Useful links and ideas for the Jubilee issues; care for creation, food poverty, managing debt, modern slavery, forgiveness, rest and worship.
If you’d like to know what the Catholic Church is doing to address creation care, climate change and the environment visit:
Environment – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk)
God who Speaks resources on the environment – The God Who Speaks
Apostolic Farming
Why not create an eco-garden in your parish? Set aside a small area where parishioners can grow and share organic fruit and vegetables. For inspiration and information take a look at these two garden projects based on psalm 23 and psalm 27: Psalm 23:
Psalm 23 Garden – Bible Society
Psalm 27 Garden – Bible Society
Reflect on your own, or in a group, on one of these Bible passages that speaks of growing your own food and living sustainably:
Ecclesiastes 2:5 and Isaiah 65:21
Jeremiah 29:5 and Amos 9:14
Matthew 13:32 and Luke 13:19
A YouGov survey by the Food Foundation, a food poverty charity, found that in January 2023, 17.7% of households in the UK were food insecure (ate less or went a day without eating because they couldn’t access or afford food), up from 8.8% in January 2022 and 7.4% in January 2021.
Use this information to raise awareness about food poverty in your area:
Can you invite a group parishioners to help host a fellowship meal for people living in poverty or isolation in your area? Or support an existing lunch scheme for people in your neighbourhood?
Give thanks for the food you have by blessing your food at every meal.
Encourage your friends and family to support you in buying local food, saving on wasted food and packaging wherever possible.
Encourage CAFOD Live Simply awards – Livesimply award (cafod.org.uk)
According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 49.6 million people were living in modern slavery in 2021, of which 27.6 million were in forced labour and 22 million in forced marriage.
Write to your MP asking them to encourage our governments to continue their commitment to tackling modern day slavery.
Create a petition signed by members of your Church and local community.
Organise for a speaker from a charity such as Caritas Bakhita House working towards eradicating modern day slavery to speak at your church or youth group. Bakhita House | Caritas Westminster
Explore what you can do to help raise awareness and take action for those enslaved at home and abroad.
To find out about the Catholic Church’s campaign against Trafficking and Slavery visit here:
Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk)
For more information and statistics on this global issue visit here:
Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking (Forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking) (ilo.org)
According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 165 million people fell into poverty between 2020 to 2023 as debt servicing crowded out social protection, health and education expenditures. The UNDP is calling for a Debt-Poverty Pause to mitigate poverty until the multilateral system addresses debt restructuring at speed and scale.
For more information from CAFOD – Debt, finance and economic justice (cafod.org.uk)
Write to your MP asking them to encourage our governments to cancel the debt of the poorest nations.
Create a petition signed by members of your Church and local community.
Organise for a speaker from a charity such as Church Action on Poverty to speak at your church or youth group.
Drowning in Debt – Church Action on Poverty (church-poverty.org.uk)
Explore what you can do to help raise awareness and take action for those enslaved in debt at home and abroad.
Shopping light
Shopping is now a universal obsession. Yet while millions consume their lives away, millions more die daily of poverty and debt. How can we afford this global inequality?
So let’s rewrite our weekly shopping list for the wellbeing of the world. Let’s start shopping lighter by:
Between the producer and the consumer
hold the hands of wealth and the heart of greed.
Between governments and nations
hold the hands of economics and business profits.
Together we can redistribute our resources
and bring together
the hands of justice and the heart of life.
And that will be money well spent.
Amen.
A rabbi once asked his students how they could tell when night had ended and day was on its way back.
‘Is it when you can see an animal in the distance, and tell whether it is a sheep or a dog?’
‘No,’ answered the rabbi.
‘Is it when you can look at a tree in the distance, and tell whether it is a fig or a peach tree?’
‘No.’
‘Well then,’ the students demanded, ‘When is it?’
‘It is when you look on the face of another human being, and see that he or she is your brother or sister. Because if you cannot do that, then no matter what time it is, it is still night.’
The Jubilee year is an opportunity to make peace with ourselves and with others. The sacrament of reconciliation is a way to help us find that forgiveness and peace.
For more information about the Sacrament of Reconciliation:
The Basics – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk)
Confession – Catholic Bishops’ Conference (cbcew.org.uk)
The Jubilee year is an opportunity for collective penance and reconciliation.
We are invited to stand together to confess our sins, to ask for forgiveness, to forgive those who have offended us, and to make peace with each other.
Speak to your Parish Priest about organising a Celebrating Reconciliation service in your church.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference Liturgy Office provides a document for parishes on:
Celebrating Reconciliation together: Parishes and the Second Form of the Rite of Penance
CRT.indd (liturgyoffice.org.uk)
Rest is an important idea in the Bible because it protected slaves, servants and animals from exhaustion when there was no NHS, holiday allowance or vets; and because it provided a day for worshipping God each week with one’s family or community.
Not all of us can take time off easily especially with so many people holding multiple jobs or long-hours jobs just to cover the bills. For those who are in retirement, this may not be possible if they have caring responsibilities and other commitments. Many other people are not able to do paid work due to ill health or because of other caring responsibilities but they do not benefit from rest either.
Helping yourself and others to rest:
All of us can use rest in different ways.
If we’re resting too much, we can help others who need more rest by offering to provide free babysitting, some meals, collection of medicines or other services in our neighbourhood and community. One small act can make a huge difference to another person.
Making time to worship God
The purpose of the Year of Jubilee is to turn our anxieties away from our debts (or our debtors), our jobs, our busy lives, and reflect on God as our provider.
So as we explore implementing a Jubilee of our own, we remember who it’s about. We rest because God rested. We forgive debts because God forgave ours. We challenge organisations and governments to address slavery and bondage because God freed us.
Our prayer and worship sustain and support us to make a difference in the name of God.
When we make time to read the Bible, pray, reflect, go to Mass and benefit from the many spiritual tools of our Catholic faith, we can listen to how the Spirit is guiding us.
Re-introduce or promote existing Adoration Hours in your local parish and encourage a focus on Jubilee living and action in the context of prayer.
For more information about how to support people in your parish or neighbourhood who might need help, or who are isolated, contact the St Vincent de Paul Society which focuses on social action in the community – Home | St Vincent de Paul Society (svp.org.uk)
Further Scripture-based resources:
God who Speaks website: The God Who Speaks
Poverty in the Bible series: The God Who Speaks
Work and the Bible series: The God Who Speaks
Food and Fellowship series: The God Who Speaks
Social Justice Posters for schools: The God Who Speaks
Resources to help with the issues challenging us to live the Jubilee in our churches and communities today.
