The priest complained that he had to travel to the other end of the world, to Litoměřice, during the Christmas octave to be mandatory present for the commencement of the jubilee year, the meaning of which he still hadn’t deciphered despite the pastoral letters. However, he went. When the Pope and the bishop command, it is better to listen than to grumble. He encouraged himself for the journey with the thought of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to escape Herod, which was also not an expedition anyone would look forward to. In the end, it turned out to be excellent. After all, the priest had such low expectations that he could only be pleasantly surprised.
However, the residual doubts about the jubilee year remain. The priest is a nitpicker, and therefore he inappropriately asks what the holy doors are actually for, which are supposed to be the destinations for pilgrimages this year. Once, in 1300, under Pope Boniface VIII, who proclaimed the very first jubilee year, the holy door signified access to plenary indulgences. However, according to current church law, they can also be obtained through prayer of the rosary in church or through meditation on the Holy Scriptures. Back then in the Middle Ages, indulgences were a hard-to-obtain product for which there was high demand; today, it’s a product available at any time, and the demand is low.
When the priest doesn't find meaning in the jubilee year in indulgences, where is he to look for it, and what should he actually do this year, which he is alerted to as uniquely important from all sides? In the year of St. Paul, for example, he could have carefully read all of his letters; in the year of priests, he could have prayed daily especially for the servants of the church. But he doesn’t know how to jubilantly celebrate in a regular manner.
In the end, he decided not to lament and rather to turn his thoughts to something substantial. Two viable prompts came to him, and he is willing to share one (the second one he may whisper from the pulpit later).
So, jubilee years relate to the Old Testament tradition of the year of jubilee, when – every fifty years – slaves were freed and debts were forgiven. So how about embracing this year as a major relational restart? With some people, we have already had our experiences and have encased our hearts towards them because we do not want any more blows. Maybe it's worth it to reach out to such distant neighbors every twenty-five years – we will likely be disappointed again, but we might also be pleasantly surprised. Good God mercifully forgets everything we have messed up once we cry out to him with a plea for forgiveness. Not only does he forgive, but he also forgets and restores his relationship with us. When else but this year should we imitate him in this work? A part of the restart could also be the willingness to transform ancient loans into gifts. The priest will try to set an example and no longer look spitefully at those scoundrels who have one of his books on their nightstand.
P. Štěpán Smolen
However, the residual doubts about the jubilee year remain. The priest is a nitpicker, and therefore he inappropriately asks what the holy doors are actually for, which are supposed to be the destinations for pilgrimages this year. Once, in 1300, under Pope Boniface VIII, who proclaimed the very first jubilee year, the holy door signified access to plenary indulgences. However, according to current church law, they can also be obtained through prayer of the rosary in church or through meditation on the Holy Scriptures. Back then in the Middle Ages, indulgences were a hard-to-obtain product for which there was high demand; today, it’s a product available at any time, and the demand is low.
When the priest doesn't find meaning in the jubilee year in indulgences, where is he to look for it, and what should he actually do this year, which he is alerted to as uniquely important from all sides? In the year of St. Paul, for example, he could have carefully read all of his letters; in the year of priests, he could have prayed daily especially for the servants of the church. But he doesn’t know how to jubilantly celebrate in a regular manner.
In the end, he decided not to lament and rather to turn his thoughts to something substantial. Two viable prompts came to him, and he is willing to share one (the second one he may whisper from the pulpit later).
So, jubilee years relate to the Old Testament tradition of the year of jubilee, when – every fifty years – slaves were freed and debts were forgiven. So how about embracing this year as a major relational restart? With some people, we have already had our experiences and have encased our hearts towards them because we do not want any more blows. Maybe it's worth it to reach out to such distant neighbors every twenty-five years – we will likely be disappointed again, but we might also be pleasantly surprised. Good God mercifully forgets everything we have messed up once we cry out to him with a plea for forgiveness. Not only does he forgive, but he also forgets and restores his relationship with us. When else but this year should we imitate him in this work? A part of the restart could also be the willingness to transform ancient loans into gifts. The priest will try to set an example and no longer look spitefully at those scoundrels who have one of his books on their nightstand.
P. Štěpán Smolen
