How long do you live in purgatory?

A Spanish theologian from the late Middle Ages once argued that the average Christian spends 1000 to 2000 years in purgatory (according to Stephen Greenblatt's Hamlet in Purgatory). But there's no official take on the average sentence.

slate.com - How Catholics calculate purgatory sentences.

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The New York Times reported Monday that the Catholic Church is re-emphasizing the practice of offering indulgences. According to the Times, there are both “partial indulgences, which reduce purgatorial time by a certain number of days or years, and plenary indulgences, which eliminate all of it, until another sin is committed.” How do Catholics calculate spiritual sentences in the first place?

They don’t. A Spanish theologian from the late Middle Ages once argued that the average Christian spends 1000 to 2000 years in purgatory (according to Stephen Greenblatt’s Hamlet in Purgatory). But there’s no official take on the average sentence. According to the church, only God knows the exact amount of time a person must spend in purgatory before attaining a state of purity. It’s assumed, however, that the severity of one’s punishment will be directly proportional to the severity of the crime. (See this Explainer for more about the gradations of Catholic sins.) Contrary to what the Times article suggests, partial indulgences don’t come with specific amounts of time off for good behavior. Because it’s generally understood that time works differently in purgatory than it does on Earth, “five weeks off” has no practical meaning in the afterlife. Properly speaking, purgatory is a process rather than a place—the popular image of purgatory as something with spatial and temporal dimensions dates back to medieval times but isn’t actually part of official church doctrine. Obtaining an indulgence isn’t the same as being “forgiven.” Forgiveness—which places a sinner back in the good graces of God—can be granted only through the act of confession. After being forgiven, though, that person still has to endure punishment for his sins. This temporal punishment can be served either on Earth—through confessor-assigned penance or by obtaining an indulgence—or in purgatory. To obtain an indulgence, a Catholic must complete an act listed in the Vatican-issued Enchiridion Indulgentarium (Handbook of Indulgences)—for example, observing the Stations of the Cross or abstaining from pleasurable activities. (The pope and other clergy may also declare certain, special acts worthy of an indulgence—for example, taking part “attentively and devoutly” in the celebration of World Youth Day.) These acts are classified as either plenary or partial: The first edition of the Enchiridion, published in 1968, specifically noted that the grant of a partial indulgence is made “without any determination of days or years.” The effectiveness of your act depends on the sincerity with which you complete it. (More earnestness, more time off.) An older version of the Enchiridion, known as the Raccolta, did assign lengths of time for each indulgenced act. Reciting seven Gloria Patris and one Ave Maria in a single day, for example, would grant you “an indulgence of 100 days.” That didn’t mean, however, that the penitent would get 100 days knocked off his purgatorial stay. A 100-day indulgence just earns you the equivalent of 100 days of earthly penance. (In the early and medieval church, penances were extremely arduous; a sinner might be sentenced to years of nothing but bread and water or months of wearing sackcloth.)

Got a question about today’s news? Ask the Explainer.

Explainer thanks Lawrence S. Cunningham of the University of Notre Dame, Monsignor Charles Fink of the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, and Terrence W. Tilley of Fordham University.

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Do dogs know when someone is buried?

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wagwalking.com - Can Dogs Smell Graves? - Wag!

Dogs are curious by nature - especially puppies. Very often, just smelling an object won’t do, and they will try to interact with it in some way. This is why it’s important that your dog is trained when you are around cemeteries. There are a lot of new and interesting smells there, and if there’s fresh dirt, especially after a funeral, your dog might find it’s a good idea to go and dig around a bit. While most dogs won’t be interested in the deceased, do not let them anywhere near the grave. Always make sure to keep them on the leash and close to you so they don’t damage anything. Another reason why it’s important to keep them close are the various flowers that are often present in cemeteries, as some of them can be toxic to dogs. In case your dog managed to get a hold of such a plant, call your vet immediately and go to the clinic as soon as possible. Dogs can be trained by professionals to be rescue dogs or to help solve crimes. Rescue missions and crime solving often includes finding people who are deceased. The dog’s keen sense of smell lets them locate a deceased person much quicker than any human or machine can. Because of this, it is not far-fetched that dogs can smell graves when they are near a cemetery and can even catch a whiff of their owner that has left this world before they did. Such dogs will need a lot of love and affection to make this change in their life bearable. Take your time and work on a daily basis with such a dog, and shower them with all the affection they are missing because their owner is gone.

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