Homily 3 rd Sun of Ord. Time (3 rd manifestation Sunday—Nazareth: Jubilee)
Jubilee
It is quite timely that we have a gospel of the Jubilee of Jesus. Pope Francis has named this half-jubilee year of
2025 as a Holy Year for “Pilgrims of Hope.” We are coming out of the Christmas season and back into ordinary
time readings, yet this one is far from being any “ordinary event.” We hear of Jesus naming Himself as the
Messiah and proclaiming that prophecies of the Lord coming are now realized in Him. Jesus speaks of the Father
and the Spirit recently calling Him into ministry, which was at the Jordan Baptism, and how He has the Spirit upon
Him and He says that the Father has sent Him, Jesus, to the world. Jesus says: HE has anointed ME…and to bring
Good News… with freedom to share to a people ensnared and downtrodden or bruised or crushed and broken
down, to be given healing and a fresh start. That fresh start is a Jubilee of Jubilees. His hearers understood the
context and that the verses Jesus chose to proclaim and preach upon were Messianic ones of the prophet Isaiah.
In Nazareth, at His local Synagogue, Jesus was handed the book of Isaiah and He read from chapter 61: The Spirit
of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the good news to the poor; He has sent Me to
announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are
oppressed, To proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord [the day when salvation and the free favors
of God profusely abound.]
This account is from our Luke 4 portion of the Word today.
It’s a very significant manifestation of God moment in Luke’s account. It even is described to be even greater than
the one that one Ezra, Nehemiah and the Levites celebrated with the returned exiles of Babylon then back in
Jerusalem. Ezra had read the Torah scrolls and proclaimed them all day upon the official bounce-back of people
Israel to the occupied City of David. That moment (which was our first reading today)—announced that God had
led the Jews back to Jerusalem for one more try to live the covenant faith there. Ezra and Nehemiah make a very
big celebration for God’s kindness to get them back to square one. It was a type of Jubilee, square-one moment. A
fore-type.
But what Jesus will do will be mighty and history changing in the synagogue that day.
The Jews had been taught by God on how to hold a reconciliation and debt-cancellation every 50 years. It would be
good for His people Israel to do. Leviticus chapters 25 and 27 describe how it was to be done. Could the Jews keep
uniting in this cycle of mercy and renewal and friendship in their nation under God? Well, as you know the Old
Testament, they basically failed at practicing this idea—yet God told Isaiah the prophet that The Christ, or THE
Anointed One, would bring Jubilee one day. Now here was Jesus saying it had arrived.
So imagine just how dramatic this moment in Nazareth might have been.
Let’s say you grew up in Nazareth and knew Jesus. Upon your young adult years, you lost some contact with Him,
but heard how Jesus was as learned as a rabbi now, even having a reputation of being a sensational teacher. You
hear that Jesus is coming to your home synagogue. Jesus is back from wherever He had gone to. You hear the
home-taught rabbi now had disciples with Him. It would be worthy going to Sabbath prayers and hear His
exposition on whatever readings there were made. Then you sit there and you get blown away by what happens.
Jesus was indeed given the opportunity to proclaim and preach. The synagogue held a service that was without a
priest, for no sacrifice was done, but only praise and some reflection of a Scripture passage of old. First a Torah
reading or one of The Law; then came a reading of the prophets. Jesus chose Isaiah 61 about the Messiah bringing
Jubilee one day. Jesus preached that the acceptable year of the Lord was here—the Year of Jubilee, which took
place every 50th year—the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound (Leviticus 25). What
Jesus was really saying was, "I am your Year of Jubilee!" It’s here now!
What?!!?!1 Jubilee now. Square one? Reconciliation? Isaiah 61 forecast beauty for ashes, strength for fears,
praise over despair. True hope for the present situations.
Yes. You may not have understood what the “acceptable day of the Lord” meant in this passage of Luke or its
place from Isaiah. It means Jubilee. It means Messiah is in your presence. It means that God will come to take
(share) the pain, loss, and devastation in someone's life (represented by "ashes") and transform it into something
beautiful and positive, offering hope and renewal even in the midst of difficult circumstances; essentially, turning
tragedy into beauty, that its recipient could have faith, hope and praise. In this synagogue declaration, Jesus says:
I am your Year of Jubilee. No more 50 year plan or waiting. I am Your Peace.
The Church began to try this formula of the 50 years and a Jubilee, and then added a half-way Holy Year mark, for
our calendar. Yet we have been left with a practice falling pretty short ourselves of all its had been meant to stir up.
Yet you might recall some good things happening in 2000 a.d. and that Jubilee under Pope JPII, or our Holy Year
of 1975 with Pope Paul VI, or back to 1950 Jubilee when the Pope had an inspiration to declare August 15 th the
Holy Day of Mary’s Assumption.
But there can be much Jubilee with Jesus anytime now. Salvation and the free favors of God can profusely abound
even more than dreamed for in Leviticus 25. Jesus the Christ, Lord and Messiah, says: Salvation is of Me. Find
God’s favor as I seek to bring it to you. Surrender to the reconciliation, the renewal, the rebirth, the re-gathering to
God. If Jesus opens up ministry with such Jewish things as Jubilee, then look ahead and see how He closes things
with Passover, but also a new Passover in His Body and Blood covenant, that which we Catholics honor in every
Mass of our gathering in Jesus’ Name.
I heard Fr. Beal’s homily for this weekend, in which he shares jubilation for how God gave him freedom from
alcoholic slavery.
Cardinal Gregory prays: ‘Lord, bless the pilgrims’ journey (that we make in this 2025). O God, help heal people’s
broken hearts, help free people from sin and hatred and find the joy of the Holy Spirit….Help us walk by faith with
renewed hope toward our longed-for destiny, Life Forever in Christ your Son and our Savior.’ Amen to that!!
At this time I’d like to sing and play a song for you that was written by Christian Michael Card on the theme of
Jesus bringing Jubilee, as He starts up ministry in His hometown.
Jubilee by Michael Card
The Lord provided for a time For the slaves to be set free
For the debts to all be cancelled So His chosen ones could see
His deep desire was for forgiveness He-longed-to see their liberty
And His yearning was em-bodied In the Year of Jubilee
[Chorus]
Jubilee Jubilee Jesus is our jubi-lee
Debts forgiven, slaves set free Jesus is our ju-bi-lee
[Verse 2]
At the Lord's appointed time His deep desire became a man
The heart of all true jubilation And with joy we under-stand
In His voice we hear a trumpet sound That tells us we are free
He is the incarnation Of the Year of Jubilee
[Chorus]
Jubilee Jubilee Jesus is our jubi-lee
Debts forgiven, slaves set free Jesus is our ju-bi-lee
[Chorus again]
Jubilee Jubilee Jesus is our jubi-lee
Debts forgiven, slaves set free Jesus is our ju-bi-lee
To be so completely guilt Given over to despair
To look into your judge's face And see a Savior there!
Chorus Jubilee Jubilee Jesus is that jubi-lee
Debts forgiven, slaves set free Jesus is our jubilee.
Jesus is our ju-bi-lee
I hope the song conveys this new Jubilee that is Jesus.
Google: Michael Card Jesus is our Jubilee.
Or watch me play it at the end of my Jubilee tape of the webpage.