The Handbook of Indulgences

Got indulgences?

This wonderful book should come with our initiation in to the Catholic Church!

To understand what indulgences are and are not, read THIS and THIS.

While I have this book, I have not used it enough. Today, I was reminded of it. On one of my Catholic homeschooling yahoogroups we were "talking" about poetry memorization. In the classical curriculum, the focus is that exposure to poetry encourages a love of the true and the beautiful; memorization of poetry trains the intellect and the imagination.

As my 6th grader memorized and recited Psalm 23 and my 2nd grader recited Psalm 100 recently, I was touched by the voices of my children speaking God's word and hopeful that it would be imprinted on their hearts. I have decided to interject more Scripture and prayer into our Catholic homeschooling. Remembering the Handbook of Indulgences and the promises it has for the Holy Souls, this really goes beyond school work. The pages and pages of prayers and psalms that could be prayed while memorizing *could* be efficacious in releasing a holy soul from purgatory! That soul would then pray for my child, eternally, and before the face of God! What a recognition lesson that would be in the true Communion of Saints!

Here's a LIST of prayers to pray yourself and teach your children.

These may garner indulgences as well:

- Adoration of Jesus in the Eucharist for at least half an hour
- The pious exercise of the Stations of the Cross .
- Recitation of the Rosary in a church or oratory, or in a family, a religious community, an association of the faithful and, in general, when several people come together for an honourable purpose.
- Piously reading or listening to Sacred Scripture for at least half an hour.

And there are many, many others....get this book for Christmas, First Holy Communions, Easter baskets and make every prayer one that could participate in eternity!