A Jubilee to Be Remembered and
Offered
From the Desk of Thomas
McKenna
Dear Friend,
As Catholics, we are doubly blessed. We
are beneficiaries of all the graces of Scripture and our centuries-old
Christian Tradition. That’s important to know as we enter into the
Jubilee Year of Hope proclaimed and inaugurated by the pope on
Christmas Eve this year. Jubilees have deep roots in both sources of
our Faith.
But what exactly is a Jubilee? The term
comes from the Book of Leviticus (25:9), which called for a “sabbath”
year for agriculture after six years of harvesting. In the seventh
year the fields were to lie fallow to increase their yield.
Yahweh then decreed that after seven
periods of seven years (a total of 49), the fiftieth year would be the
Jubilee, which, like the Sabbath, was sacred to the Lord. It is the
reason we celebrate fiftieth wedding anniversaries and call them
Golden Jubilees!
The concept of the Jubilee year had a
very human dimension to it from the beginning. It was a special time
of grace and favor which called for the forgiveness of debts, the
return of property, the forgiveness of offenses, the freeing of
slaves, and the giving of aid to the poor and the needy.
The name Jubilee also comes from
Scripture. The year was initiated by the blowing of a ram’s horn. In
Hebrew, the verb is iobhel which
was then adopted right into Greek
as iubilaios. In our Latin
tradition it is iubilare, which
means to shout for joy!
The Holy Father opened a door to the
Jubilee Year in the Vatican on Christmas Eve symbolizing the Church’s
entrance into a new Year of Hope. I don’t know about you, but we could
all use a little more hope in our lives, especially as the world seems
to become more chaotic every day.
The pope has also asked diocesan bishops
around the world to establish special portals of hope in their own
dioceses where the faithful may go as pilgrims to walk through the
Jubilee Door in the local area. This will normally be in the diocesan
cathedral but may be a designated shrine or a more accessible
church.
Some of you may be attending a Holy Mass
today where your Bishop will open the Cathedral Holy Door in your
diocese.
When we go through the official Jubilee
Door in our diocese, we can gain a plenary indulgence during the
Jubilee Year. The three conditions for receiving an indulgence are
these. We must
- Go to Confession (if possible on the day of the visit; if not,
within a week)
- Receive Holy Communion (if possible at a Mass in the church that
day or elsewhere within the week)
- And pray for the just intentions of the Holy Father.
A Jubilee pilgrimage is a golden
opportunity for all Catholics to participate in a spiritual work of
mercy of our Church this year. But there are many other ways we deepen
our spirituality of Hope and receive special graces during this
Jubilee Year, even if we do not have a chance to make a pilgrimage to
our local Jubilee Door.
We can and should pray for our loved ones
who are away from the sacraments, that God will reconcile them with
His Church. We must pray for our loved ones who have gone before us
with the sign of faith, that they may enter full into the kingdom of
Heaven. And we can pray for any and all needs that we hold in our
hearts, whether they be for the transformation of our society and the
protection of the sanctity of life or for some personal needs.
God knows our hearts, and He hears every
one of our prayers, especially in a Jubilee Year. He will answer them
all in a way that is fitting for His Kingdom and in a time that is
beneficial for our souls.
The Holy Year will close on the Feast of
Epiphany (January 6th) 2026 with the closing of the Jubilee Door in
St. Peter’s Basilica. So, let us join with the pope and the whole
Church now and rejoice in this Jubilee Year. We know that God can do
miracles, and, like the harvests of old, He can produce abundant
fruits from the humble prayers of the pilgrims who turn to Him in
their need.
Yours in the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of
Mary,
Thomas J McKenna
Founder and President
Catholic Action for Faith and Family
https://www.catholicaction.org/
P.S. Shout for joy and help
spread hope this Jubilee Year 2025! If you have not had a chance to
support our annual appeal, please consider making a Tax-Deductible
Donation Today.
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