A year of Jubilee is a year of hope and liberation. A time to rest, return to your roots, and refresh. A time for societies and peoples to be liberated from what holds them back from living a full life. Traditionally it was a call for debts to be forgiven, and structures reformed so that all could live in dignity and social equity. Jesus likened his mission, his purpose to a Jubilee Year when he declared:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me.
“He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, new sight to the blind and freedom to prisoners. To announce a year of favour from the Lord,” (Luke 4:18-19).
PRAYER
Creator God, may we pause and reflect in this year of Jubilee.
May we recognise that our world is experiencing immense disruption,
that our old ways of leading and living
have brought us to this place.
May it be…
that we have the courage to recognise the ways in which
we have been complicit in shaping the world as it is.
May we know deeply…
that you O God have given us the power to transform our world
and to bring hope,
if we would only use our power justly.
May we see… beyond the narrow frame we have drawn for ourselves.
As Pope Francis continually points to a transformed future that values creation and all its peoples.
May we work…
to bring about systems and policies that are reshaped by this vision.
May we embrace…
the practices that will draw us to this emerging future,
practices of deep listening, transparency, shared decision-making,
consistent respect in relationships, inclusion, synodality and dialogue.
May we recognise…
that this year of Jubilee is an opportunity to reset and commit once more to realising the vision of Your dream,
May it be!
TEACHING
The Jubilee of Mission calls us to reflect on the work of mission and recommit to playing our part in realising God’s vision of a liberated world where everyone experiences a full life. Jesus referred to this work as building the ‘Kingdom of God’ on earth, as we pray in The Lord’s Prayer.
Mission is God’s love being shown for all of humanity and all of creation from the very beginning of time. Out of love, God created the universe and humans as part of that. We are alive today because of God’s mission of love towards us. Our life is God’s gift or God’s mission. God’s mission has been ongoing for more than 13 billion years.
When we talk about our mission, we mean we want to share our experience of God’s love for us, with others. When we carry out mission, we show the love and compassion of God for each and every person and all of creation.
We know how to do this because of the person Jesus, what he did in his life and what he taught. In the Gospels we learn about how Jesus lived a life of love and compassion, and service for others. Jesus especially acted this way starting with those people who were ignored, lonely, rejected by others, with the poor and sick, with anyone who was in need in any way. And Jesus taught us how to do the same today in our lives.
Jesus did so because he saw every person as created in the image and likeness of God. We believe that about ourselves, and about everyone. Every person is equal and unique, is loved by God and is capable of knowing God (Genesis 1:27).
So, we want others to experience this as we do. The best way to learn to live as God wants us to live is to look at the life of Jesus.
As Jesus did we create happy, loving, welcoming and friendly communities. We pray to God, at times privately and at other times as a community.
We do the right thing, and we stand up for what is right.
We look out for others, especially anyone who is struggling, is in need or suffering. And we look after the world we live in and take care of it.
Jesus came so that we may ‘have life and have it to the full’ (John 10:10). By doing all of this we want everyone to know this fullness of life.
To know Jesus and be in relationship with God means to live good lives in this world and help build a society that is just and healthy.
Living a life of witness, of prayer, of service to others and working for justice for everyone and creation are all part of mission.
This is what Pope Francis means when he says “I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. We have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing,” (Evangelii Gaudium, n.273).
TESTIMONY
“My name is Samai. I work for Catholic Mission as a Programs Officer in the Regional Mission Development Office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. My hometown is Tahen, Battambang province, I grew up in a Catholic centre there, which was part of our village. Bishop Kike was in charge of the centre. The centre aimed to support the community and young people like me. I lived there for nearly 11 years. The centre supported me in my studies, and when I finished Year 12, I went to Phnom Penh to study pharmacy. I worked for a while in the pharmaceutical industry, and then I joined Catholic Mission because I could see the good things they were doing for my community. I am now studying my Master’s in Public Health, and I want to use my experience and knowledge to help people.
“I work on community development projects across Asia, including local projects in Cambodia and broader initiatives in countries like Thailand, Myanmar and Mongolia. I visit these places to conduct Monitoring & Evaluation site visits, which involves assessing the projects to determine if they are progressing well and achieving their objectives. I also identify potential issues that could cause complications in the project. It’s my role, working together with the broader Catholic Mission team to support the local partners to come up with solutions.
“The reason I wanted to work for Catholic Mission is that the centre I lived in was supported by the work Catholic Mission does. It’s a way for me to give back, to say, “This has helped me, and today I can do the same to help others.”
– Samai, Programs Officer, Catholic Mission.
PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
We pray for those who are pushed to the edges of society, the dispossessed and discarded, that their safety will be protected and their dignity restored.
Lord, hear us.
We pray for our neighbours shackled by war and conflict, for people whose lives are devastated by our changing climate, and for those who are trafficked, detained and incarcerated.
Lord, hear us.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Catholic Mission: See Our Work in Action
Decree of Vatican Council II ‘Ad Gentes’ on the Mission Activity of the Church (1965)
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