The Jubilee is “an event of great spiritual, ecclesial, and social significance in the life of the Church,” said Pope Francis in his letter which announced the Jubilee. This yearlong celebration marks the 2,025-year anniversary of the Incarnation of the Lord. It is indeed a time of grace.
Origins of the Jubilee
The Jubilee Year has its origins in the Old Testament, where it was instituted as a time of renewal, forgiveness, and liberation. According to the Book of Leviticus, every 50th year was to be a jubilee year, marked by the restoration of properties, the liberation of slaves, and the forgiveness of debts (Lev 25:8-13). It was a divine mandate intended to address economic disparities, restore equality, and ensure that society would remain grounded in justice and compassion. The jubilee year was inaugurated by blowing a ram’s horn or trumpet, called yobel in Hebrew. The name jubilee is derived from the name of this instrument
The Jubilee was established for the first time in the Catholic Church by Pope Boniface VII in 1300. He established it to promote spiritual renewal and pilgrimages to Rome. Originally it was intended to be celebrated every 100 years. However, due to the profound impact it had on the faithful, subsequent popes saw the value in holding it more frequently. In 1350, Pope Clement VI declared another Jubilee only 50 years after the first, and in 1475 Pope Paul II decided that Jubilees would occur every 25 years. This allowed more people to experience the blessings of a jubilee in their lifetime. This 25-year cycle remains the standard, although popes can and have declared “extraordinary” Jubilees outside of this schedule, in response to particular circumstances, as Pope Francis did with the Jubilee of Mercy in 2015.
The Main Elements of the Jubilee
The Jubilee serves as a time of spiritual rejuvenation, where the faithful are encouraged to seek forgiveness, renew their faith, and engage in acts of mercy. Some of the main ways in which this is done is through pilgrimage, passing through the Holy Door, reconciliation, prayer, gaining of indulgences, penance, and acts of mercy. These are not isolated acts but interrelated.
Jose Kuttianimattathil, sdb
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