We are now half way through the Holy Year inaugurated by the late Pope Francis. Here, in his own words, he explains the meaning and purpose of the Holy Year. This article was published in the most recent edition of the African Missionary Magazine.
The Jubilee Year began with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on Christmas Eve 2024. In his homily, Pope Francis declared, “Sisters and brothers, this is the Jubilee. This is the season of hope in which we are invited to rediscover the joy of meeting the Lord.” “Pilgrims of Hope” is the theme Pope Francis chose for this Jubilee or Holy Year. He encourages the faithful to “fan the flame of hope” and approach the future with “an open spirit…Everyone knows what it is to hope…In the heart of each person, hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring…For all of us, may the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope. God’s word helps us find reasons for that hope.”
This Jubilee year is an opportunity to renew our understanding of what it means to live the call of the Gospel, both as individuals and as a community. In his first Jubilee Audience of 2025, Pope Francis called on the faithful to embrace hope and renewal through service and fraternity, and through responsibility for our common home the Earth. “This is the essence of the Jubilee: a new beginning grounded in God and a commitment to love and service.” During a Mass on the Feast of Mary the Mother of God on 1 January 2025, he referred to the extensive renovation works to monuments and buildings carried out around Rome in preparation for the Jubilee Year and then he said: “we must recognize that the decisive building site is in each one of us: the place where each of us works to allow God to change in me what is unworthy of a son or daughter… and in which I will commit myself, every day, to live as a brother and sister to my neighbour.”
To be Pilgrims of Hope we must begin with ourselves. This Jubilee year is a God-given opportunity to start anew. It is an invitation to an inner conversion through which we become people who live differently. At the centre of this different living is love of God, others and the creation we share. Conversion calls for a change of heart, a move away from self-concern and fear towards a hope filled attitude where mercy and reconciliation become the lenses through which we view our world and the principles that motivate our action. Only then can we look outward and be, in this Jubilee year, the “tangible signs of hope” that Pope Francis calls us to be, recognising God’s presence in the midst of life with all its difficulties and challenges.
In his 2024 Christmas Eve sermon, the Pope was very clear when he said, “we too are called to recover lost hope, to renew that hope in our hearts, and to sow seeds of hope amid the bleakness of our time and our world.” He then explained the meaning of hope: “Christian hope is not a cinematic “happy ending” which we passively await, but rather…a summons not to tarry, to be kept back by our old habits, or to wallow in mediocrity or laziness. Hope calls us – as Saint Augustine would say – to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage to change them. Hope calls us to become pilgrims in search of truth, dreamers who never tire, women and men open to being challenged by God’s dream, which is of a new world where peace and justice reign…Hope is incompatible with the detachment of those who refuse to speak out against evil and the injustices perpetrated at the expense of the poor. Christian hope, on the other hand, while inviting us to wait patiently for the Kingdom to grow and spread, also requires of us, even now, to be bold, responsible, and not only that but also compassionate, in our anticipation of the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise.” “All of us have received the gift and task of bringing hope wherever hope has been lost…We are called to bring hope to the weary who have no strength to carry on, the lonely oppressed by the bitterness of failure, and all those who are broken-hearted.” This Jubilee Year is both a time for personal spiritual renewal and a call to action. May we walk as Pilgrims of Hope, carrying light into dark places, bringing freedom to the oppressed, and embodying justice for those in need. In this Jubilee journey, may each step we take testify to the worth, dignity, and beauty of all creation. May God’s peace guide us, and may we be strengthened to continue on this pilgrimage, united in purpose and faith. Amen
The Jubilee Prayer Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen.
 The Holy Door, opened at the beginning of each Jubilee or Holy Year, represents the passage to salvation opened by Jesus to humanity. When announcing the Jubilee Year Pope Francis said: “For everyone, may the Jubilee be a moment of genuine personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’…of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as “our hope” (1 Tim 1:1). The origin of the Christian Jubilee goes back to Old Testament times when the Law of Moses prescribed a special year for the Jewish people as a time of renewal and to proclaim liberty to all, a time for setting slaves free, for forgiving debts, and for allowing the land to rest (Leviticus 25). In the Catholic tradition, Jubilees have been observed in Rome since the early 14th century. They are a time when Catholics are called on to live our faith by embodying the core themes of the Jubilee: renewal, reconciliation, and a closer relationship with Christ. There is also a strong emphasis on penitence and mercy. In this year we are urged especially to be Pilgrims of Hope |
Things to do during the Jubilee Prayer and Spiritual Renewal: Pray the Jubilee Prayer daily for personal conversion and renewal in the Church. Pray for the Pope’s intentions; participate in the sacraments of the Mass and Penance. Acts of mercy and charity: Carry out Corporal Works of Mercy such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and visiting the sick; and Spiritual Works of Mercy, such as comforting the sorrowful, praying for the living and the dead, and forgiving offences. Participate in Jubilee events: Join parish and diocesan services, retreats, or Jubilee celebrations. Care for Creation: This year marks the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical on care for creation: Laudato Si’. Attend the Laudato Si’ Mass in the last week of May, and participate with other Catholics in projects such as tree planting and beach clean-ups. Pray for the dead: Obtain plenary indulgences for the souls in Purgatory by dedicating acts of charity and prayer for their intentions. |