Jubilee 2025

The jubilee calls us to embark on a journey that crosses boundaries. Traveling changes us as well as our location, so preparing, planning the route, and learning about the destination is essential. The Jubilee pilgrimage begins with the decision to set out. The word “pilgrimage,” derived from Latin “per ager” (across the fields) or “per eger” (border crossing), highlights the essence of undertaking a journey.

In the Bible, Abraham is portrayed as a traveler: “Go forth from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house” (Genesis 12:1). Thus begins his journey to the Promised Land, where he is known as a “wandering Aramean” (Deuteronomy 26:5). Similarly, Jesus’ ministry is a journey from Galilee to Jerusalem: “As the time drew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven, he set out for Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). Christ calls His disciples to walk this path, as Christians today continue to follow Him.

The journey unfolds gradually, offering various routes and places to explore, shaped by unique circumstances and moments of catechesis, sacred rites, and liturgies. Our companions enrich our understanding and perspectives. Contemplating creation reveals that caring for it is vital to our faith and obedience to God (Pope Francis, Letter for the Jubilee 2025). Pilgrimage embodies conversion, transforming us to align with God's holiness. It also connects us to those who must leave their homelands in search of a better life.

A Jubilee year signifies reconciliation by creating a “favorable time” (cf. 2 Corinthians 6:2) for conversion. We are encouraged to center our lives on God, recognizing His primacy. The Biblical call for social justice and respect for the earth arises from the truth that God, as the creator, deserves priority over all interests. He makes this year holy by sharing His holiness with us.

In the 2015 Bull proclaiming the Extraordinary Holy Year, Pope Francis stated, “Mercy is not opposed to justice but expresses God’s way of reaching the sinner, offering a chance to convert and believe. God’s justice is his mercy, a grace flowing from Jesus Christ's death and resurrection. The Cross of Christ is God’s judgment, offering us certainty of love and new life” (Misericordiae Vultus, 21).

Reconciliation involves receiving the sacrament, rediscovering the value of confession, and experiencing God's forgiveness. Some Jubilee churches stay open continuously for this sacrament, and you can prepare by following a guide.

The liturgy is the Church's public prayer, described by the Second Vatican Council as the “summit” of Church activity and its source of power (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 10). At its heart is the Mass, the Eucharistic celebration, where the Body and Blood of Christ are received. Christ walks with the disciples, revealing the Father’s mysteries, prompting them to say, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening” (Luke 24:29).

A rite specific to the Jubilee year is the opening of the Holy Door. Until last century, the Pope would symbolically initiate the demolition of the wall sealing the door on non-Jubilee years, which masons would then fully remove. Since 1950, the ceremony has changed; now, the wall is dismantled beforehand, and during a solemn liturgy, the Pope opens the door as the first pilgrim. This and other liturgical expressions highlight that the Jubilee pilgrimage signifies the communal journey of God's people toward the Kingdom.

Prayer has many forms, but fundamentally, it reflects a desire to connect with God's presence and love. The Spirit of the Son calls Christians to prayer, guiding each person back to the Father. Jesus entrusted His disciples with the Lord's Prayer, as explained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (cf. CCC 2759-2865).

The Christian tradition provides texts like the Hail Mary to help address God: “By a living transmission—Tradition—the Holy Spirit in the Church teaches the children of God to pray” (CCC 2661). Prayer opportunities show that the pilgrim holds the path to God “in his heart” (Psalm 83:6). Refreshment comes from stops at shrines and places of spiritual significance, where we recognize that other pilgrims have traveled the same roads. Indeed, many saints have trodden the paths to Rome.

The profession of faith, or 'Symbol,' signifies the identity of the baptized person. It succinctly expresses the core truths of the faith that a believer accepts, witnesses to at baptism, and shares with the Christian community throughout life.

There are various professions of faith reflecting the richness of encountering Jesus Christ. However, two have gained special recognition in the Church: the baptismal creed of Rome and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed, formulated in 325 at the Council of Nicaea and refined in 381 at the Council of Constantinople.

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved,” (Romans 10:9-10). This passage emphasizes that proclaiming faith requires deep conversion in our understanding of God, ourselves, and the world. “To say the Creed with faith is to enter into communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as well as with the Church that transmits the faith to us” (CCC 197).

The Jubilee Indulgence embodies God's mercy, transcending human justice. This grace, witnessed through Jesus and the saints, strengthens our hope for forgiveness. It liberates us from sin's burden, as reparations are granted freely. To experience God’s mercy, the Pope recommends certain spiritual acts. Those unable to undertake the Jubilee pilgrimage due to illness can still join in the spiritual journey by offering their daily sufferings and participating in the Eucharistic celebration.