In the great work of personal satisf action for our sins, Indulgences take the place of the long penances imposed by the Early Church, and the days, quarantines, or years mentioned in them denote the terms of penance to which they are equivalent, i.e., for the remission of temporal punishment, a quarantine being a Lent kept according to the strict discipline of the Early Church.
For the Doctrine of Indulgences, see Sarra, Domma delle S. Indulgenze, translated by Fr. Ambrose St. John, of the Oratory.
