INTRODUCTION to JUBILEES

SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint.” With these words, borrowed from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (chapter 5, verse 5), the solemn invitation to the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 begins.  The special papal document, or “Bull of Indiction,” was published in Rome on the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord.  In it, our Holy Father Pope Francis formally invited all Catholics, indeed all of Christendom, to celebrate the Ordinary Jubilee Year of 2025.  The last Ordinary Jubilee was observed with much fervor in the year 2000.  This took place during the latter years of the illustrious pontificate of Saint John Paul the Second.  According to the current liturgical and spiritual practice of the Roman Catholic Church, Ordinary Holy or “Jubilee” Years are called and celebrated every quarter century.

In just a few short weeks, Pope Francis will solemnly open the Holy Year by opening the special Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Peter in Vatican City.  He will accomplish this simple yet significant rite on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 2024.  This ritual act will set in motion the whole series of Jubilee events for the following year until the Jubilee Year is solemnly brought to a close on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord on January 6th, 2026.  

The Jubilee Year will conclude, where it began with the ritual sealing of the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Peter.  In addition to the Holy Door at the Basilica of Saint Peter, there are three other papal Holy Doors in Rome.  These are located at the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, which is also the Pope’s cathedral as Bishop of Rome, the Basilica of Saint Mary Major, and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Pope Francis will formally open these additional doors in short order, namely during the Octave of Christmas and in the first week of January 2025.

A HISTORY OF JUBILEE

The initial Jubilee Year in the Church was proclaimed on February 22nd, 1300. This first-ever Catholic Jubilee was summoned by Pope Boniface the Eighth, who in turn drew his inspiration from Sacred Scripture, namely from the command found in the Book of Leviticus, chapter 25, verse 10: “And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you.”  As seen from this biblical context, the notion of jubilee is firmly rooted in the holy ground of the Bible.t takes on fresh significance when applied to the members of the Church than when the children of Israel “hallowed the fiftieth year” according to the Law of Moses. Given the constraints of time, travel, resources, and other factors present in the Middle Ages, the “gap” between the Years of Jubilee was suggested to be reduced to every twenty-five years.  This was accomplished in 1470 by decree of Pope Paul the Second.

In Western Europe during the Medieval period, the Bishop of Rome often drew warring factions together in reconciliation and to promote a vibrant spiritual life.  Pope Boniface was well aware of the realities of his time and place. He sought to better the welfare of the baptized and rejuvenate the life of the Church by proclaiming the Jubilee of 1300.  The spiritual touchstone of the Holy Years has always been the pilgrimage to Rome to pray at the tombs of the founding Apostles of the Church there, namely saints Peter and Paul.  Having shed their blood for Christ in Rome, the Church of Rome is especially blessed by the sacred presence of the mortal remains of these two men.  With the faithful testament of the Apostles Peter and Paul as witness to the gospel of Christ,

Christians are called to focus on reconciliation, forgiveness, and prayerful pilgrimage, performed and celebrated in the name of the Lord Jesus.  In essence, we celebrate our redemption through the Paschal Mystery, the dying and rising of Christ for our salvation and the greater glory of God.  This observance of the upcoming Jubilee 2025 is intended by Pope Francis to be celebratory, as well as       a profound source of spiritual renewal rooted in a deeply felt sense of hope.

PRACTICAL JUBILEE ACTIVITIES

Given the length of time covered by the Jubilee Year of 2025, it would be wise to pace your observances, activities, devotions, and the like to garner the fullest possible benefit of the year-long celebration without becoming jaded or disinterested.  As mentioned earlier, pilgrimages have long been considered the hallmark of Holy Year devotions.  If it is within your financial means to go on a pilgrimage to the Eternal City of Rome, by all means, go and visit.  If it is not within your means to make a journey to Rome, arrange a pilgrimage to the Cathedral of your diocese/eparchy or to another church, shrine, or basilica that your local bishop has designated as a pilgrimage destination for the Year of Jubilee.  As pilgrims of hope, the goal to achieve is greater holiness and conformity to Jesus, our Lord and Redeemer.  The tried and true means to accomplish this goal is prayer.  The following prayer was composed by His Holiness Pope Francis himself.  Consider adding it to your daily round of prayer to connect spiritually with all those on pilgrimage during this year of grace, standing on the promises of hope that God holds out to us.  Include it with your Rosary or Chaplet of Divine Mercy. Use the Jubilee Prayer as a form of lectio divina.

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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 forever.  Amen.

This article was written by Brother Raymond J. Colombaro, O. de M. Bro. Raymond is a solemnly professed friar of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy or Mercedarians.  He is currently living in LeRoy, New York at the parish of Our Lady of Mercy, where he serves as sacristan, catechist, and lector.  The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy was founded in the year 1218 in Barcelona, Spain by Saint Peter Nolasco. He was inspired by Our Mother of Mercy to spearhead a religious family to redeem Catholic captives on the Iberian peninsula and in North Africa.  Friar Redeemers would collect funds to buy back or ransom the captives who were often in danger of losing their faith under the various pressures of captivity.

Continue To Learn About The Year Of Jubilee 2025

Faith is a Journey, Meditations for Pilgrims and Wayfarers

Pope Francis often reminds us that faith “is a road to be traveled, without ever losing the goal,” and this is the theme that forms the background to the meditations contained in this brief anthology. It is a collection of significant passages from the Pontiff’s speeches, given on various occasions of meetings with the faithful, and is intended to offer food for thought in light of the Jubilee 2025 in particular, as its motto is “Pilgrims of Hope.”