Embracing Grace and Transformation in the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope

The 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope is poised to be a significant event for Catholics worldwide. Occurring only every 25 years, a jubilee offers a unique opportunity for personal and community conversion, a time for profound spiritual growth and renewed faith.

Highlights

By Abigail James
1/2/2025 (2 days ago)

Published in Living Faith

Keywords: Jubilee, Year of Hope

With the jubilee now underway, many faithful may have questions: What can the jubilee contribute to my life of faith? What is a Holy Door? How can I participate in the jubilee if I can't go on pilgrimage to Rome? The answers to these questions will help Catholics understand how to make the most of this exceptional time of grace.

The Importance of the Jubilee

Why is the jubilee such an important event? The answer is simple: it provides an extraordinary opportunity to attain salvation and experience God's transformative holiness. It is ultimately a gift that helps Catholics draw closer to heaven.

Father Giuseppe Bonomo, an Italian priest at the Atri Cathedral in Teramo, Italy, emphasized the significance of the jubilee, saying it is a "unique time for personal and community conversion" and a moment to "experience God's holiness." He also explained that the jubilee year makes available the "treasury" of the Church, including plenary indulgences, which restore the soul to the state of baptism, offering forgiveness of sins and the remission of all temporal punishment in purgatory.

This year, Catholics will have the opportunity to receive a plenary indulgence multiple times. According to the Vatican, "during the jubilee year, a second plenary indulgence can be obtained if it is done for the souls in purgatory"--an exceptional grace that allows the faithful to aid those in purgatory while simultaneously receiving the gift of forgiveness for themselves.

How to Obtain the Jubilee Indulgence

To receive the jubilee indulgence, Catholics must meet several conditions. The faithful must be "truly repentant and free from any affection for sin, moved by a spirit of charity, and have undergone the sacrament of penance." Additionally, they must pray for the intentions of the pope, receive Holy Communion, and, of course, be in a state of grace.

In 2025, the Vatican has designated numerous holy places where pilgrims can obtain the indulgence. While Rome is the central hub, with major celebrations taking place at its basilicas, Catholics who cannot travel there can still participate in the jubilee. "You must ask your bishop how many churches there are in your diocese with these qualifications," Father Bonomo advised. Catholics can also visit Marian shrines, other basilicas, or perform works of mercy such as visiting the sick, prisoners, or the elderly.

The Holy Door: A Symbol of Conversion

One of the most iconic symbols of the jubilee is the Holy Door. The Holy Door, a sacred entryway, represents a passage into a new life in Christ. On December 24, 2024, Pope Francis inaugurated the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica. Passing through a Holy Door symbolizes the beginning of a journey of conversion.

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Father Bonomo noted that Holy Doors are either permanent or nonpermanent. Permanent Holy Doors are located in a few major basilicas, such as St. Peter's Basilica, St. John Lateran, and St. Paul Outside the Walls in Rome, as well as in locations like the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and the Sacred Heart Cathedral in New Delhi, India. These doors are open year-round. However, nonpermanent Holy Doors are opened only during specific jubilee years. Notably, Pope Francis opened a Holy Door at the Rebibbia prison in Rome for the 2025 Jubilee, underscoring the universal call to conversion and reconciliation.

Participating in the Jubilee Without Going to Rome

The 2025 Jubilee Year offers ample ways for the faithful to participate in its graces without traveling to Rome. Father Bonomo shared that "there are many jubilee churches" around the world, allowing Catholics to obtain the plenary indulgence in their own communities. Those who are unable to make a pilgrimage due to "serious reasons" can also receive the indulgence by praying, offering up their sufferings, or participating in works of charity that reflect the goals of the jubilee year.

As the year unfolds, the Vatican will celebrate several jubilees dedicated to different groups. In January, for instance, the Jubilee of the World of Communications will take place, followed by the Jubilee of Artists in February and the Jubilee of Teenagers in April. This rolling schedule of events offers even more opportunities for spiritual growth and conversion.

A Time of Grace for All

As the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope begins, Catholics worldwide are invited to embrace this unique opportunity for transformation and renewal. Whether through pilgrimage, prayer, or acts of mercy, the jubilee is a time to deepen one's faith and experience God's boundless love and mercy.