The Jubilee Year of Mercy

A Talk presented to the Children of the Cathedral of the Twelve Apostles, Diplomatic Zone, Central Area, Abuja on Sunday 28th February, 2016 on  “Understanding  the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy at Your Level”

                                                Rev. Fr. Christopher Nnubia

Introduction

We shall discuss the following points in this reflection:

1. What is Jubilee Year?
2. Kinds of Jubilee Year
3. Children and the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy: What is their concern?
4. Activities of this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy
5. The Logo and Motto of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy
6. Appeal

1. What is Jubilee Year?

The concept of the Jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. A Jubilee or Holy Year is a year of forgiveness of sins and also the punishment due to sin. It is a year of reconciliation between enemies, of conversion and receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, “…and consequently of solidarity, hope, justice, commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters.”(“What is a Holy Year?”, Vatican, 17 February, 1997). In Book of Leviticus, a Jubilee year is mentioned to occur every fiftieth year, in which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgiven and the mercies of God would be particularly manifest, (Leviticus 25: 1-4, 8-10). In the Church, the tradition dates to 1300, when Pope Boniface VIII convoked a holy year. Jubilees generally involve pilgrimage to holy places.

2. Kinds of Jubilee Year

There are two kinds of jubilees.

1. The Ordinary jubilee which is generally being celebrated every 25 or 50 years. The last Ordinary Jubilee was celebrated in 2000 under the Pontificate of Pope John Paul II

ii.The Extraordinary jubilee depends on the need which calls for its celebration.

Pope Francis on 11thApril, 2015 in his papal bull of indiction Misericodiae Vultus (the face of mercy), declared the Extraordinary Jubilee Year: 8 December, 2015-20 November 2016. Thus we are celebrating the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy this year and not the Ordinary Jubilee Year.

3. Children and the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy: What is their concern?

In the Church, there are two kinds of persons: Physical Person and Juridical Person. Here we are concerned with the physical person. How can one become a physical person in the Church? Two of the others will be discussed here.

1. Baptism: By Baptism one is incorporated into the Church of Christ and constituted a person in it, with the duties and the rights which, in accordance with the each one’s status, are proper to Christians, (cf. Canon 96).
2. Age: There are two categories of ages considered: major and minor. A person who has completed the eighteenth year of age has attained majority and any person below this age is a minor. We have also two categories of minors: A minor who has not completed the seventh year of age is called an infant and is considered incapable of personal responsibilities. On completion of the seventh year of age, the minor is presumed to have the use of reason. Thus, the reason for the celebration of the sacraments of the Christian Initiation as follows: Infant Baptism is received by those who have not completed the seventh year of age, Adult Baptism is for those who have completed the seventh year of age and above; First Holy Communion is received by children who have reached the use of reason and they are those who have completed the seventh year of age and above; Confirmation is received at the age of discretion, unless otherwise stated by the Bishops’ Conference.

From the above analysis, this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy involves all the Christian faithful particularly, all those who are presumed to have the use of reason, that is seven years and above. Therefore, my dear children especially those who are already seven years and above, you are included in the celebration of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. It is your concern and business. It is for you as well as for your parents and elder brothers and sisters.

4. Activities of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy

The Holy Father, Pope Francis mentions nine major activities for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy. They are:

1. Opening of the Holy Door of Mercy; b. The Practice of Pilgrimage c. Reflection on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; d. More Prayer, Penance and Bible reflections during the season of Lent e. “24 Hours for the Lord”; f. Sending out Missionaries of Mercy; g. Conversion of men and women who belong to criminal organization of any kind; and h. Indulgences and i. Dialogue with Judaism and Islam
2. Opening of the Holy Door of Mercy: On 8th December, 2015, the Holy Father opened the Holy Door in Rome. Then on the third Sunday of Advent, he opened the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Rome- that is, the Basilica of Saint John Lateran. On the same third Sunday of Advent, he also announced that a Door of Mercy be opened at the Cathedral of every diocese or at the co-cathedral or another church of special significance.

