THE GREAT JUBILEE

Dear Reader,

We all celebrate special dates such birthdays, anniversaries, and special memorials such as the 50th anniversary of D-day. That is exactly what the Jubilee is for Christians, only more so.  

True meaning of the Jubilee?   Here's what Pope John Paul II says:

"The challenge is to see to it that the world is properly informed of the true meaning of the Year 2000, the anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ.  The Jubilee cannot be a mere remembrance of a past event, however extraordinary. It is to be the celebration of a Living Presence, and an invitation to look towards the Second Coming of our Saviour, when he will establish once and for all his kingdom of justice, love and peace."   L'Osservatore Romano, 03/05/97

So, the Great Jubilee is the year of joyful celebration of 2000 years of Jesus' Living Presence..... among us. Yes, the calendar does hinge on Him. All the world will mark this Jubilee whether or not they are Christian since measurement of years is based on Jesus birth.

When God's Son came from eternity and entered time, time itself became sacred. When the Lord of Lords entered time, He did it in his own way, in His own time. The Church calls this the "fullness of time" meaning not only when God was good and ready, but meaning that the All Holy One, The Alpha and the Omega, The Beginning and the End, certainly made things "full" by entering into time as a man.

Ever since, the tradition of the Church has been to mark the passing of time and anniversaries in a sacred way ever since. This is the background for the Great Jubilee which we will celebrate in the year 2000.

For us, it is a year of favor before the Lord. Imagine, a year of special grace granted by God to us, his children. In fact, this is exactly how he announced himself as fulfilling prophecy when he went home. He took the scroll in the temple and read:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (Luke 4: 16-22).

Then He said, "This day this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

Wow! Those who heard that knew exactly what he was saying. He was saying he was the long awaited Savior, the one we call Messiah. The one who would rescue us from our sins and bring us into the very life of the Creator. This life we call grace or life in the Holy Spirit.

The tradition of jubilees is first found in the Holy Bible in the Old Testament book of Leviticus in chapter 25, verses :1-28. The Jubilee was the 50th year, the year after the Sabbath of the Sabbath. You see, the Sabbath was the 7th day. A Sabbath year was a 7th year and a Sabbath of the Sabbath was the 7th 7th year followed by the Jubilee. The Jubilee was thus the 50th year.

In the Jubilee the people would let the land rest and free the slaves. They would cancel debts and settle disputes and restore justice to those in need. In fact, for this people, the mark of a good king was one who would care for he weak and needy.

We pray that the Great Jubilee will see justice and peace kiss, old disputes reconciled. Generosity and forgiveness will prevail. What does the Church pray for? She prays for the splits of the last millennium to be healed in full communion. When that happens, the Jubilee will truly be a time of joy. The Church would once again breath with both lungs.

With the assistance of the Spirit of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the Year 2000, the Great Jubilee, it will be marked as a time of great conversion. Millions will come to know Jesus. Perhaps you are one.

Perhaps you are one of those millions who will return to Him after being away so many years. It is time, sacred time. Forgiveness awaits. Grace abounds! Jesus awaits you and we're praying for you!

Oh Joy, Oh Joy. Oh, Joy! Come home, brothers and sisters. Come home to Jesus!