Celebration: Parishioner Reflections on the Jubilee Year

I want to celebrate our past and build our future

We reveal a lot about our priorities in what we choose to celebrate. In this Jubilee Year, we celebrate two thousand years since Christ’s birth. Participating in the Jubilee must be my priority.

There are different purposes for celebrating: expressing joy for blessings, rededicating ourselves to a cause; or preparing ourselves for our next goal. During the Jubilee, I can do all three. Jesus has been with us for two thousand years and is present in our daily lives. I give thanks! I want to deepen my relationship with Him and to explore new ways to honor Him.

Celebration can be an intimate experience. I share my most intimate celebrations with two lifelong partners - God and my husband. During the Jubilee, I want to celebrate our past and build our future. Celebration is also an expression often made more festive when shared with a larger group. To imagine celebrating the Jubilee with Catholics worldwide makes me realize that I’m part of a larger community. I am glad to be part of something so big, and awed at the smallness of my contribution to the worldwide community.

I recently found a remembrance card used at my grandfather’s funeral. A Baptist minister, he gave many sermons, and this card included a quotation from one: "It is not yours to sing a dirge, but a song of hope. Sing it, sing it long, sing it sweet. The heart of the world is heavy just now, and it will hear you and hear you gladly." Celebrations can be contagious. I want to spread my joy in being part of Christ’s family and share the hope of what we can accomplish with His help.

Prayer:
Christ, help me find a way to sing Your song of hope daily and gladden the worldwide community.

Elizabeth W. Alves

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