In Abuja Archdiocese, the Archbishop, His Eminence, John Cardinal Onaiyekan on Thursday, 17th December, 2015, opened a Door of Mercy at Our Lady Queen of Nigeria Pro-Cathedral Garki.

The Archbishop on Friday, 26th February 2016 directed for opening of a Door of Mercy in all the six deaneries in the Archdiocese by their respective deans. Thus, in Abuja Archdiocese, we have six doors of Mercy.

The significance of the Holy Door of Mercy according to the Holy Father, is that “anyone who enters this Door of Mercy will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instils hope” (MV 3).

1. Pilgrimage: The Holy Father says that “the practice of pilgrimage has a special place in the Holy Year, because it represents the journey each of us makes in this life. Life itself is a pilgrimage, and the human being is a viator , a pilgrim travelling along the road, making his way to the desired destination.” (MV 14). As children of God, it is expected that each of us makes a pilgrimage to reach the Holy Door in Rome if your parents are capable of taking you there or any other place in the world. Here in Abuja Archdiocese, it is expected that each of us makes a pilgrimage to reach the Holy Door of Mercy in any of the following places where the Holy Door of Mercy was opened: Our Lady Queen of Nigeria, Pro-Cathedral Garki, Christ the King Parish Kubwa, Sacred Heart Parish Gwagwalada, Ss. Peter and Paul Parish Parish Nyanya, St. Martin’s Parish Lugbe or Holy Family Parish Life Camp. When you go home today, tell your parents or guardian this: “Dad, Mum, I want to go on pilgrimage to any of the Holy Doors of Mercy in the Archdiocese”. Rev. Fr. Christopher Nnubia asked us to tell you this. Your parents or guardian can use one Saturday or Sunday to take you on pilgrimage to any of these places, if not all.

Assignment: Buy an Exercise Book. When you get there, write down the name of the Holy Door of the parish you are visiting and the date and time, take a snapshot of that Holy Door of Mercy and the Church. Also, take a snapshot where you are in front of that Holy Door of Mercy, entering and coming out of it. Frame the most beautiful picture of all the pictures and submit a copy of your most beautiful picture to either Mrs. Obieke or Sr. MaryCythnia. Hopefully, the Committee on the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy may organize a general Pilgrimage for all of you before the end of this extraordinary jubilee to all the six Holy Doors of Mercy in Abuja Archdiocese.

This, according to the Holy Father, will be a sign that mercy is also a goal to reach and requires dedication and sacrifice.

The Holy Father says further that the Lord Jesus shows us the steps of the pilgrimage to attain our goal: “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back” (Lk 6:37-38). The Lord asks us above all not to judge and not to condemn. If anyone wishes to avoid God’s judgement, he should not make himself the judge of his brother or sister. Human beings, whenever they judge, look no farther than the surface, whereas the Father looks into the very depths of the soul. How much harm words do when they are motivated by feelings of jealousy and envy! To speak ill of others puts them in a bad light, undermines their reputation and leaves them prey to the whims of gossip. To refrain from judgement and condemnation means, in a positive sense, to know how to accept the good in every person and to spare him any suffering that might be caused by our partial judgment, our presumption to know everything about him. But this is still not sufficient to express mercy. Jesus asks us also to forgive and to give. To be instruments of mercy because it was we who first received mercy from God. To be generous with others, knowing that God showers his goodness upon us with immense generosity.(MV 14).

