Important Dates in the Lives of Jesus and Mary 

pleasing to God. Even those Christians who cannot lessen their work, can make extra efforts to do their work 

more prayerfully and with greater integrity and honesty. 

    Sabbatical and Jubilee years should be a time of repentance and spiritual renewal. During such times, we 

Christians should make extra efforts to identify the sins in our lives. Many people commit sins and do not 

realize or care that they are sinning. Before you can repent of sin, you must first know which things are sinful. 

Christians should use the Sabbatical and Jubilee years to conform their consciences to the teachings of the 

Church. After identifying sin in our lives, we must admit to ourselves and to God that we are at fault and seek 

God's merciful forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Sabbatical and Jubilee years should be a time 

of increased use of the Sacraments by the faithful, especially the daily Sacraments of Confession and 

Communion. 

    During such years, we Christians should seek to do Penance for our sins. God desires penance from us in 

the form of prayer, self denial, and works of mercy. However, the best penance is not prayer or self denial, or 

works of mercy; the best penance is change.  

    Change. Become more like Christ. Admit you were wrong and give up your sins and your sinful tendencies 

and attitudes. Give up all that pertains to sin. The penance that God most wants most from each of us is that 

we change and become new persons in Christ Jesus. We must make extra efforts to free ourselves from sinful 

habits and attachments. We must root out the causes and near occasions of sin in our lives. We must look 

more closely at our own moral failings. Christian Sabbatical and Jubilee years are particularly good times for 

increased emphasis on the penance of abandoning sin and becoming more like Christ. 

    Prayer: Christian Sabbatical and Jubilee years should be a time when we seek to move closer to God in 

prayer. There are many holy ways to approach God in prayer; all of these ways include sincerity and humility 

and the desire to seek God's will. The Rosary and the Divine Mercy Chaplet are particularly good forms of 

recited prayer. The Sacred Mass as a whole is a kind of prayer to God. And there are other good ways to pray. 

Prayer is essential to the spiritual life. Whoever prays little, loves little. Whoever loves little, loves God little. 

To grow in love for God, you must pray and pray and pray. 

    Self denial: Christian Sabbatical and Jubilee years should be times of self denial. Much has been said about 

fasting in the spiritual life. Fasting from food is one good type of self denial. But if you only practice self denial 

in food, then you are not carrying your cross as Christ asked you. Christians must practice self denial in all 

things, in all things, in all things. Every aspect of your life must include self denial. Even the things in your life 

that you call  good  and  for God  must include self denial. 

    Mercy: Christian Sabbatical and Jubilee years should be a time of forgiveness and release from debt. Works 

of mercy towards others should be increased and emphasized during these years. I refer the reader to the 

spiritual and corporeal works of Mercy, as taught by the Church. There are many ways to show mercy to 

others. You must seek opportunities within the events of your daily life. Seek to be merciful in all things; then 

God will be merciful to you in all things. 

    The Sabbatical and Jubilee years are not only times when we should do certain things, but times when God 

will do certain things. God will give the Church special blessings in these years. So much is said about what 

Christians should do and say. But we should always rely primarily on what God will do and say, and not so 

much on ourselves. The Prayer of the Faithful, during the Sacred Mass, should be primarily requests to God, 

asking God to grant specific requests and favors. Sometimes the Prayer of the Faithful at Mass emphasizes 

what we should do, asking God to grant that we may help others and accomplish whatever is needed. On the 

contrary, faith relies primarily on God, and only secondarily on oneself, to accomplish the tasks of life. In the 

same way, the Christian Sabbatical and Jubilee years should be primarily times to rely on God and receive 

God's blessing. Only secondarily should these years be times to accomplish goals and tasks through our own 

efforts. These holy years are not a call to be in charge, organize groups of people, gather money and power, 

and tell others what to do. In any year, such behavior is not the will of God and is contrary to the meekness 

and humility to which we are all called. 

Prayer in all things, self denial in all things, mercy in all things such is the Way of Christ. 

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