July 31.    Some of the older generation, who had been subsistence farmers in their younger days, explained to the farmers of the present day how they had appreciated the values they had learned from the book of Leviticus on land conservation and justice. Amos said, “Things have changed but the land does belong to everyone and we learned to share with everyone, especially the poor, widows, orphans and foreigners.”  Prudence added, “It seems that we have forgotten such values in the interests of making as much money as we can from our crops, we women included.”

You shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land.  It shall be a jubilee for you when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family. From Leviticus 25. 

Pope Francis:  The Biblical tradition shows that renewal entails recovering and respecting the rhythms inscribed in nature by the hand of the Creator.   Every seven years a sabbatical year was set aside for Israel, a complete rest for the land when sowing was forbidden and one reaped only what was necessary to live on and to feed ones’ household.  After seven weeks of years, that is forty-nine years the Jubilee was celebrated as a year of general forgiveness and liberty for all inhabitants.  LS 71.