THE SALE OF INDULGENCES

“The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight” PROVERBS 15:8)

INTEGRITY

In 1513, Prince Albert of became Archbishop administrator of the Diocese of Halberstadt at merely 23 years of he was also Archbishop of Mainz and German Cardenal. Albert was an extremely powerful prelate who enjoyed fabulous financial and political benefits. As if that weren’t enough, his responsibilities allowed him to participate in the election of Germany’s emperor, a privilege granted to very few people that made him eligible to receive all kinds of gifts and privileges. It was contrary to canon law to hold so many offices, so a papal waiver was required. The Pope asked him for 24,000 ducats, a huge amount of money. In addition, he offered Albert license to sell indulgence es in his territories. Thus, Albert would be able to pay the Pope for the waiver to obtain his longed for archbishop’s palace, but the Fugger (German bankers) would be sure to have cash, which guaranteed an advance of part of the income that would be earned from the sale of indulgences. Likewise, Emperor Maximilian would ben. efit with some of the rights and, to top it all off, the Roman pope would take half the earnings, with which he planned to build Saint Peter’s Basilica.

The offer was very appealing: remission of sins and temporary punishments, the right to choose a confessor and full indulgence for the souls in purgatory, of course, with prior payment of quite a few coins. Johannes Tetzel, a Dominican monk, who mounted a whole religious performance to persuade people to buy the longed for document, was appointed to attract buyers. Those actions angered several thinkers, but it would be Martin Luther, a humble Augustinian monk, who would rise up with great courage to fight those kinds of ideas and confront the Pope and his messengers, denouncing those abuses. The Pope and his proud prelates disdained Luther and tried to set him aside. But they never imagined that the situation would be the force behind what was later known as the Protestant Reformation, which propounded the concept of salvation by faith and not by works.

Expecting to be saved through human actions is deceitful. Nobody can obtain salvation through their works. If we could be saved by works, why would we need Jesus? But we accept Jesus in our lives precisely because we can do nothing to be saved.

Give the Lord the best of your life today and let him work in your heart.

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Take From: Daily Devotions for Youth 2020
«A New You»
From: Alejandro Medina Villareal
Collaborators: Gezer Noria & Misael Morillo