Originally published at National Catholic Register
Jesus and the Jubilee, written by biblical scholar John Bergsma, is a well-timed book coinciding with the start of the 2025 Jubilee on the theme of hope. The new Jubilee is a yearlong season of reconciliation and grace rooted in ancient Old Testament traditions.
Yet the Jubilee is not simply an ancient practice adopted from the Israelites. “You can understand Jesus’ whole ministry in terms of coming to restore the Jubilee,” Bergsma told the Register.
A theology professor at Franciscan University of Steubenville and vice president for biblical theology and mission effectiveness at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology, Bergsma offers the faithful a wealth of scriptural and spiritual background to help them appreciate the importance of the Jubilee Year.
Why should we, as Catholics, be interested in the Jubilee?
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, is calling us to celebrate this Jubilee Year, 2025. When the successor of Peter sets aside a certain time as holy, that’s not just words, it’s not just pretend. It really does become holy time, and it changes reality. He has called on our Heavenly Father to pour out extra graces during this year and make it a time of
