Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
I have probably shared this with you before. Every time I leave home, my parents and I gather for prayer. Something wonderful happens just before I leave. My mom and dad lay their hand over me and bless me. I feel their breath. I feel the warmth of their body. I feel their tears as they feel mine. Most of all, I touch their holiness. And then, they both make the sign of the cross upon my forehead. Right at that moment, I experience a little bit of heaven. Right at that moment, I feel a little more free, a little more strong, a little more loved, a little more sure. I know that heaven is indescribable. But if someone asked me what heaven it like, I would say, its like my mom and dad blessing me.
We are in a Jubilee year. In the Old Testament, the jubilee year happened every fifty years. In reality, every jubilee attempted to recreate heaven. It was a year of liberation. It was a year of reconciliation. It was a year when people made an attempt to restore creation, people and society to its original dignity. They did this by giving rest to creation and creatures, by forgiving each other’s debts and giving each other a new start. The jubilee year was a heavenly year. Today’s readings must be understood from the perspective of a jubilee.
a) A Jesus Jubilee! I would like you to hear Jesus’ words from today’s gospel once again. “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” “To proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord!” This last phrase in Jesus’ words tells us that Jesus was declaring a Jubilee. We must remember that Jesus was not the Jewish high-priest of his time. In fact, he was a nobody within the Jewish priestly hierarchy. Jesus had no authority to declare a Jubilee. We do not even know whether Jesus’ declaration of the Jubilee coincided with the Jewish calendar. Yet, Jesus declared Jubilee. And what does Jesus propose for this favorable year? “Liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom to the oppressed, and a year acceptable to the Lord.” As Jesus unravelled his ministry, we know how his jubilee deeply impacted the lives of people. The blind did saw, the lepers were healed, the lame did walk. But more importantly, those who felt excluded from the reign of God found a way in. Think about Zacchaeus, the woman who washed Jesus feet with her hair, the adulterous woman, the Samaritan woman, the disciples of Jesus who were mere fisherfolk, people who were like the prodigal son, the repentant thief. It was as if, God’s love and grace had multiplied and flooded the world. People experienced heaven in and through Jesus.
b) The Jubilee and Our Parish. When Pope Francis declared the Jubilee of Mercy, I was thrilled beyond description. I said to myself, this Pope knows what Jesus is all about. He knows what the Church should be all about. Not that the other Popes did not. Each Pope has made their own contribution to the life of the church. But no Pope had ever declared a Jubilee of Mercy. Two weeks back, he published a book entitled, “The Name of God is Mercy.” This pope wants the world be experience a little bit of heaven because the church will live out the gospel of mercy. As I read today’s gospel reading to prepare this homily, I got goose bumps. Today, the Church all over the world will read about Jesus declaring a jubilee within a jubilee year. What should this mean for us? As today's first reading and second reading suggest we must act as a community. After all, we are together the Body of Christ. We are doing numerous things as a parish community for this year and I would love for you to participate in it. First, each month we will be focusing on one spiritual and one corporal work of mercy. For example, for the month of January the focus is on "giving drink to the thirsty" and "instructing the ignorant. I urge all of you to take seriously the suggestions being made. Second, we will support two communities by our Lenten works of mercy; one in Paraguay and one in India. Thirdly, this Lent, we are inviting as many people to gather together each Friday, for a common meal and a bible study based on the Sermon on the Mount.
c) Make the Jubilee Your Own. I am inviting you to make the jubilee a big deal in your own personal life. What is the chance that each one of us can ourselves proclaim the words of Jesus? We can all say, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” People could experience a little bit of heaven because of us. By giving forgiveness to people, by letting go of hurts, by giving in our lives a new start, by treating creation with the dignity that God entrusted it with, by bringing comfort to those in need, by striving to bring peace, by making sacrifices that may benefit someone else, we can all replicate the jubilee that Jesus announced. Another jubilee of mercy may not happen in our life-time. Let us not waste this opportunity.
In its deepest sense, every Eucharist is an experience of the jubilee that Jesus announced. Here was are set free. Here we are shown mercy. Here we are reconciled. Here we experience a little bit of heaven. And now, Jesus asks us to take this jubilee to the world. Let us heed Pope Francis’ call and make the jubilee a year to celebrate the mercy of God.
Fr. Satish Joseph