The Perpetual Jubilee
This is the seventh in a series on the Jubilee Year of 2025.
Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church precisely to embody him and perpetuate the jubilee message of his Life, Death, and Resurrection. As Jesus forgave sins, that spiritual debt weighing so many down, so his Church has been empowered to release people from this spiritual bondage: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them” (Jn. 20:23). The agent of the jubilee is the Holy Spirit, who anoints the Messiah to carry out the ultimate jubilee and who descends upon the apostles in the Upper Room to embolden them to preach and effect this message of forgiveness. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples release people from demonic captivity, heal the sick, and bring the purifying waters of baptism to thousands.
How does the jubilee continue in our own day? Three practices perpetuate the spiritual dimensions of the jubilee: the sacraments, pilgrimages, and indulgences. The sacraments are the continuation of Christ’s life on earth: “what was visible in our Savior has passed over into his mysteries,” St. Leo the Great stated. Christ established his Church to be the distributor of these liberating instruments of his grace. Baptism, Reconciliation and Eucharist in particular all forgive our sins and free us from the power of the Evil One. Baptism washes us of original sin and rebirthes us into God’s friendship. Confession restores that liberty when we voluntarily throw it away through sin. The Eucharist sustains our attempts to grow in that freedom of being God’s child by conforming us more to God’s Son through his Body and Blood.
Pilgrimages and indulgences also contribute to our jubilee redemption. If you recall from earlier bulletins, once debts were paid and freedom was restored, those in bondage were invited to return to their home through a pilgrimage of sorts. They were traveling to a place where God’s presence was strong for their family, and we as Catholics do the same when we go on pilgrimage. Every pilgrimage is a journey to God, who is our true Home, and so even if we’re traveling to faraway lands (like Germany and Austria, as one example), we’re getting closer to God by taking the time away from our daily lives to pray and be transformed. Pilgrimages can be done much closer to home (Holy Hill and Our Lady of Champion are great sites) or even within our home if we’re unable to travel. Indulgences, a practice abused in the past, are beautiful ways to experience God’s liberation. The reception of an indulgence through certain acts of prayer and penance do not forgive our sins (that’s Confession), but remove the damage done to our soul that remains after we’re forgiven. It’s the broken window that needs replacing even after our neighbor has forgiven us. Check out the Jubilee link on our website to learn more about special jubilee indulgences this year. We are called as members of Christ’s Body to experience the jubilee freedom he offers so as to be transformed day by day into free sons and daughters of a loving Father!