26 Nov 2024

Jubilee pilgrimage of hope

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The Southern Cross | November 2024

The 2025 Jubilee Year will officially open on December 24 at 7pm with a Mass presided over by Pope Francis in St Peter’s Square, followed by the rite of the Opening of the Holy Door.

The Holy Father devoted his message for World Youth Day, which will be celebrated in dioceses around the world on November 24, on the Jubilee and the theme of ‘Hope that does not disappoint’.

“Last year we began travelling along the path of hope towards the Great Jubilee by reflecting on St Paul’s expression ‘Rejoicing in hope’ (Rom 12:12). To prepare for the Jubilee pilgrimage of 2025, this year we are drawing inspiration from the prophet Isaiah, who says: ‘Those who hope in the Lord […] walk and do not grow weary’ (Is 40:31),” Pope Francis said in his message published on September 17.

“Today, we too live in times marked by dramatic situations that generate despair and prevent us from looking to the future with serenity: the tragedy of war, social injustices, inequalities, hunger and the exploitation of human beings and the natural environment.”

Each person’s life is a “pilgrimage”, Pope Francis continued. “A journey that pushes us beyond ourselves, a journey in search of happiness. The Christian life in particular is a pilgrimage towards God, our salvation, and the fullness of all that is good.”

But he said the journey also includes tiredness, fatigue, and sometimes the boredom that comes with repetitiveness.

When faced with the risk of apathy, or the tiredness of the ‘spiritual desert’, the Pope suggested an antidote to young people.

“The solution to tiredness, oddly enough, is not to stand still and rest. It is to set out and become pilgrims of hope.

“This is my invitation to you: walk in hope! Hope overcomes all weariness, every crisis, and every worry. It gives us a powerful incentive to press forward, for it is a gift received from God himself. The Lord fills our life with meaning, sheds light on our path and shows us its ultimate direction and goal.”

The Pope’s invitation was to set out towards the Jubilee “not as mere tourists, but as pilgrims” who “immerse themselves fully in the places they encounter, listen to the message they communicate, and make them a part of their quest for happiness and fulfilment”.

“The Jubilee pilgrimage is meant to be the outward sign of an inward journey that all of us are called to make towards our final destination.”

For more information on the Jubliee visit iubilaeum2025.va/en.html

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