Pope John Paul II has prophesied that we can have a new springtime of the Christian life by the year 2000 if we "are docile to the action of the Holy Spirit" (Towards the Third Millennium, 18). The Pope also prophesied that the Lord wants the year 2000 to be the greatest of all jubilees (Toward the Third Millennium, 16). In the Bible, the Jubilee is the time where slaves are freed, debts are forgiven, and the inheritance of God's people, especially their ancestral property, is restored to them (see Lv 25:8ff; Lk 4:19). The Jubilee is the time of international restoration of the socioeconomic system according to the justice of God. The Jubilee is the ultimate time of freedom.

Many doubt that the Pope's prophecies will be fulfilled. They think the prophecies are wrong or that we will not meet the conditions for their fulfillment. They believe it is unrealistic to expect the great victory of justice and the freedom that the Jubilee would bring about. However, it seemed unrealistic to believe that the Israelite nation would be freed from centuries of slavery in Egypt. Nevertheless, when they obeyed the Lord, sacrificed the Paschal lamb, and celebrated the Passover, the Lord did the impossible.

Let us unite ourselves to Jesus, the Lamb sacrificed on Calvary. Let us celebrate the Eucharist, the new Passover (see Lk 22:15). Let us receive the greatest miracle of freedom that has ever occurred since Jesus' death and resurrection.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, November 28, 1998

Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 1, 1998