1. Reflection on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy: The Holy Father says that it is his burning desire that, during this jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiritual works of mercy.(MV 15). Jesus introduces us to these works of mercy in his preaching so that we can know whether or not we are living as his disciples. Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead.(MV 15). Another assignment: Any day you carry out the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, you write it down in your exercise book: the date and the one carried out.
2. More Prayers, Penance and Bible reflections during the season of Lent: The Holy Father gave us some Bible passages to reflect upon during this season of Lent for God’s mercy. The Bible passages are Micah 7: 18-19; Isaiah 58: 6-11
3. “24 Hours for the Lord,”: To be celebrated on the Friday and Saturday preceding the Fourth Week of Lent. This is to be done in every diocese. On that day, there will be Confession and other activities of mercy. We shall soon be told how it will be celebrated in our Archdiocese.
4. Sending out Missionaries of Mercy by the Holy Father: These are priests to whom the Holy Father will grant the authority to pardon sins even those sins reserved to the Holy See and send out to the whole world. (MV 18).
5. Conversion of men and women who belong to criminal organizations of any kind: Those who think that life depends on money; those who inflict violence for the sake of amassing riches soaked in blood, those who perpetrate or participate in corruption. The Holy Father says: “Corruption prevents us from looking to the future with hope, because its tyrannical greed shatters the plans of the weak and tramples upon the poorest of the poor. It is an evil that embeds itself into the actions of everyday life and spreads, causing great public scandal. Corruption is a sinful hardening of the heart that replaces God with the illusion that money is a form of power. It is a work of darkness, fed by suspicion and intrigue.” (MV 19).
6. Indulgences: The Holy Father says that “a jubilee also entails the granting of indulgences.”(MV 22). He says “to gain an indulgence is to experience the holiness of the Church, who bestows upon all the fruits of Christ’s redemption, so that God’s love and forgiveness may extend everywhere. Let us live this Jubilee intensely, begging the Father to forgive our sins and to bathe us in his merciful “indulgence.”(MV 22).
7. Dialogue with Judaism and Islam: For these religions consider mercy to be one of God’s most important attributes. It is the Holy Father’s wish that this Jubilee year will foster an encounter with these religions and with other noble religious traditions. The aim of the dialogue is to know and understand one another better and to eliminate every form of closed mindedness and disrespect, and drive out every form of violence and discrimination, (MV23).
8. The Logo and motto of the Jubilee of Mercy

The logo and the motto together provide a fitting summary of what the Jubilee Year is all about. The motto Merciful Like the Father (taken from the Gospel of Luke, 6:36) serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure (cf. Lk 6:37-38). The logo – the work of Jesuit Father Marko I. Rupnik –represents an image quite important to the early Church: that of the Son having taken upon his shoulders the lost soul demonstrating that it is the love of Christ that brings to completion the mystery of his incarnation culminating in redemption. The logo has been designed in such a way so as to express the profound way in which the Good Shepherd touches the flesh of humanity and does so with a love with the power to change one’s life. One particular feature worthy of note is that while the Good Shepherd, in his great mercy, takes humanity upon himself, his eyes are merged with those of man. Christ sees with the eyes of Adam, and Adam with the eyes of Christ. Every person discovers in Christ, the new Adam, one’s own humanity and the future that lies ahead, contemplating, in his gaze, the love of the Father.

The scene is captured within the so called mandorla (the shape of an almond).

The above picture shows the seeds of almond. The mandorla calls to mind the two natures of Christ, divine and human. The three concentric ovals, with colours progressively lighter as we move outward, suggest the movement of Christ who carries humanity out of the night of sin and death. Conversely, the depth of the darker colour suggests the mystery of the love of the Father who forgives all.

7. Appeal

Appeal by the Holy Father: In this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us.(MV 25). My own appeal: my dear children and friends, especially those who are seven years and above try to make good use of this opportunity to reconcile with God, your parents, siblings, friends, classmates, neighbours and anybody you think you are not happy with and try to carry out the activities of this Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy religiously, devotedly and with dedication and determination so as to receive God’s mercy. Remember to do all the assignments given to you. One week before the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy, you are to submit your exercise book to either Mrs. Obieke or Sr. Mary Cynthia for assessment and presentation of prizes. God bless you all. I trust you and I love you all.

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