The origins of the Christian Jubilee
The Jubilee has its roots in Jewish tradition which provided for a year of rest for the land every 50 years, with the aim of strengthening crops, restituting confiscated lands and freeing slaves .
To signal the beginning of this year, a ram's horn called a yobel was blown, from which the Christian term Jubilee derives.
The first Christian Jubilee took place in 1300 , declared by Pope Boniface VIII with the bull Antiquorum habet fida relatio which provided for plenary indulgence for any Roman who visited at least 30 times – and any foreigner at least 15 – St. Peter's Basilica and St. Paul Outside the Walls throughout the year.
Initially, Jubilees did not take place regularly, as the cadence was modified by various Popes; however, starting from 1475, the event took place every 25 years (the last ones were in 1950, 1975 and 2000).
Nine extraordinary Jubilees were then proclaimed, the last of which was in 2015 by Pope Francis on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second Vatican Council . This Jubilee was dedicated to Mercy and was inaugurated with the opening of the Holy Door of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Bangui, on the occasion of the Pope's apostolic journey to Africa.
What happens during the Jubilee?
The Jubilee lasts for a whole year and is celebrated with various initiatives. It begins on the night of the previous Christmas Eve , with the opening of the holy doors of the four main basilicas of Rome, starting with St. Peter's in the Vatican.
The Pope arrives at St. Peter's Basilica, stops in front of the door and recites the formula in Latin: "This is the door of the Lord, open to me the door of justice." Then he pushes the two valves with his hands, while some workers inside the basilica will open the door completely. Then, he stops on the threshold in prayer and finally crosses it, effectively inaugurating the Holy Year.
In the following days, the same ritual is performed in the other three major basilicas: St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. The doors remain open until the end of the Jubilee , January 6 of the following year.
For each Jubilee, events and moments of reflection are planned throughout the year.
Redemption and plenary indulgence: the religious significance of the Jubilee
In the New Testament, Jesus presents himself as the one who brings the Jubilee to completion; the Jubilee Year is therefore, first and foremost, the year of Christ.
It is a religious celebration aimed at promoting holiness and returning to the right path. The focal themes of this religious celebration are repentance and forgiveness of sins through pilgrimage and works of charity and mercy.
According to the Christian religion, in fact, in the year of the Jubilee it is possible to ask for a plenary indulgence, that is, the forgiveness of all sins.
According to the apostolic constitution Indulgentiarum Doctrina, to obtain the plenary indulgence it is necessary to perform the indulgenced work and fulfil three conditions: sacramental confession,
Eucharistic communion and prayer according to the Pope’s intentions.
The three conditions can be fulfilled several days before or after carrying out the prescribed work; however, it is advisable that communion and prayer according to the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff be done on the same day as the work is carried out.
To experience and obtain the indulgence, the faithful are called to make a short pilgrimage to the Holy Door, open in every Cathedral or in the churches established by the diocesan Bishop, and in the four Papal Basilicas in Rome, as a sign of the deep desire for true conversion.
The conditions of the plenary indulgence, however, can always be modified by the Pope.