TERTIO
MILLENEO ADVENIENTE
(A
Sentence Outline)
Introduction: As the THIRD
MILLENNIUM of the new era draws near, our thoughts turn spontaneously to
the words of the Apostle Paul: "When the fullness of time has come,
God sent forth his Son, born of woman" (Gal 4:4).
The fullness of time
coincides with the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, The
revelation of the mystery of the Trinity and the continuation of the Son's
mission in the mission of the Holy Spirit.
I "JESUS CHRIST IS THE SAME
YESTERDAY AND TODAY" (Heb 13:8)
Luke has handed down to us a
concise narrative of the circumstances of Jesus' birth: "And she gave
birth to her first-born son" (2:1, 7).
John, in the Prologue of his
Gospel, captures in one phrase all the depth of the mystery of the
Incarnation: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only
Son from the Father" (1:14).
The fact that in the fullness of
time the Eternal Word took on the condition of a creature gives a unique cosmic
value to the event which took place in Bethlehem two thousand years
ago.
In the memorable phrase of the
Second Vatican Council, Christ "fully reveals man to man himself
and makes his supreme calling clear". (1)
This "becoming one of
us" on the part of the Son of God took place in the greatest
humility, so it is no wonder that secular historians, caught up by more
stirring events and by famous personages, first made only passing, albeit
significant, references to him.
But the event which non-Christian
historians merely mention in passing takes on its full significance in the
writings of the New Testament, no less reliable as historical testimonies,
if we consider their references as a whole.
Jesus was born of the Chosen
People, in fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham and constantly
recalled by the Prophets.
In Christ, religion is no longer
a "blind search for God" (cf. Acts 17:27) but the response
of faith to God who reveals himself.
In Jesus Christ God not
only speaks to man but also seeks him out because man has turned
away from him.
The religion which originates in
the mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation, is the religion of "dwelling
in the heart of God", of sharing in God's very life.
II THE JUBILEE OF THE YEAR 2000
Speaking of the birth of the Son
of God, Saint Paul places this event in the "fulness of time"
(cf. Gal 4:4). Time is indeed fulfilled by the very fact that
God, in the Incarnation, came down into human history.
Christian revelation excludes
reincarnation, and speaks of a fulfillment which man is called to achieve
in the course of a single earthly existence.
In Christianity time has a
fundamental importance: Within the dimension of time the world was
created; within it the history of salvation unfolds, finding its
culmination in the fullness of time" of the Incarnation, and its goal
in the glorious return of the Son of God at the end of time.
From this relationship of God
with time there arises the duty to sanctify time.
Against this background, we can
understand the custom of Jubilees, which began in the Old
Testament and continues in the history of the Church.
Jesus of Nazareth, going back one
day to the synagogue of his home town, stood up to read (cf. Lk
4:16-30). Talking the book of the Prophet Isaiah, he read this passge:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed
me to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour" (61:1-2).
The Prophet was speaking of the
Messiah. "Today", Jesus added, "this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing" (Lk 4:21).
All Jubilees point to this
"time" and refer to the Messianic mission of Christ, who
came as the one "anointed" by the Holy Spirit, the one
"sent by the Father".
The words and deeds of Jesus
thus represent the fulfillment of the whole tradition of Jubilees in
the Old Testament.
We know that the Jubilee was
a time dedicated in a special way to God. It fell every seventh year,
according to the Law of Moses: this was the "sabbatical year",
during which the earth was left fallow and slaves was regulated by
detailed prescriptions contained in the Books of Exodus (23:10-11),
Leviticus (25:1-28) and Deuteronomy (15:16). In other words, these
prescriptions are found in practically the whole of biblical legislation,
which is thus marked by this very specific characteristic. In the
sabbatical year, in addition to the freeing of slaves the Law also
provided for the cancellation of all debts in accordance with precise
regulations. And all this was to be done in honor of God. What was true
for the sabbatical year was also true for the jubilee year, however, the
customs of the sabbatical year were broadened and celebrated with even
greater solemnity. As we read in Leviticus: "You shall hallow the
fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its
inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return
to his property and each of you shall return to his family" (25:10).
