December 4, 2016. Holy Year of Mercy
His Holiness Pope Francis
His Holiness Pope Francis proclaimed the year of 2016 the Extraordinary Holy (Jubilee) Year, which will start on December 8, 2015, and finish on November 20, 2016. «How much I desire that the year to come will be steeped in mercy, so that we can go out to every man and woman, bringing the goodness and tenderness of God! May the balm of mercy reach everyone, both believers and those far away, as a sign that the Kingdom of God is already present in our midst» (Pope Francis).
In the Old Testament times the Jubilee Year was proclaimed every fifty years. The Jubilee was meant to restore equality among all the children of Israel, offering new possibilities to families who lost their property and even their personal freedom. For the rich, the jubilee year meant that the enslaved Israelites could gain their freedom back.
In the Catholic Church the tradition of the Jubilee years began under Pope Boniface VIII in 1300. It was to be celebrated once in a hundred years. Starting from 1475, the decision was made to celebrate the year of jubilee every twenty five years, to give every generation a chance to experience at least one Holy Year. Extraordinary jubilees were proclaimed on special occasions beginning from the XVIth century.
Until now, the Church has only celebrated twenty six jubilee years – the last ordinary jubilee was in the year of 2000. The last extraordinary jubilees were celebrated in 1933, in relation to the 1900th anniversary of Redemption, and in 1983 – on the occasion of the 1950th anniversary of Redemption.
The Catholic church has given to the Hebrew jubilee a more spiritual significance. It consists in a general pardon, an indulgence open to all, and the possibility to renew one’s relationship with God and neighbour.
The initial ritual of the Jubilee is the opening of the Holy Door, which at other times remain sealed by bricks. Four main basilicas of Rome have the Holy doors: the Basilica of Saint Peter; the Basilica of Saint John; the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls; and the Basilica of Saint Mary the Great. The opening of the Holy Door symbolizes a “special way” leading to salvation.
As a sign of the Church’s maternal solicitude for the People of God during Lent of this Holy Year, some priests – “the Missionaries of Mercy,” will be granted the authority “to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See;” and individual dioceses are called to organize “missions to the people” with their participation, in such a way that these Missionaries may be heralds of joy and forgiveness.
The Pope also invited the dioceses to have the prayer and repentance vigils “24 hours for the Lord” on Friday and Saturday of the fourth week of Lent, so that many Christians, especially the young people, would come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation, re-discovering the meaning of life for themselves.
In His Bull, made public on the 11th of April, Pope Francis stresses that mercy is “the very foundation of the Church’s life,” “an ideal of life and a criterion for the credibility of our faith.” We are called to show mercy because mercy has first been shown to us. Pardoning offences becomes the clearest expression of merciful love, and for us Christians it is an imperative to attain serenity of heart and happiness. The Church’s credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love, embodying the mercy of the Heavenly Father, and “wherever there are Christians, everyone should find an oasis of mercy.”
Also Pope Francis gives some practical advice on how one should live a full spiritual life in this year of the jubilee: making a pilgrimage in one’s own efforts; trying not to judge or condemn; departing from jealousy and envy to become “the instruments of forgiveness;” opening our hearts to those living on the uttermost fringes of society; bringing comfort and the feeling of fraternity to many brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity. Thus it is possible “to break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign supreme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism.”
Pope Francis also touches upon the subject of inter-religious relationships, pointing out that Judaism and Islam both consider mercy to be “one of God’s most important attributes.” May this Jubilee Year “open us to even more fervent dialogue so that we might know and understand one another better; may it eliminate every form of closed-mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination.”