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Occasional Paper Number 24

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As the Third Millennium Draws Near

John Paul II's Apostolic Letter:
Tertio Millennio Adveniente
10 November 1994

by George W. Kosicki, C.S.B.

DECEMBER 1995

A Guide to Action

"One thing is certain: Everyone is asked to do as much as possible to ensure that the great challenge of the year 2000 is not overlooked, for this challenge certainly involves a special grace of the Lord for the Church and for the whole of humanity" (#55).

Why has John Paul II taken such personal interest in the coming year 2000?

Because upon his election as pope in 1978, Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski had told him: "If the Lord has called you, you must lead the Church into the Third Millennium." The pope considered these words as prophetic.

1. "When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman" (Gal4:4).

I. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today" (Heb 13:8)

2-4. Christ "fully reveals man to man himself and makes his supreme calling clear" (Vat.II, Gaudium et Spes, 22).

5-6. Jesus does not merely speak' in the name of God' like the prophets, but he is God himself speaking in his eternal word made flesh.

God comes in person to speak to man of himself and to show him the path by which he may be reached.

7. In Jesus Christ, God not only speaks to man but also seeks him out.

God goes in search of man who is his special possession in a way unlike any other creature.

8. God has sent his spirit into our hearts.

II. The Jubilee of the Year 2000.

9. "The fullness of time" is eternity.

10. Christ is the Lord of time. In him all comes to its fullness of time.

11. The jubilee year is the "year of the Lord's favor".

12. In the Old testament the seventh and fiftieth year were of Sabbath and of liberation.

13. The jubilee year was meant to restore equality among all of Israel.

14. The tradition of jubilee years involves granting of indulgences on a larger scale.

15. 2000 years since the birth of Christ calls for an extraordinarily great jubilee.

16. As the great year 2000 approaches, John Paul II prays that unity among all Christians will increase until they reach full communion--as soon as possible.

III. PREPARATION for the Great Jubilee

17. A sense of gratitude and responsibility: for all that has happened in 2000 years, especially in our own century.

18. The Second Vatican Council began the immediate preparation for the jubilee.

A new springtime will be revealed by the Great Jubilee if we are docile to the action of the Holy Spirit.

19-20. The Second Vatican Council pointed to Jesus as the "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world".

The Council's rich teachings and tone proclaimed new times in the language of the gospel.

The best preparation for the new millennium is a renewed commitment to apply the teachings of Vatican II.

21. The series of Synod of Bishops has been part of the preparation.

22. All the popes of this century have prepared, in a certain sense, for this jubilee--especially by the themes of Catholic social doctrine.

23. The "New Advent" theme of John Paul II has been stressed beginning with his first encyclical--aimed at increased sensitivity to all that the Spirit is saying to the Church and churches.

24. The papal journeys have been a continued implementation of Vatican II--culminating in the desired pilgrimage to Mount Sinai, the Holy Land and Damascus.

25. The individual churches have their role to play as they celebrate their own jubilees: Europe, America, Asia, Africa, Eastern churches--all are as a single river of revelation of Christianity.

26. The holy years in our lifetime have prepared for the Great Jubilee.

27. The Marian Year ushered in a peaceful resolution to the Cold War.

28. The Year of the Family gives cause to hope that it will be another significant stage in preparation.

IV. Immediate Preparation

29. Widespread consultation is called for.

30. In the remaining years before 2000--two phases:

A. First Phase

31. 1995 & 1996--Time to revive the awareness of the value and meaning of the Jubilee of the Year 2000, reviving faith, hope and charity.

32. The jubilee is to be a time of special grace, a time of joy and a time of Thanksgiving for the gift of the incarnation of the Son of God and his redemption.

The joy of the jubilee is the joy based on forgiveness and conversion.

33. The jubilee preparation should make the church more fully conscious of our sinfulness, especially of scandal and counter witness.

The church cannot cross the threshold of the new millennium without purifying ourselves by penance.

34. We must especially repent of sins against unity.

We must make amends and beseech forgiveness

We should invoke the Holy Spirit with greater insistence for the grace of Christian unity.

Unity is a gift of the Holy Spirit

An enormous need for prayer for unity.