One of the most significant consequences of the jubilee year was the
general "emancipation" of all the dwellers on the land in need
of being freed. On this occasion every Israelite regained possession of
his ancestral land, if he happened to have sold it or lost it by falling
into slavery. He could never be completely deprived of the land, because
it belonged to God; nor could the Israelites remain for ever in a state of
slavery, since God had "redeemed" them for himself as his
exclusive possession by freeing them from slavery in Egypt.
The jubilee year was meant to
restore equality among all the children of Israel, offering new
possibilities to families which had lost their property and even their
personal freedom.
The jubilee year was a reminder
to the rich that a time would come when their Israelite slaces would once
again become their equals and would be able to reclaim their rights.
At the times prescribed by Law, a
jubilee year had to be proclaimed, to assist those in need. This was
required by just government. Justice, according to the Law of Israel,
consisted above all in the protection of the weak, and a king was
supposed to be outstanding in this regard, as the Psalmist says: "He
delivers the needy, and saves the lives of the needy" (Ps 72:12-13).
What needs to be emphasized,
however, is what Isaiah expresses in the words "to proclaim the
year of the Lord's favour".
For the Church, the Jubilee is
precisely this "year of the of the Lord's favor", a year of the
remission of sins and of the punishments due to them, a year of
reconciliation between disputing parties, a year of manifold conversions
and of sacramental and extra-sacramental penance.
The tradition of jubilee years
involves the granting of indulgences on a larger scale than at other
times.
In the lives of individuals,
Jubilees are usually connected with the date of birth; but other
anniversaries are also celebrated, suc as those of Baptism, Confirmation,
First Communion, Priestly or Episcopal Ordination, and the Sacrament of
Marriage.
Some of these anniversaries have
parallels in the secular world, but Christians always give them a
religious character. In fact, in the Christian view, every Jubilee -- the
twenty-fifth of Marriage of Priesthood, known as "silver", the
fiftieth, known as "golden", or the sixtieth, known as
"diamond" -- is a particular year of favour for the individual
who has received one or other of the Sacraments.
What we have said about
individuals with regard to jubilees can also be applied to communities or
institutions. Thus we celebrate the centenary or the millennium of the
foundation of a town or city. In the Church, we celebrate the jubilees of
parishes and dioceses. All these personal and community Jubilees have an
important and significant role in the lives of individuals and
communities.
In view of this, the two
thousand years which have passed since the Birth of Christ (prescinding
from the question of its precise chronology) represent and
extraordinary great Jubilee, not only for Christians but indirectly
for the whole of humanity, given the prominent role played by Christianity
during these two millennia.
The term "Jubilee"
speaks of joy; not just an inner joy but a jubilation which is
manifested outwardly, for the coming of God is also an outward, visible,
audible and tangible event, as Saint John makes clear (cf) Jn 1:1).
In this spirit the Church
rejoices, gives thanks and asks forgiveness, presenting her petitions to
the Lord of history and of human consciences.
Among the most fervent petitions
which the Church makes to the Lord during this important time, as the eve
of the new millennium approaches, is that unity among all Christians of
the various confessions will increase until they reach full communion.
III PREPARATION FOR THE GREAT
JUBILEE
In the Church's history every
jubilee is prepared for by Divine Providence. This is true also the
Great Jubille of the Year 2000.
The Second Vatican Council
was a providential event, whereby the Church began the more immediate
preparation for the Jubilee of the Second Millennium.
The Second Vatican Council is
often considered as the beginning of a new era in the life of the Church.
What the Popes have accomplished
during and since the Council, in their Magisterium no less than in their
pastoral activity, has certainly made a significant contribution to the
preparation of the new springtime of Christian life which will be revealed
by the Great Jubilee, if Christians are docile to the action of the Holy
Spirit.
