It's Not Always About The Numbers….

We celebrate the milestones in our lives, and we get specific when it comes to numbers. The number of birthdays we celebrate, and the silver, golden, and diamond anniversaries. A jubilee is a celebration with rejoicing. In the Roman Catholic Church, a jubilee is an appointed year or period, ordinarily every 25 years (ordinary jubilee), or a period of time (extraordinary jubilee) declared by the pope as a time of repentance with the performance of certain religious acts. 

We are 10 months into the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, declared by Pope Francis on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2015, and ending on the Feast of Christ the King, Nov. 20, 2016. The last Pope to open the cemented shut Holy Doors of St. Peter’s Basilica for an Extraordinary Jubilee was Saint Pope John Paul II, in 1983. He proclaimed the Jubilee to celebrate 1,950 years since the Redemption of Christ through his Death and Resurrection in the year 33. 

The Jubilee years are recounted in the Old Testament tradition of freeing slaves and prisoners once every 50 years, which was proclaimed by the sound of a ram’s horn on the Day of Atonement (See Leviticus 25:9). This concept of emancipation died out within Judaism, but was revisited by Pope Boniface VIII for the Catholic Church in 1300. 

Hopefully, you have been taking full advantage of this very special Holy Year, which is the 65th in Church history. Celebrating in a Universal Church – which is more than 2,000 years old, with 1.2 billion other Roman Catholics – is incredible!  The mercy and forgiveness offered are reminders of God’s love for us; but just as important, it helps us remember that there are always consequences for our actions. We need the strength and grace of God for reparation of our sins. “Why should any living man offer complaint in view of his sins?   Let us examine and probe our ways, and turn again to the Lord” (Lamentations 3:39).

God provides Ten Commandments to help guide us on the right path, and the Church gives us five precepts to follow. In our relationship with God, it is not so much about the numbers as it is the work we put into following these guidelines.  No one talks about the precepts of the Church anymore. They are very clearly stated, and not difficult to honor.  

“The precepts of the Church are set in the context of a moral life bound to and nourished by liturgical life.  The obligatory character of these positive laws decreed by the pastoral authorities is meant to guarantee to the faithful the very necessary minimum in the spirit of prayer and moral effort, in the growth in love of God and neighbor. (1) Attend Mass on Sunday and Holy Days of obligation. (2) Confess your sins in the sacrament of reconciliation at least once a year, which ensures preparation for the Eucharist. (3) Receive the sacrament of the Eucharist at least during the Easter Season. (4) Observe the days of fasting and abstinence established by the Church. (5) Help to provide for the needs of the Church” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2041).

We should never forget the importance of our baptismal promises!  Christians contribute to building up the Church by their convictions and moral lives. This witness has great power to draw men to faith and to God.  I often wonder why little children never tire of being read the same book over and over. I believe they hear it each time with different eyes and ears.  

Revisiting the Catechism of the Catholic Church could be helpful for all baptized Catholics who want to fully participate in the blessings offered. There are less than 60 days until this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy ends, but it is not about the numbers – it is about the effort we put into our faithfulness. Amen!