Jubilee Now
by Leon J. Suprenant

With all the excitement about "Y2K" in the secular world and the "Great Jubilee of the Year 2000" in the Church, it’s very easy to get distracted. What’s going to happen on January 1 (besides the Rose Parade and bowl games)? Are my things "Y2K compliant"? Is Jesus coming back now?

In the face of these and other questions, it’s important to get back to basics. The starting point of our Christian faith is the Incarnation. This is the remarkable story of God seeking man and, to the wonderment of nature, becoming one of us in the "fullness of time" (cf. Gal. 4:4) to save us from sin and to give us eternal life. Through the mystery of Christ’s suffering, death, and Resurrection, we are given the opportunity to become children of God and heirs of heaven.

It is altogether appropriate, then, that we should celebrate with fervor and delight the 2,000th birthday of Our Lord. Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary. He is rightly called the "reason for the season." His coming is what has shaped our calendars. He desires to be the center of our lives.

Lord of History

Two thousand years seems like a very long time ago. Therefore, we need to call to mind that the Incarnation is not merely an event of the distant past to be studied in religion or (less likely) history class. The coming of Christ changed everything. More to the point, He is alive!

When we celebrate a loved one’s birthday, we not only strain our memories to recall—if we were alive ourselves at the time—the day this beloved person was born. Rather, we celebrate the ongoing gift and presence of this person in our lives. The coming Jubilee, then, points us not only to an event in an obscure stable in Bethlehem two millennia ago, but to the centrality of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in our lives today.

Our salvation is something that is worked out over time. Indeed, the Old Testament is the story of God’s reaching out to the children of Adam and preparing them for the coming of the Redeemer. During the Christian era, we have seen the failings and successes of the Church to bring the light of Christ to the world (cf. Jn. 1:9). In our own lives, each of us has a very personal story of Christ’s fidelity and mercy to us despite our own sins and failings.

In all of this, we see that Christ is truly the Lord of time. In Christ, our lives have direction and purpose. More than once or twice, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid." If we open wide the doors to Christ in our lives—and "now is the acceptable time" (2 Cor. 6:2)—our past has meaning and our future is secure. Then we are able to serenely accept God’s plan for our lives and for our world today free from undue anxiety and tension. This must be the cornerstone of our Y2K preparations. Are our hearts Y2K compliant?

Mission of the Messiah

In this issue of Lay Witness, there are excellent articles by Jeff Ziegler (p. 4) and Phil Gray (p. 27) that help explain what a "jubilee" meant in the Old Testament and provide practical ways for us to make the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 a season of grace for us. On pp. 52-53, you’ll find excerpts from Pope John Paul II’s "Bull of Indiction" of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. This is nothing other than a blueprint for celebrating this holy season as the Church intends. For those desiring ever more biblical teaching on Jesus’ jubilee mission, I highly recommend Tim Gray’s book and tape set Mission of the Messiah (Emmaus Road Publishing, 1-800-398-5470).

A jubilee in essence is an emancipation or release from bondage, as though a heavy weight is lifted from our backs. This could have a material or physical dimension, such as release form debt or slavery. Even more, the "jubilee" inaugurated by Jesus involved liberation from sin. That’s why the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 is focusing our attention on conversion, remission of sins, and penance. These concepts (not to mention indulgences) may be off-putting to some of us until we look closer." The Great Jubilee is about preparing our hearts and preparing our society for a new springtime of faith. Jesus is calling us to a new, abundant life (cf. Jn. 10:10). To accept this gift, our hearts must be freed from sin and worldly attachments. We need to reprogram our hearts so that they can accept God’s love and mercy. Again, are our hearts Y2K compliant?

Docile to the Spirit

So what can we do in our own lives to prepare for the Great Jubilee? First, we need to repent of our sins and seek God’s mercy. For those of us immersed in habitual sin or sinful lifestyles, we need to make frequent recourse to Confession and the Eucharist as well as intense personal prayer to receive the grace we need to leave sin behind. God’s mercy infinitely exceeds our capacity to sin, and Our Heavenly Father is patient with His children who stumble yet strive to rise again.

Now is the acceptable time to turn away from corrupt, dishonest business practices. Now is the acceptable time to end homosexual, extramarital, or premarital sexual relationships. Now is the time for those who have long abandoned the Church or perhaps even the practice of any religion to come home to the Catholic Church. You are welcome. Open wide the doors to Christ!

CUF founder H. Lyman Stebbins wrote that the primary mission of CUF members is the renewal of our own hearts. All of us have planks in our eyes that need to be removed (cf. Mt. 7:3-5). But our mission doesn’t end there. Through prayer, word, and practical assistance, we must help those who are estranged from the Church. We can’t become "enablers," thus tolerating sinful behavior in order to not make waves. Yet we can’t condemn sin without also reaching out with compassion to those who need our help. Otherwise, we are like the Pharisees, using God’s law as an instrument of oppression (cf. Mt. 23:2-4). But the Great Jubilee is about removing burdens, not adding to them. It’s a time of reconciliation and healing, not of closing ranks.

But turning from sin is only half the equation. We all need to be converted, or reconverted, or more deeply converted, to Christ and embrace the gift of divine sonship that provides true, lasting freedom and happiness. This is the work of the Holy Spirit and not something we can create or replicate on our own initiative.

This necessarily leads us to the Eucharist, which is a sign and instrument of our loving communion with God and with neighbor. Not surprisingly, our Holy Father has said that our Jubilee celebration must be "intensely Eucharistic." Not only are we called to recognize Christ "in the breaking of the bread" (cf. Lk. 24:30), we are called in a special way to open our eyes to the needs of the poor and excluded in our midst. Are our hearts Y2K compliant?

Home for the Holidays

The gift of Jesus Christ to the world is meant for everyone. He who became Emmanuel, "God with us" (Mt. 1:23), promised to be with us always (cf. Mt. 28:20), and commissioned His Church to go out to the entire world, inviting all people to new and everlasting life.

The growth of Christianity from a small group of disciples huddled in one room to a worldwide phenomenon is an impressive work of grace. But there are still four billion people in the world who do not claim to be Christian. Many of these have never had the Gospel presented to them in a compelling or accurate way. They do not know Christ.

While we can’t all be missionaries on the scale of a St. Francis Xavier, we all have a role to play in the new evangelization, realizing that we are called not only to share Church doctrine but our very lives—the most credible witness of all—with others (cf. 1 Thess. 2:8).

The Jubilee is a time of jubilation, a time of great joy, as we rejoice in the good news of our salvation. This Christmas, and throughout the coming holy year, may we be docile to the Holy Spirit and look for ways to share our faith in Christ—made flesh 2,000 years ago—in practical, personal ways for love of God. Are our hearts Y2K compliant?

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