35. The church must express profound regret for intolerance and violence in the service of truth.

36. The church must take a serious examination of conscience.

The church cannot remain silent about religious indifference, moral confusion, secular and ethical relativism, crisis of obedience, violation of human rights and grave injustices.

The church must examine itself on the reception given to the Second Vatican Council.

37. At the end of the second millennium, the church once again has become a church of martyrs.

Martyrologies must be up-dated to safeguard the memory of our present day witnesses to faith in Jesus Christ.

38. Continental Synods are needed in the Americas, Asia and Oceana.

A general synod is needed on Jesus Christ as the one mediator and sole redeemer.

B. Second Phase

39. A Trinitarian phase of three years.

Year 1: Jesus Christ

40. 1997 will be devoted to reflection on Jesus Christ, the word of God, made man by the power of the Holy Spirit.

41. It will be a time to renew: our faith in Christ as necessary for salvation; appreciation of baptism; interest in the Bible.

42. Everything must focus on the primary object of the jubilee: the strengthening of faith and of the witness of Christians.

Necessary to inspire: longing for holiness; desire for conversion; personal renewal; intense prayer; and solidarity with the poor.

Study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Sacred Scripture and living tradition will prove to be a great benefit.

43. The mystery of Mary's divine motherhood cannot be separated from the centrality of Christ.

Year 2: The Holy Spirit

44. 1998 will be dedicated to the Holy Spirit and his sanctifying presence.

The church cannot prepare for the new millennium in any other way than in the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit makes present the revelation of Jesus Christ.

45. The primary tasks of preparation for the jubilee include a renewed appreciation of the presence and activity of the Holy Spirit--especially in confirmation and a variety of charisms, roles and ministries.

The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of the new evangelization

The Holy Spirit is the one who builds the kingdom of God

46. We are called to a renewed hope,--especially by a greater attention to the Holy Spirit and through the acceptance of charisms.

47. We are to focus our preparation on unity, to which the gifts and charism of the Holy Spirit are directed.

The unity of the body of Christ is founded on the activity of the Spirit.

48. Mary, who conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, will be contemplated and imitated as the woman docile to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Year 3: God the Father

49. 1999 is aimed to broaden our horizons to see things in the perspective of the Father, from the perspective of Christ.

Christian life is like a great pilgrimage to the house of the Father--a pilgrimage in the heart of each person.

50. The journey to the Father is both a liberation from sin and a choosing of good.

It is the context of more intense celebration of the Sacrament of Penance.

It is a year to emphasize charity.

51. A year for commitment to justice and peace.

A time to raise our voices on behalf of the poor of the world: cancelling international debts;dialoguing between cultures; as well as women's rights and the promotion of family.

52. A time to meet the challenge of securalism.

53. A great opportunity to dialogue with the Jews and Muslims.

54. Mary, favored daughter of the Father, will appear as the model of love toward God and neighbor.

C. Approaching the Celebration

55. A celebration simultaneously in the Holy Land, in Rome and in churches throughout the world.

The celebration makes present the goal and fulfillment of Christian life.

The year 2000 will be intensely Eucharistic

The International Eucharistic Congress will be in Rome.

The ecumenical and universal character of the jubilee can be reflected in the meeting of all Christians.

One thing is certain: Everyone is asked to do as much as possible to insure that the great challenge of the year 2000 is not overlooked.

V. "Jesus Christ is the same...forever" (Heb 13:8)

56. All are called to be part of this Catholic unity of the new people of God.

Christ is like a divine leaven penetrating the life of humanity.

Christ entered this world to give witness to the truth, to rescue and not to sit in judgment, to serve and not to be served.

57. Today vast sectors of contemporary civilization and culture, of politics and economics, are in need of evangelization.

58. Christ expects great things in the next century from the present youth.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

59. "Christ who died and was raised for all, can through his Spirit offer man the light and strength to measure up to his supreme destiny..."(Gaudium et Spes).

The faithful are invited to pray fervently for the preparations and celebrations.

Bishops are exhorted to open their hearts to the promptings of the Spirit.

This responsibility is entrusted to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, that she be the star that guides our steps to the Lord.