To Proclaim the Lord's Year of Favour

Yesterday, Sandee conducted a Christian Meditation session with a local rehabilitation centre. And this morning, during our walk she related to me how receptive the residents were and how they said the session gave them a momentary relief. Listening to her, I thought of the words of this week’s Gospel Luke 4: 14-21 ‘To set the captives free’

This element of freeing persons was an integral part of the original Jubilee Year. In Leviticus 25: 8-55 God instructed the Israelites to observe a Jubilee every 50th year. One of the observances of the year was - · Freedom for Slaves: Israelites enslaved due to debts were to be released.

This was further developed by Jesus in this week’s Gospel Luke 4: 14-21 ‘To proclaim the Lord’s year of favour’. Many theologians interpret this line as Jesus declaring a Spiritual Jubilee Year, this time liberating us from the enslavement of sin.

I reflected on how many persons declined to accept Jesus’ declaration of a ‘Spiritual Jubille Year’. For those who did accept it, his disciples, they were freed from enslavement, changed their lives and embarked on the wonderful adventure of building the Church.

I thought of this year being declared a Jubilee Year. We have the same choice as those in Nazareth, we either reject the Jubilee Year or we claim it’s liberty. Already a month of the Jubilee Year has passed. I look back on the month of January. Have I claimed the liberty of the Jubilee Year in my life?

On the surface, it has been a hectic and somewhat chaotic month. There have been many moments of grief and anxiety. I have had to make significant choices that have pierced my heart. Yet, if I look deeply, beneath the surface turbulence, I can identify moments of liberation.

I have come to the realization that we have to daily claim the benefits of the Jubilee Year. One can be set free and still remain a captive by not walking out of the prison. We have to actively step into the freedom Jesus offers, allowing His grace to transform our hearts and choices. This means surrendering our fears, anxieties, and even regrets into His hands, trusting that He is leading us into deeper peace.

It also calls for a shift in perspective—choosing to see each challenge not as a burden, but as an opportunity to experience the liberating power of faith. In the residents of the rehabilitation center, I see a reflection of this struggle and this hope. They, too, are learning to walk in the freedom that Christ offers, even if just for a moment through prayer and meditation. Their willingness to receive, even in their brokenness, inspires me to do the same.

Perhaps that is the essence of this Jubilee Year—not just a proclamation of freedom, but an invitation to live it out, day by day, moment by moment. And so, as we step into February, we pray for the grace to claim this liberty more fully, to embrace the spiritual freedom Christ has already won for us, and to help others do the same.

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