Where were you when the calendar flipped and launched us into the 21st century? I remember that evening well. We had a Y2K party at my grandma’s house and even had costume glasses in the shape of 2000 to boot. We toasted our fake wine and celebrated the night with family.
I also vividly remember the fear leading up to it. Would our computers all crash? Would we be launched into a major recession?
What my adolescent brain doesn’t remember is that the year 2000 was a year of celebration! Pope John Paul II proclaimed the year 2000 to be the Great Jubilee. In the papal bull of indiction, Mystery of the Incarnation, he stated that he had a desire to lead the Church into this Great Jubilee since the very beginning of his pontificate. He explained that this was a chance to open new horizons in preaching the Kingdom of God.
The Jubilee year began with the opening of the holy door of St. Peter’s Basiclia, followed by three other patriarchal Basilica doors. Most of the time, these holy doors are cemented shut, but during a Jubilee year, they are ceremoniously opened, symbolizing the opening of the doors of grace.
As Catholics, we celebrate a Jubilee Year every 25 years! If you did your math correctly, that means that we have just begun another Jubilee!
The Jubilee Year originates from the Law of Moses, which prescribed a Jubilee every 50 years during which slaves and prisoners were freed and debts were forgiven. This celebration was a reminder of God’s mercy and providence.
In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII convoked a holy year, and since then, there have been Jubilees celebrated every 25 or 50 years and occasionally extraordinary jubilees, such as the one we enjoyed in 2015.
On May 9, 2024, Pope Francis gave the Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025, Spes Non Confundit, “Hope does not disappoint.” This beautiful document will be our roadmap for this year of Jubilee!
I find the theme of hope to be a rich balm, soothing to my soul, and an oasis from the hostile world around me. There is so much despair around us, so Pope Francis’ message of hope is especially timely.
Stick around for the next few weeks as we unpack Spes Non Confundit and discover how we can bring the light of hope to the darkness in our world today.
I encourage you to invite the Holy Spirit to read the Papal Bull with you in the next few weeks. It’s a long document, so it may take a few sessions to read. I printed it off and brought it with me to my Holy Hour!
I pray the words from our Holy Father will inspire you with a renewed sense of hope during this Jubilee of Hope 2025.
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Leah
