Jubilee
And forgive our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. – Jesus, Matthew 6.12
Jubilee is the name God gives to the “year of favor,” the time when are told to cancel all debts to ensure the thriving of humanity, our communities, and the land and its bounty. The divine mandate for debt relief is unconditional and continual. This “Holiness Code” was picked up and re-interpreted by the prophets and then Jesus to include the relieving of undue burden wherever need is present. People of faith and conscience have proclaimed and advocated for “Jubilee” ever since.
This sacred commission has evolved for modern times to include life-giving efforts to cancel student debt, pay off medical debts, abolish predatory lending, and relieve the disastrous loans foisted on heavily-indebted poor countries by wealthy nations and their creditors, which prevent sustainable development. Repair is needed. The call and practice of Jubilee is a core pillar of a just economy.
Important Resources
Turn Debt Into Hope: A Faith-Driven Call for Justice & Sustainability
What can jubilee look like in action?
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has launched the “Turn Debt into Hope” campaign, a global call to address debt injustice and climate inequality, which prevent vulnerable nations from meeting fundamental human rights.
We are everlasting debtors to known and unknown men and women…Before we leave for our jobs, we are already beholden to more than half the world. – Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