The Council, while not imitating
the sternness of John the Baptist who called for repentance and conversion
on the banks of the Jordan (cf. Lk 3:1-7), did show something of the
Prophet of old, pointing out with fresh vigour to the men and women of
today that Jesus Christ is the "Lamb of God who takes way the sin of
the world" (Jn 1:29), the Redeemer of humanity and the Lord of
history.
During the Council, precisely out
of a desire to be fully faithful to her Master, the Church questioned
herself about her own identity, and discovered anew the depth of her
mystery as the Body and the Bride of Christ.
Humbly heeding the word of God,
she reaffirmed the universal call to holiness; she made provision for the
reform of the liturgy, the "origin and summit" of her life; she
gave life at the universal level and in the local Churches; she strove to
promote the various Christian vocations, from those of the laity to those
of Religious, from the ministry of deacons to that of priests and Bishops;
and in a particular way she rediscovered episcopal collegiality, that
priveleged expression of the pastoral service carried out by the Bishops
in communion with the Successor of Peter.
On the basis of this profound
renewal, the Council opened itself to Christians of other denominations,
to the followers of other religions and to all the people of our time.
The Council's enormously rich
body of teaching and the striking new tone in the way it presented this
content constitute as it were a proclamation of new times.
The best preparation for the new
millennium, therefore, can only be expressed in a renewed commitment to
apply, as faithfully as possible, the teachings of Vatican II to the
life of every individual and of the whole Church.
Part of the preparation for the
approach of the Year 2000 is the series of Synods begun after the
Second Vatican Council: general Synods togeth with continental, regional,
national and diocesan synods.
The theme underlying them all is
evangelization, or rather the new evangelization, the foundations of which
were laid down in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelie Nuntiandi
of Pope Paul VI, issued in 1975 following the Third General Assembly of
the Synod of Bishops.
These Synods themselves are part
of the new evangelization: they were born of the Second Vatican Council's
vision of the Church.
They open up broad areas for the
participation of the laity, whose specific responsibilities in the Church
they define.
They are an expression of the
strength which Christ has given to the entire People of God, making it a
sharer in his own Messianic mission as Prophet, Priest and King.
Special tasks and
responsibilities with regard to the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 belong
to the ministry of the Bishop of Rome.
Since the publication of the very
first document of my Pontificate. I have spoken explicitly of the Great
Jubilee, suggesting that the time leading up to it be lived as "new
Advent". (2)
This theme has since reappeared many times, and was dwelt upon at
length in the Encyclical Dominum et Vivificantem.
(3)
In fact, preparing for the Year 2000 has become as it were a
hermeneutical key of my Pontificate.
Papal Journeys have become an important element in the work of
implementing the Second Vatican Council.
It would be very significant if in the Year 2000 it were possible to
visit the places on the road taken by the People of God of the Old
Covenant, starting from the places associated with Abraham and Moses,
through Egypt and Mount Sinai, as far as Damascus, the city which
witnessed the conversion of Saint Paul.
In preparing for the year 2000, the individual Churches have their own
role to play, as they celebrate with their own Jubilees significant stages
in the salvation history of the various peoples.
Seen in this light, the whole of Christian history appears to us a
single river, into which many tributaries pour their waters.
IV IMMEDIATE PREPARATION
Against the background of this sweeping panorama a question arises: can
we draw up a specific programme of initiatives for the immediate
preparation of the Great Jubilee?
A more detailed plan of specific events will call for widespread
consultation, in order for it not to be artificial and difficult to
implement in the particular Churches, which live in such different
conditions.
The first recommendation which clearly emerged from the consultation
regards the period of preparation.
Only a few years now separate us from the Year 2000: it seemed fitting
to divide this period into two phases, reserving the strictly preparatory
phase for the last three years. It was thought that the accumulation of
many activities over the course of a longer period of preparation would
detract from its spiritual intensity.
