By: Mike Crooks
Pope Francis has opened the generational event, calling Christians to seek hope in their lives, and search for new beginnings.
The Catholic Jubilee is underway.
For Christians throughout the world, the Jubilee is an opportunity to “embark on a spiritual journey”.
The Jubilee, which occurs at least every 25 years, “is a special year of grace when the Catholic Church offers the faithful the chance to receive the plenary indulgence, meaning the forgiveness of sins for themselves or deceased relatives,” read a statement.
What is the Jubilee?
The Jubilee, also known as a Holy Year, is a year-long period of prayer and pilgrimage, as well as spiritual renewal.
The first mention of a Jubilee was in the Old Testament, which decreed it should be held every 50 years.
In 1470, Pope Paul II announced there should be a Holy Year every 25 years.
Since then, there have also been “extraordinary” Holy Years, including in 2015 when Pope Francis proclaimed the year as a Jubilee “Year of Mercy”.
According to the Vatican, a Jubilee “was intended to be marked as a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation.”
Opening ceremony
The 2025 Jubilee officially opened by Pope Francis in Rome on Christmas Eve last year.
It included the Opening of the Holy Door at St Peter’s Basilica by the Pope.
The Holy Door is only open during a Jubilee.
“The message imparted by the Holy Door is that God’s mercy reaches out to mankind’s frailty,” according to a St Peter’s Basilica statement.
Hope
At his first Jubilee Audience at the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on January 11, Pope Francis said the Jubilee was an invitation to “begin again” and encouraged people to find hope in their lives.
Hope, he said, is not “a habit or a character trait”, but a “strength to be asked for”.
“Let us start again from this originality of God, which shone in Jesus, and which now binds us to serve, to love fraternally, to acknowledge ourselves as small,” he said.
“Here is the new beginning, our Jubilee!”
Year of Celebration
As the Jubilee year progresses, events will continue to be organised and people are urged to visit Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) for information.
The events include:
Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth: the Sisters are celebrating the Jubilee while also celebrating their 150th anniversary.
Sisters of St Joseph: they are highlighting the pilgrimage aspect of Jubilee, with Mary of the Cross MacKillop as the focus and a series of six pilgrimages within Australia.
Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart: A celebration is planned for the Sisters. For more information visit CRA.
Italian pilgrimage
Pilgrimage is an important part of a Jubilee, with many choosing the Holy Year to visit the Vatican.
“The jubilee calls for us to set out on a journey and to cross boundaries,” according to the Vatican.
The Jubilee pilgrimage “begins before the start of the journey itself – the starting point is the decision to set out.”
CRA is also organising a pilgrimage for Australian women and men who wish to visit the Vatican during the Jubilee.
For more information visit here.
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
Feature image: Photo by Jacob Bentzinger on Unsplash