Jubilee Hope

These recent weeks have produced a whirlwind of unsettling news. Tariffs being announced,  delayed and then re-announced, natural resources being claimed for other countries benefits, national geographical lines of allocation seen as arbitrary, employment In manufacturing swinging in nets of insecurity.

Yet in spite of all of this there is an aura of hope around us, as citizens of Canada pull together to claim a deeper identity, and as provinces strive to create new trade agreements. For some of us this aura of hope is resonating with our faith and particularly in this year in the call for a Jubilee.

Pope Francis designated 2025 as a Jubilee Year of Hope way before most of these uncertainties listed above took shape. Diocesan offices have quickly pulled together resources, planned pilgrimages to historic churches and organized trips to Rome. What strikes me with the greatest intensity is the underlying principle of a Jubilee year.

“The term Jubilee reflects an older Jewish tradition where every fiftieth year the land was to lie fallow, debts were forgiven and slaves were freed. Holy Year Jubilees are now celebrated every 25 years unless a special occasion warranted an extraordinary year be proclaimed as with the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy in 2015-2016.”  (info from London Diocese website)

With each Jubilee, advocacy groups focus on the forgiveness of debt. This year a number of groups have come together under the banner Turn Debt into Hope.

I cite a couple of resources that explain this opportunity far better than I. Here is a wonderful video by Development and Peace:

On March 18th a webinar From Ecological Debt to Ecological Hope was presented by ORCIE (Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology).  Guest speakers were Journalist Elton Bozzetto, Sr. Nilva Dal Bello, CSJ Brazil & Dr. Sue Wilson, CSJ Canada, with Sasquia Antunez Pineda, ORCIE Advocacy and Communications Officer. Learn more with ORCIE’s new position paper: Linking Ecological Debt to Global Financial Exploitation. A shorter executive summary is available.

 Let’s continue to look for the signs of hope in our world.

-Sister Loretta Manzara CSJ

Pilgrims of Hope

Have you heard the song, “Pilgrims of Hope”?

It is something I am certainly going to add to our community’s hymn repertoire!

Composed to celebrate the Jubilee Year 2025, it is filled with a heart-felt longing for hope as we continue to move through the challenges of the previous years of pandemic, economic strife, mistreatment of migrant people, racism and hatred. Hope is the desire of and the call on the lips of many who are striving to make a difference in society.

Starting in Rome, the Jubilee year begins on Christmas Eve 2024 and then resonates throughout the Christian world as of December 29, 2024.

The composer of “Pilgrims of Hope”, Francesco Meneghello crafts the opening notes of the refrain melody with a beautiful leap into hope. Pierangelo Sequeri words are strikingly heart-felt: “Like a flame my hope is burning”. And then the second phrase leaps higher as we sing: “may my song arise to you”. Melody and text are creatively wed together.

I hope you will listen to this beautiful hymn and make it your own – a prayer to gather the scattered into God’s tender and patient care. Filled with a sense of trust, the Jubilee theme calls us to recover a universal care for one another, refusing to turn a blind eye to the tragedy of rampant poverty. As pilgrims on this earth may we contemplate the beauty of creation and care for our common home. May this year be celebrated with deep faith, lively hope and active charity.

-Sister Loretta Manzara, csj

The song and many other resources may be found here.

Listen to the song here:

images: Brett Wharton @brettwharton | Unsplash