Jubilee Snippets

Why come on pilgrimage to Rome this year?
The Jubilee

Biblically, the origins of the Jubilee go back to the Old Testament. The Law of Moses established a special year for the people of Israel (cf. Lev 25:10–13). The trumpet used to announce this special year was a ram’s horn, called a yôbel in Hebrew, from which the word “jubilee” derives.
This year was marked by the restoration of land to its original owners, the remission of debts, the liberation of slaves, and the resting of the land.
In the New Testament, Jesus presents Himself as the One who fulfills the ancient Jubilee, for He came “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” (cf. Is 61:1–2).
In the Catholic tradition, the Jubilee Year is above all the Year of Christ, the bearer of life and grace. Every 25 years, the Jubilee celebrates the anniversary of the birth of God made man, who grants humanity a destiny of eternity. The effects of this historical event have continued throughout time. The first Jubilee was proclaimed in 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII. This was a time when it had become almost impossible for Christians to undertake a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. A reproduction of the Antiquorum habet fida relatio papal bull, which announced this first Roman Jubilee, is today engraved in the upper left corner of the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica. The Jubilee is commonly called the “Holy Year”, not only because it begins, takes place, and ends with sacred rites, but also because it aims to promote the holiness of life, step by step. A Jubilee can be “ordinary” if tied to the periodic cycle now set at 25 years, or “extraordinary” if proclaimed for a particularly important occasion. In the sign of hope that does not disappoint, this year we celebrate the 27th Ordinary Jubilee.