“May we who have taken refuge in him be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine
behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered”
Heb 6:18-20
Those words are a forceful encouragement for us never to lose the hope we have been given, to hold fast to that hope and to find in God our refuge and our strength.
Pope Francis
What is a Jubilee?
The term "Jubilee" refers to a specific year. Its an opportunity to restore a healthy relationship with God, each other, and creation.
Year of Grace
The Church gives the faithful the chance to receive a plenary indulgence during the Jubilee Year, which is a unique year of grace. It usually starts before Christmas and ends on the following year's Epiphany. The Jubilee will occur in accordance with the custom of a 25-year interval between them. As the world and the Catholic Church got ready to welcome the new millennium, the most recent ordinary jubilee was held in 2000.
The Jubilee logo and it's meaning
Hope, mercy, and fraternity are the main themes of the Holy Year, and this is represented in the symbolism of the logo image.
Four elegant and stylized figures in the colors red, orange, green, and blue—the rainbow's hues—are featured in the Holy Year logo. Just as the colors of sacred vestments are not chosen at random throughout the liturgical year, neither is the selection of colors. In addition to Christ's sacrifice and unending love for humanity, red also represents the fire of the Holy Spirit and His strength, which energize Christians. Orange is a color that symbolizes happiness, energy, and zeal—the light that illuminates the way of faith. Everyone agrees that green is the color of rebirth, growth, and hope. Last but not least, blue evokes the sky and spirituality, encouraging reflection and prayer, and represents faith, peace, and tranquility.
The 5 'hopes'
Pope Francis talks of the five hopes in the Jubilee Bull of Indiction, Spes Non Confundit:
a word of hope,
a journey of hope,
signs of hope
appeals for hope,
anchored in hope
A word of hope
“Since we are justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing in the glory of God… Hope does not disappoint, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”
Rom 5:1-2.5
A journey of hope
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Rom 12: 2
Blessed are those whose
strength is in you,
in whose heart are the
highways to Zion
Psalm 84: 5
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral
Signs of hope...
"a desire for peace in our world
enthusiasm for life and a readiness to share it
for those who experience hardships of any kind
shown to the sick, at home or in hospital
shown to those affected by illness or disabilities, that severely restrict their personal independence and freedom
for adolescents, students and young couples, the rising generation
for migrants
for exiles, displaced persons and refugees
for the elderly, who frequently feel lonely and abandoned
for grandparents, who represent the passing on of faith and wisdom to the younger generation
be granted to the billions of the poor, who often lack the essentials of life"
Pope Francis; Bull of Indiction, 2024
“The Lord has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”
Isaiah 61:1-2
Appeals for hope
that the wealthy show generosity and not turn their backs on those who are less fortunate
to waive the debt of nations that will never be able to pay them back
redress the commercial imbalance between the global North and South
act upon the negative impacts on the environment
take action upon the long-term, disproportionate use of natural resources of some countries
"let us commit ourselves to remedying the remote causes of injustice, settling unjust and unpayable debts, and feeding the hungry."
Pope Francis, Bull of Indiction
Anchored in hope
"The death and resurrection of Jesus is the heart of our faith and the basis of our hope. Saint Paul states this succinctly by the use of four verbs: “I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received, that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas and then to the twelve.”
1 Cor 15:3-5
"Patience, one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit, sustains our hope and strengthens it as a virtue and a way of life. May we learn to pray frequently for the grace of patience, which is both the daughter of hope and at the same time its firm foundation."
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
Quotes and prayer by Pope Francis,
unless otherwise stated.
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