Melville X D’Souza
A Jubilee is undoubtedly a milestone in anybody’s life. One feels a sense of achievement, for instance, when one completes 25 years of married life or a priest completing 25 years in the Lord’s vineyard. These are milestones to be treasured.
If you enjoyed reading this article, you can help support our journalism by adding OHeraldo as a preferred source.
In the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has declared 2025 as a Jubilee Year, beginning on Christmas Eve, 2024, when the Holy Door of St Peter’s Basilica opens, ending on January 6, 2026. The Jubilee Year is a time for renewal and reflection.
The motto for the 2025 Jubilee Year is “Pilgrims of Hope”. The Pope chose this motto to encourage people to look to the future with hope and trust. We are now preparing for the great feast of Christmas and undoubtedly a lot of preparations are involved. What is Christmas? Preparing for Christmas by way of renovation of our home, painting, cleaning, dusting,
new wardrobe, not forgetting sweets and the Christmas menu, all this is fine. We look forward with great hope and enthusiasm and trust that everything goes well. However, we need to ask ourselves, is this all that we need to do in preparation for Christmas? Is Christmas just this? We need to look at our hearts. Are they not in need of a clean up; removing the dust from our hearts for Jesus to make a smooth entry into our hearts.
While we go about preparing for Christmas, we should not lose sight of the Jubilee Year declared by the Holy Father. The Christmas season would last for a couple of weeks however, the Jubilee year would go on for a year. This is not just another year in the Catholic Calendar, it is the Jubilee year. So, how are we going to prepare for the Jubilee Year?
There would be many suggestions as to how we prepare or what we could do during the Jubilee year. Reading and meditating on the Sacred Scriptures, making the Stations of the Cross regularly, especially at 3 pm, the Hour of Great Mercy, praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy daily, etc., etc. While we all may not in a position to follow these suggestions, we need to find other ways to prepare for the Jubilee year like performing works of mercy, forgiving those who have hurt you or have done you wrong. If possible, consider forgiving debts owed you. Maybe undertake a short pilgrimage instead of going for a long holiday. There are also other ways like practising kindness, being understanding towards members of our family towards members of our community, carrying out works of charity. Perhaps, even moving away from that ‘Me-centric’ culture to ‘We-centric culture’.
Today, the world is in turmoil, with wars and persecutions happening all across the world and these seem to have intensified in the year 2024. The Russia-Ukraine war seems to be an unending war. Suddenly, we see Israel in the midst of a war retaliating against attack from its neighbours, surrounded as they are by hostile countries. Is there hope for the future?
According to news reports, persecution of Christians across the world seem to have intensified. In our own country too, Christian churches and institutions are being targeted. There are disturbances in our immediate neighbouring countries as well.
In the background of such a dark scenario, an uncertain future, the Jubilee Year comes at an appropriate time. It is the birth of Jesus who brings us Hope and Peace into this troubled world. Jesus who came to free us from the slavery of sin, to bring us salvation. This is the time for healing and looking ahead with hope towards the future. We are not just pilgrims here on earth, we are “Pilgrims of Hope”. The motto for the 2025 Jubilee Year being “Pilgrims of Hope” should serve as an encouragement for us. We look forward with hope in our hearts, rest assured that He will not abandon us on the way. It’s up to us to make this Jubilee year fruitful and meaningful.
