Today’s Scripture from the Book of Leviticus introduces the notion of “jubilee” into the pattern of social life in Israel. While we may think of it as a time of celebration for an individual who has spent a number of years in marriage or religious life or as an ordained clergyman, the Scriptural notion of jubilee was a law to ensure social justice and personal freedom. The word “jubilee” comes from the Hebrew word “yobel,” the ram’s horn that was blown on the Day of Atonement. With the sound of the ram’s horn, the Israelites annually atoned for their sins. Every forty-ninth year, that atonement took on an even deeper meaning.
When God settled the children of Israel in Canaan, the land was apportioned to every tribe equally. The tribe of Levi was set aside for the priesthood. The other eleven sons of Jacob were given a parcel of land on which to farm and live. Joseph’s parcel was divided between his two sons, Ephraim and Mannaseh. Thus, Israel was divided into twelve equal parcels. Each tribe then distributed a small piece of their ancestral land to each family.
For any number of economic reasons, it might have become necessary for a family to sell its parcel. Sometimes it even became necessary to sell one’s children or one’s self into slavery or indentured servitude. While such an action might have helped the immediate financial issue, it also left the family without a means of support. Consequently, the Law of Israel provided that all land was to be returned to its original owner after fifty years. In addition, all slaves were to be set free and all debts were to be liquidated, and personal claims on one another were to be forgotten. In this way, the Law sought to preserve family and tribal unity. Sadly, the Law never really accomplished what it was meant to accomplish. Avarice and greed always found a way to circumvent the Law. It was an ideal that never became a reality.
At the beginning of the Gospel of Luke, we read the prophecy of Isaiah that tells us that Jesus identified with the role of the anointed one who came to heal the sick, give sight to the blind, cure the lame and proclaim a year of favor from the Lord. Isaiah and Jesus were both referring to the notion of jubilee as it was envisioned by the Book of Leviticus. Jesus came to set us free from the debt of sin, a type of spiritual jubilee.
In the Eucharist, we find reconciliation with God who sent the Son to set us free from sin. Unlike the Israelite slaves, we need not wait for a jubilee year to celebrate our freedom. Each reception of the Eucharist is a Jubilee, a time of favor from our God.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator