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What Is the Jubilee Year & How Can We Celebrate It? Latest

What Is the Jubilee Year & How Can We Celebrate It?

Jan 28, 2025 by

The year 2025 marks a significant event in the Church known as the Jubilee Year, a special period of grace, renewal, and pilgrimage for Catholics.

Established by Pope Boniface VIII in the year 1300, the tradition of the Jubilee, or Holy Year, provides believers with a unique opportunity to seek spiritual renewal, reconciliation, and indulgences, while celebrating our faith together as a universal Church.

Rich & Ancient History 

Rooted in biblical tradition, the Jubilee Year takes its inspiration from the Old Testament book of Leviticus, where it was a time of liberation, forgiveness, and restoration.

God instructed Moses that every 50th year was to be set aside by the Israelites for the return of absent members to their households, release of Hebrew slaves, return of land to its rightful owners, and the forgiveness of debts.

And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.  - Leviticus 25:10

The word "jubilee" comes from the Hebrew word "yobel," the ram's horn used by the Israelites to announce the Jubilee God commanded of Moses. 

First celebrated every 100 years in our Catholic faith, it was eventually celebrated every 50 years, and in the year 1470, we began celebrating a Jubilee Year every 25 years.

The Holy Father can also declare an extraordinary Jubilee Year outside of the 25 year pattern, as Pope Francis did for the Year of Mercy in 2015.

The Holy Year emphasizes themes of mercy, forgiveness of sins, and spiritual renewal for the entire Catholic Church.

The theme for 2025, as announced by Pope Francis, is "Pilgrims of Hope," emphasizing a call for renewed hope, unity, and faith in an increasingly divided world in need of healing and renewal.

Tradition of the Holy Door

The Vatican expects millions of pilgrims to journey to Rome to participate in the year of celebration. Pilgrims are encouraged to visit the four major basilicas there—St. Peter’s, St. John Lateran, St. Paul Outside the Walls, and St. Mary Major—where they can pass through the Holy Doors, opened by the Pope during Jubilee Years. 

In Catholic tradition, the Holy Door represents the passage to salvation—the path to a new and eternal life, which was opened to humanity by Jesus Christ.

These doors in each major Basilica are bricked shut at the end of the Holy Year, to be opened only during the next Jubilee Year by the Pope in a beautiful ceremony. 

Because the doors are not routinely used, walking through them is a special occasion for a pilgrim, and the Church grants a plenary indulgence for those who pass through during the Jubilee Year.

 The Holy Door at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome 

You can also obtain indulgences when you participate in other designated Jubilee activities. Most of us cannot travel to Rome, but we can still celebrate the Jubilee locally, in communion with the rest of the Church. There will be many meaningful celebrations during the Holy Year in each diocese. 

How to Celebrate 

  1. Make a Pilgrimage
    • Local dioceses will offer opportunities for pilgrimages to cathedrals and shrines.
    • The faithful are invited to visit Rome or other designated pilgrimage sites around the world to walk through Holy Doors and receive special indulgences.
  2. Engage in Acts of Mercy
    • Follow the Jubilee tradition by engaging in corporal and spiritual works of mercy, such as feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, and offering comfort to those in need.
    • Take the opportunity to offer mercy, forgiveness, and reconciliation to those who have wronged you, and extend yourself by asking forgiveness of those whom you have wronged. 
  3. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation
    • A key element of the Jubilee Year is receiving God's mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and the commitment to a renewed spiritual life. If you are not in the habit of regular Confession, make that a goal for your Jubilee Year.
  4. Participate in Special Liturgies
    • Many parishes will hold special Masses, prayer services, and Eucharistic celebrations to mark the occasion.
    • There will be diocesan celebrations and programs offered throughout the course of the year. Check your parish bulletin or website or your diocesan website for those events.
  5. Deepen Your Faith
    • Commemorate the year by engaging in deeper prayer, Scripture reading, and studying Church teachings to strengthen your relationship with God and our Catholic faith.
  6. Spread Hope and Unity
    • The theme "Pilgrims of Hope" encourages everyone to foster unity and reconciliation in their communities, promoting kindness and understanding in everyday interactions. We live in a very divisive world. Make it your goal to be a source of unity and not division.

The Fruits of the Jubilee

The Jubilee Year is an invitation to embark on a spiritual journey. That journey can entail a physical aspect, like a pilgrimage, but more importantly, it is a call to an interior renewal of the heart. It is a time to reflect, seek God’s mercy, and renew our commitment to faith, hope, and love.

Whether you travel to Rome or celebrate from home, the Jubilee provides a unique opportunity to deepen your spiritual life and embrace God’s abundant grace as a Pilgrim of Hope in the world. 

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