As part of the Jubilee Year, a Jubilee of Consecrated Life will be held in Rome on 8-9th Oct. From 8th-12th Oct. I’ll be reflecting on some of the biblical concepts of Jubilee. A Jubilee is first of all a call to reset our relationship with God and with one another. There are many elements to this reset.
Today I’m reflecting on thanksgiving. In many ways this is the most obvious part of the biblical call to Jubilee. When we think about jubilees we think about celebrations, we think of times of rejoicing and happiness.
Our jubilees are times when we gather to enjoy each other’s company and to give thanks for each other, and for all we have shared. Our jubilees are first and foremost celebrations of our capacity to give and receive love. These words from Psalm 106 come to mind:
“O give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love endures forever.”
The psalmist takes us back to the source of that love, we are creatures of love because we are called into being and held in being by the love of God.
While this is a truth we all know and believe in our hearts, it’s one that easily gets brushed aside by the struggles and hardships of daily life. While that’s always true, it’s especially true in these challenging times we are living through. As we struggle with the demands of daily life it surprisingly easy to forget that we are loved.
When that happens it becomes very hard to treat others with love. The psalmist reminds us that a jubilee gives us an opportunity to remember and be thankful for the that love of God which never changes, and which is with us whatever we face.
What moves you to thankfulness in your life today?