It was therefore considered appropriate to approach the historic date
with a first phase, which would make the faithful aware of general themes,
and then to concentrate the direct and immediate preparation into a second
phase consisting of a three-year period wholly directed to the celebration
Of the mystery of Christ the Savior.
FIRST PHASE
The first phase will therefore be of an antepreparatory character; it
is meant to revive in the Christian people an awareness of the value and
meaning of the Jubilee of the Year 2000 in human history.
During the first stage (1994 to 1996) the Holy See, through a special
Committee established for this purpose, will suggest courses of reflection
and action at the universal level.
A Jubilee is always an occasion of special grace, "a day blessed
by the Lord". As has already beed noted, it is thus a time of joy.
Nevertheless, the joy of every Jubilee is above all a joy based upon
the forgiveness of sins, the joy conversion.
It therefore seems appropriate to emphasize once more the theme of the
Synod of Bishops in 1984: penance and reconcialition.
(4)
Hence it is appropriate that, as the Second Millennium of Christianity
draws to a close, the Church should become more fully conscious of the
sinfulness of her children, recalling all those times in history when they
departed from the spirit of Christ and his Gospel and, instead of offering
to the world the witness of a life inspired by the values of faith,
indulged in ways of thinking and acting which were truly forms of
counter-witness and scandal.
Among the sins which require which require a greater commitment to
repentance and conversion should certainly be counted those which have
been detrimental to the unity willed by God for his people.
In these last years of the millennium, the Church should invoke the
Holy Spirit with ever greater insistence, imploring from the grace of
Christian unity.
Another painful chapter of history to which the sons and daughters of
the Church must return with a spirit of repentance is that of the
acquiescence given, especially in certain centuries, to intolerance and
even the use of violence in the service of truth.
It is true that an accurate historical judgment cannot prescind from
careful study of the cultural conditioning of the times, as a result of
which many people may have held in good faith that an authentic witness to
the truth could include suppresing the opinions of others or at least
paying no attention to them.
The consideration of mitigating factors does not exonerate the Church
from the obligation to express profound regret for the weaknesses of so
many of her sons and daughters who sullied her face, preventing her from
fully mirroring the image Of her crucified Lord, the supreme witness of
patient love and of humble meekness. "The truth cannot impose itself
except by virtue of its own truth, as it wins over the mind both
gentleness and power". (5)
Many Cardinals and Bishops expressed the desire for a serious
examination of conscience above all on the part of the Church of today.
How can we remain silent, for example, about the religious indifference
which causes many people today to live as if God did not exist, or to be
content with a vague religiosity, incapable of coming to grips with the
question of truth and the requirement of consistency?
It cannot be denied that, for many Christians, the spiritual life is
passing through a time of uncertainty which affects not only their moral
life but also their life of prayer and the theological correctness of
their faith.
And with respect to the Church of our time, how can we not lament the
lack of discernment, which at times became even acquiescence, shown by
many Christians concerning the violation of fundamental human rights by
totalitarian regimes?
An examination of conscience must also consider the reception given to
the Council, this great gift of the Spirit to the Church at the end of the
second millennium.
The Church of the first millennium was born of the blood of the
martyrs: "Sanguis martyum - semen christianorum".
(6)
At the end of the second millennium, the Church has once again become a
Church of martyrs. The persecutions of believers - priests, Religious and
laity - has caused a great sowing of martyrdom in different parts of the
world. The witness to Christ borne even the shedding of blood has become a
common inheritance of Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants, as
Pope Paul VI pointed out in his Homily for the Canonization of the Ugandan
Martyrs. (7)
This witness must not be forgotten.
The Church of the first centuries, although facing considerable
organizational difficulties, took care to write down in special
martyrologies the witness of the martyrs.
