was crucified at Rome with his head downwards, as he himself had desired to suffer".

Concerning Indulgences, this is a dogma that is required for belief by all Catholics. The Council of Trent infallibly declared (Sess, XXV, 3-4, Dec., 1563):

 "Since the power of granting indulgences has been given to the Church by Christ, and since the Church from the earliest times has made use of this Divinely given power, the holy synod teaches and ordains that the use of indulgences, as most salutary to Christians and as approved by the authority of the councils, shall be retained in the Church; and it further pronounces anathema against those who either declare that indulgences are useless or deny that the Church has the power to grant them (Enchridion, 989). It is therefore of faith (de fide) ..."

The definition of an indulgence is "the extra-sacramental remission of the temporal punishment due, in God's justice, to sin that has been forgiven, which remission is granted by the Church in the exercise of the power of the keys, through the application of the superabundant merits of Christ and of the saints, and for some just and reasonable motive."

Let me offer an analogy. If I throw a rock through your window I have committed a sin. I can repent of that sin and be forgiven by both you and by God. The window, however, is still broken.

While the sin has been forgiven the "consequences" of my sin (the broken window) remains. Because the broken window is a result of my sin, it falls to me to be responsible for the reparation for my sin (fixing the window).

The problem is that I do not have the $100 to fix the window. So, you may grant me an "indulgence" in exchange for giving me credit off the debt I owe you. That indulgence may be to mow your lawn for a month at no charge and you will deduct $50 from the cost of repairing the window. This is a partial indulgence (pays for part of the debt).

Or you could grant me a indulgence that will credit me the entire $100. Thus in exchange for painting your house, for example, you will consider the debt paid in full. This is a plenary Indulgence.

Thus an indulgence is given to reduce or to pay in full the reparation due from the consequences of sin (the broken window).

If we do not get all the broken windows in our life repaired through good works, indulgences, and mortifications, then we carry those debts into purgatory where we will complete the reparations, and be purged from all imperfections, before entering heaven. This is what Jesus was talking about "truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny" (Matthew 5:26) (SS. Cyprian, Ambrose, and Origen).

It is not that we cannot also receive graces for saying a rosary in our home and in fact we do receive graces as all of our prayers, devotions, and mortifications gives us credit against the broken windows and "time" off of purgatory. At least one reason the Church has assigned Indulgences to certain specific prayers and activities is to encourage the faithful to practice those acts of devotion and to teach them the significance and connection between the consequences of our sin and our spiritual health. Understanding this connection and significance, however, we know that all of our devotions, prayers, and mortifications are efficacious spiritually and an aid to repair all the broken windows of our life.

For more detail see the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia article, Indulgences.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary