The photo above was taken at the opening of this Jubilee Year at our Cathedral parish. It’s hard to believe the Jubilee Year is coming to a close here in our diocese. The next time the doors open for a Jubilee Year, my sons will be young adults in the world!

The year started with the papal bull Spes non confudit. Here is a photo of the start of the Holy Year on Christmas Eve 2024.

The Jubilee year comes to a close. It is a time to reflect on hope and how we have lived it out and will continue to live it out.

The closing of the Holy Doors in Rome marks the end of this special intentional time. This event invites us to look to Christ who is the door and who is always open (John 10:9; Revelation 3:20). We are to be bearers of hope to our neighbors. This is the call of the jubilee and the call to be lived out in the next 25 years until the next Jubilee.

Pope Francis called us to be tangible signs of hope during this Jubilee Year.

Pope Francis called us to be hope for prisoners.

Francis felt strongly about being hope for prisoners. He wanted those confined to prison to remember their dignity and to have the opportunity to be reintegrated into society and have respect for the law.

Pope Francis called us to be hope for sick.

Francis reminded us that we are part of one chorus in caring for the sick. We need the professional assistance from nurses and doctors. At the same time, the sick need the compassion and love of people in their family and the community.

Francis called us to be hope for the young.

Our future depends on the enthusiasm of the young. In one sense, it is amazing to see them participate in service. Yet, there are many youth who are also discouraged because of unemployment. As a Church, it is important for us to journey with the youth, allow them to ask their questions, and accompany them as they journey in faith.

Francis called us to be hope for migrants. Francis called us to have a spirit of welcome:

A spirit of welcome, which embraces everyone with respect for his or her dignity, should be accompanied by a sense of responsibility, lest anyone be denied the right to a dignified existence. Exiles, displaced persons and refugees, whom international tensions force to emigrate in order to avoid war, violence and discrimination, ought to be guaranteed security and access to employment and education, the means they need to find their place in a new social context (13).

Christians have a responsibility to defend the migrants lest everyone is robbed of a better future.

Francis called us to be hope for the elderly.

Christians are responsible to strengthen the bonds of generations. In a particular way, we should share hope with our grandparents who helped pass down customs, culture, and family values. We appreciate them for the wisdom they share with us.

One more thought on hope. Hope is rooted in Jesus. Archbishop Gregory J. Hartmayer said:

Hope is not naive optimism. Rather, it is the depth of conviction that God’s mercy is stronger than any sin, that reconciliation is possible even when it seems impossible. Our hope rests not on our goodness or success, but in the extravagant mercy of God. It’s not about us; it’s about God working through us.

Let us be bearers of Christian hope!

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