Catholic Social Tips
As we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent and of the liturgical year, the church prepares to commemorate the 2025th anniversary of the incarnation of our Lord.
Pope Francis calls us to be “pilgrims of hope.” Our Holy Father says, “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision. The forthcoming Jubilee can contribute greatly to restoring a climate of hope and trust as a prelude to the renewal and rebirth that we so urgently desire…”
Jubilee 2025, a global celebration, will officially begin on Dec. 24, when the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome is opened. For pilgrims who cannot travel to Rome, bishops worldwide are expected to designate special places of prayer for Holy Year pilgrims, offering significant opportunities for reconciliation, indulgences and other events to strengthen and revive faith.
Each month in 2025 will center on different groups, ranging from artists to deacons to persons with disabilities. Members of those groups will be invited to the Vatican to celebrate Masses, beginning in January with a celebration of the World of Communication.
For more information on the jubilee year, visit the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website at www.usccb.org/committees/jubilee-2025.
There is also an official app you can download: “iubilaeum2025.” This excellent tool will allow you to design a local pilgrimage for yourself, your parish, your school or candidates for full initiation in the faith in 2025. Visit the Vatican website, www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html, to learn more about the celebration, including a hymn written to be sung at Mass throughout the year ahead.
Our world needs hope. Be a pilgrim who prays for this virtue.
Below is the official Jubilee 2025 prayer penned by Pope Francis that all of us can pray for hope:
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.
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Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic social media consultant based in Southern California.