The martyrologies have been constantly updated through the centuries,
and the register of the saints and the blessed bears the names not only of
those who have shed their blood for Christ but also of teachers of the
faith, missionaries, confessors, bishops, priests, virgins, married
couples, widows and children.
SECOND PHASE
On the basis of this vast programme aimed at creating awareness, it
will then be possible to begin the second phase, the strictly preparatory
phase. This will take place over the span of three years, from 1997 to
1999.
The thematic structure of this three-year period, centred on Christ,
the Son of God made man, must necessarily be theological, and therefore
Trinitarian.
Year One: Jesus Christ
The first year, 1997, will thus be devoted to reflection on Christ, the
Word of God, made man by the power Of the Holy Spirit: "Jesus Christ,
the one Saviour of the world, yesterday, today and for ever" (cf. Heb
13:8).
Among the Christological themes suggested in the Consistory the
following stand out: a renewed appreciation of Christ, Saviour and
Proclaimer of the Gospel, with special reference to the fourth chapter of
the Gospel of Luke, where the theme of Christ's mission of preaching the
Good News and the theme of the Jubilee are interwoven; a deeper
understanding of the mystery of the Incarnation and of Jesus' birth from
the Virgin Mary; the necessity of faith in Christ for salvation. In order
to recognize who Christ truly is, Christians, especially in the course of
this year, should turn with renewed interest to the Bible, "whether
it be through the liturgy, rich in the divine word, or through devotional
reading, or through instructions suitable for the purpose and other
aids". (8) In the revealed text is tis
the Heavenly Father himself who comes to us in love and who dwells with
us, disclosing to us the nature of his only-begotten Son and his plan of
salvation for humanity. (9)
The commitment, mentioned earlier, to make the mystery of salvation
sacramentally present can lead, in the course of the year, to a renewed
appreciation of Baptism as the basis of Christian living, according to the
words of the Apostle: "As many of you as were baptized into Christ
have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27).
Everything ought to focus on the primary objective of the Jubilee: the
strengthening of faith and of the witness of Christians.
The first year therefore will be the opportune moment for a renewed
appreciation of catechesis in its original meaning as "the Apostles'
teaching" (Acts 2:42) about the person of Jesus Christ and his
mystery of salvation.
The Blessed Virgin who will be as it were "indirectly"
present in the whole preparatory phase, will be contemplated in this first
year especially in the mystery of her Divine Motherhood.
Year Two: The Holy Spirit
1998, the second year of the preparatory phase, will be dedicated in a
particular way to the Holy Spirit and his sanctifying presence within the
Community of Christ's disciples.
The Church cannot prepare for the new millennium "in any other way
than in the Holy Spirit. What was accomplished by the power of the Holy
Spirit 'in the fullness of time' can only through the Spirit 'in the
fulness of time' can only through the Spirit's power now emerge from the
memory of the Church". (10)
The Spirit, in fact, makes present in the Church of every time and
place the unique Revelation brought by Christ to humanity, making it alive
and active in the soul of each individual: "The Counselor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all
things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you" (Jn
14:26).
The primary tasks of the preparation for the Jubilee thus include a
renewal appreciation of the presence and activity of the Spirit, who acts
within the Church both in the Sacraments, especially in Confirmation, and
in the variety of charisms, roles and ministers which he inspires for the
good of the Church.
It will be important to gain a renewed appreciation of the Spirit as
the One who builds the Kingdom of God within the course of history and
prepares its full manifestation in Jesus Christ, stirring people's hearts
and quickening in our world the seeds of the full salvation which will
come at the end of time.
In this eschatological perspective, believers should be called to a
renewed appreciation of the theological virtue of hope, which they have
already heard proclaimed "in the word of the truth, the Gospel"
(Col 1:5).
There is also need for a better appreciation and understanding of the
signs of hope present in the last part of this century, even though they
often remain hidden from our eyes.
