"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." Luke 4: 18-19
"Every person is a treasure, every life a sacred gift."
The Shared Statement of Identity for the Catholic Health Ministry
Beginning in the Hebrew Scriptures, Jubilee is understood as a time of liberation: debts are forgiven, land is restored to its original owners, and slaves are freed. It is a time to re-establish proper relationship and to restore the social order willed by God. Jesus' proclamation in the Gospel of Luke not only serves as his 'mission statement' but also grounds our understanding of Jubilee as a goal still to be pursued.
To consider every person a treasure in a world rife with violence is a radical act. When we honor each life as a sacred gift, we participate in the liberation that Jesus calls us to. What does this liberation look like for you and those you serve?
Let us pray—
Like Your Son, Jesus,
You call us to bring glad tidings to the poor:
God of hope, we hear you.
In the yearning for solidarity, and in the steadfast faith of those who suffer:
God of hope, we hear you.
In the voices that demand justice, and in the lives of those who witness to Your truth:
God of hope, we hear you.
As pilgrims in this season of liberation,
bind us together in Your love.
Move us to build bridges of empathy and compassion,
making our hope a light on the road ahead.
AMEN
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