How does the current Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 relate to economics?
The ancient Israelites originated the Jubilee practice, which occurred every 50 years. If not every 7 years, they forgave debts, returned land to its previous owners, and freed enslaved people at each Jubilee.
“It’s all about a national inward-looking kind of economic practice, where they get right themselves first and then they become a light to the nations,” said Brian Honsberger, executive director of St. Paul Inside the Walls in Madison and diocesan director of mission and technology.
Honsberger spoke in a video about Jubilee economics, part of a series in English and Spanish that the diocese created about the holy year. The series covers topics such as the Holy Door and pilgrimages. In the video, Honsberger talks with Freddy Garcia, associate evangelization coordinator and campus minister, as part of their regular Paul Street Journal podcast.
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Jesus decided in his ministry that he would fulfill the Jubilee, which wasn’t being practiced in Israel in his time. He also trained 12 disciples to spread this practice to all nations. Today, Catholic Social Teaching is very much a fulfillment of Jubilee. It calls for economic justice and opportunity to be accessible to all people.
Watch the Jubilee economics video to learn how to practice Catholic Social Teaching and gain God’s graces during this holy year:
There are 12 long-form videos about various aspects of the Jubilee Year and 11 shorter 1-minute episodes. Watch the video series on The Diocese of Paterson’s Jubilee homepage.
