Coming to the end of
the Jubilee Year of Mercy
by Fr Matthew Eze
The Solemnity of Christ the King on November 20, 2016 brings
to conclusion the Jubilee Year of Mercy that Pope Francis announced in January
2015 and inaugurated on December 8, 2015, the Solemnity of Immaculate
Conception. There is no doubt that this great Jubilee Year of Mercy offered us
a great spiritual opportunity to come closer to our merciful and forgiving
Father. It was indeed an opportunity to change for the better, to reach out to
those alienated from us, to mend our ways where they needed mending. And it was
a challenge to open our eyes to see those in need who walk our streets and pass
us by, to open our hearts to strangers and those who are rejected and dejected
in our society. Historically, a jubilee in the Jewish tradition was to occur
every 50 years. It was a time for forgiveness of debt, a time of special
celebration. Pope Boniface VIII proclaimed the first Christian jubilee year of
1300 for reconciling sinners and others estranged. People liked the idea, and
subsequent popes declared more frequent jubilees, usually every 25 or 50 years.
However, as the celebration is coming to an end, it is
pertinent to ask how we used the available opportunity given to us by the
Church. Were you able to pass through the Door of Mercy? How far were you able
to put into practice the corporal and the spiritual works of mercy? This
assessment is necessary as it ends with the Solemnity of Christ the King, which
also ends the liturgical cycle and ushers us into a new liturgical season with
the First Sunday of Advent.
This jubilee year of mercy included many remarkable events
in our Diocese, the inauguration ceremony, the great event of the opening of
Door of Mercy which was in line with the papal directive. In our Diocese, Doors
of Mercy were opened in St. Theresa's Cathedral Nsukka, St. Mary's Parish
Ibagwa-aka, Holy Cross Parish Umulokpa, St. James Parish Aku, Immaculate Heart
Parish Aji and St. Patricks Ohom Orba. These parishes were systematically and
pastorally chosen to make sure that no one is left out from crossing the Door
of Mercy. The Bishop of Nsukka Diocese also celebrated the jubilee in a grand
style with different groups of people in the Diocese. Apart from the general
and encompassing ceremony of inauguration of the Year of Mercy, he celebrated
it with his priests, youths, prisoners etc. More so, on Divine Mercy Sunday,
the Diocese witnessed a memorable ordination of 2 deacons who for long have
been under scrutiny. Many parishes with their parishioners had opportunity to
go for pilgrimage to obtain indulgence.
But the big question here is; does the end of the jubilee
year of Mercy means the end of God's mercy? No. The mercy of God never ends.
His steadfast love is new every morning. Hence as this jubilee year ends, the
need for mercy does not. In fact, it calls for more tasks ahead. To keep our
arms more open to welcome those in need, to fight racism, practice works of
mercy both spiritual and corporal. Modern life produces stress in families and
other relationships; we need to examine ourselves for how we can make things
right. Our catholic faith has a great deal of healing to do in our disrupted
society and we need to step back, recover our better selves and reach out to
those with whom we may legitimately disagree. We must work to find common ground
in order to carry out works of mercy. If the Year of Mercy now ending sparks
even some tentative first steps in this direction, Pope Francis' courageous
initiative in calling us to this celebration will be an enduring legacy.
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