The reflection of the faithful in the second year of preparation ought
to focus particularly on the value of unity within the Church, to which
the various gifts and charisms bestowed upon her by the SpIrit are
directed.
Mary, who conceived the Incarnate Word by the power of the Holy Spirit
and then in the whole of her life allowed herself to be guided by his
interior activity, will be contemplated and imitated during this year
above all as the woman who was docile to the voice of the Spirit, a woman
of silence and attentiveness, a woman of hope who, like Abraham, accepted
God's will 'hoping against hope" (cf. Rom 4:18).
Year Three: God the Father
1999, the third and final year of preparation, will be aimed at
broadening the horizons of believers, so that they will see things in the
perspective of Christ: in the perspective Of the "Father who is in
heaven" (cf Mt. 5;45), from whom the Lord was sent and to whom he has
returned (cf. Jn 16-28).
The Jubilee, centred on the person of Christ, thus becomes a great act
of praise to the Father: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation
of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him" (Eph
1:3-4).
In this third year the sense of being on a "journey to the Father:
should encourage everyone to undertake, by holding fast to Christ the
Redeemer of man, a journey of authentic conversion.
It will therefore be necessary, especially during this year, to
emphasize the theological virtue of charity, recalling the significant and
lapidary words of the First Letter of John: "God is love"
(4:8,16).
From this point of view, if we recall that Jesus came to "preach
the good news to the poor" (Mt. 11:5; Lk 7:22), how can we fail to
lay greater emphasis on the Church's preferential option for the poor and
the outcast?
Recalling that "Christ... by the revelation of the mystery of the
Father and his love, fully reveals man to man himself and makes his
supreme calling clear", (11) two
commitments should characterize in a special way the third preparatory
year" meeting the challenge of secularism and dialogue with the great
religions.
With regard to the former, it will be fitting to broach the vast
subject of the crisis of civilization, which has become apparent
especially in the West, which is highly developed from the standpoint of
technology but is interiorly impoverished by its tendency to forget God or
to keep him at a distance, which crisis of civilization must be countered
by the civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace,
solidarity, justice and liberty, which find their full attainment in
Christ.
On the other hand, as far as the field of religious awareness is
concerned, the eve of the Year 2000 will provide a great opportunity,
especially in view of the events of recent decades, for interreligious
dialogue, in accordance with the specific guidelines set down by the
Second Vatican Council in its Declaration Nostra Aetate on the
relationship of the Church to non-Christian religions.
In this broad perspective of commitments, Mary Most Holy, the highly
favored daughter of the Father, will appear before the eyes of believers
as the perfect model of love towards both God and neighbor.
APPROACHING THE CELEBRATION
A separate chapter will be the actual celebration of the Great Jubilee,
which will take place simultaneously in the Holy Land, in Rome and in the
local Churches throughout the world.
Especially in this phase, the phase of celebration, the aim will be to
give glory to the Trinity, from whom everything in the world and in
history comes and to whom everything returns.
This mystery is the focus of the three years of immediate preparation:
from Christ and through Christ, in the Holy Spirit, to the Father.
1. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern
World Gaudium et Spes, 22.
2. Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (4
March 1979), 1: AAS 71 (1979), 258.
3. Cf. Encyclical Letter Dominum et Vivificantem
(18 May 1986), 49ff.: AAS 78 (1986), 868ff.
4. Cf. Apostolic Exhortation Recociliation et
Paenitentia (2 December 1984): AAS 77 (1985), 185-275.
5. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Declaration on
Religious Freedom Dignitatis Humanae, 1.
6. Tertullian, Apol., 50:13: CCL I:71.
7. Cf. AAS 56 (1964), 906.
8. Second Vatican Ecumencial Council, Dogmatic
Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verum, 25.
9. Cf., Ibid., 2.
10. Ibid, 51: AAS 78 (1986), 871.
11. Second Vatican Council Ecumenical Council,
Pastoral Constitutional on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes,
22.
