By Father Anthony Dao
Throughout the decree Spes Non Confundit, Pope Francis gave some of the outstanding purposes of the Holy Year 2025 as follows:
-The first sign of hope that must be realized is peace, because those who “make peace” will be “called children of God” (Mt 5: 9).
- As sign of hope, all of us, however, need to recover the joy of living, since all of us are created in the image and likeness of God. Giving birth is a clear sign of the joy of living.
- In this Jubilee Year, we are called to be visible signs of hope for our brothers and sisters who are living in dire circumstances. Let us think of prisoners deprived of their freedom.
- We must also bring signs of hope to the sick, whether at home or in hospital. We must alleviate their suffering by visiting them with love and closeness.
- Those who are the embodiment of hope also need signs of hope: young people.
- We need to bring signs of hope to the migrants who have to leave their homeland in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
- Signs of hope are also deserved for the elderly, who often experience loneliness and feelings of abandonment. Among them the grandparents need to receive more recognition and appreciation.
- A special attention is needed to the billions of poor people who have hope
- Instead of spending money on weapons and military expenditures, establish a global fund that help the people who are hungry, lack of water and the impoverished countries.
- The upcoming Jubilee Year has a very important anniversary for Christians. It is the 1700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council, the Council of Nicea.
- In fact, indulgences help us to discover how infinite God’s mercy is. It is no coincidence that in ancient times the terms “mercy” and “indulgence” were used interchangeably, precisely because the latter term was intended to express God’s total forgiveness, a forgiveness without limits.
To achieve hope and peace in the Holy Year, the Pope emphasized: “The Sacrament of Reconciliation assures us that God forgives our sins”. He quoted psalm 103: “The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy… He does not treat us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our faults. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so strong is his love for those who fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our sins”
That compassion of God is seen in the sacrament of Reconciliation, in that we reconcile with God, with our brothers and sisters. God erases our sins, heals our broken hearts, embraces us in His love and reveals to us His tender and compassionate countenance.
The Pope wished that in the year of hope we will receive the mercy of God. All sins should be forgiven. He mentioned the priests, delegated by him during the last Extraordinary Holy Year, to bring God’s forgiveness to all. These priests come to people everywhere with a special mission: the mission of mercy and of hope. “For the last Extraordinary Jubilee, I commissioned Missionaries of Mercy and these continue to carry out an important mission.
During the coming Jubilee, may they exercise their ministry by reviving hope and offering forgiveness whenever a sinner comes to them with an open heart and a penitent spirit. May they remain a source of reconciliation and an encouragement to look to the future with heartfelt hope inspired by the Father’s mercy.
I encourage bishops to take advantage of their precious ministry, especially by sending them wherever hope is sorely tested: to prisons, hospitals, and places where people’s dignity is violated, poverty abounds and social decay is prevalent. In this Jubilee Year, may no one be deprived of the opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness and consolation”
He earnestly reminded everyone that, although forgiveness does not change the past nor fix what happened, it allows us to change the future and live differently without resentment, without anger and without revenge. The future, enlightened by forgiveness, will allow us to read the past with different eyes, more peaceful, even if our eyes are still filled with tears.
- The most visible witness of hope is Mary, the Mother of God. Mary is also our mother. While we can pray to her asking for love and companionship, pilgrims to Rome should come to pray at the Marian shrines in the city, to venerate the Virgin Mary and to ask for her protection. Be assured that all, especially those who suffer and are troubled, will experience the closeness of Mary, the most tender of mothers. She never abandons her children, she is “a sign of sure hope and consolation” for the holy People of God.
- On our journey towards the Jubilee, let us return to the Scriptures and listen to the words that are spoken to us
It should be noted that Pope Francis is very concerned with social justice. He is a pope who tries to reach out to those who are forgotten or abandoned by society. His efforts often create misunderstandings and cause controversy in the Church. However, through the message of the Holy Year, all of his dreams are also the dreams of all of us. Hope is not just a dream. It needs to be realized in a concrete way and the pope, through the decree “Spes Non Confundit” tried to offer concrete ways.
The Holy Year is a great religious process in the Catholic Church. It is a year of forgiveness of our sins. It is a year of reconciliation between enemies, between the people who have different philosophies of living. It is a year of self-conversion. It is a year of living solidarity, hope and justice. It is a year of living the commitment to serve God with joy and in peace with our brothers and sisters. It is a year of living in the Hope of Peace. The Holy Year is a special year, and the Holy Year 2025 is different from other Holy Years and ordinary years.
We need the Holy Year at this moment.
Father Anthony Dao is a retired Diocesan Priest and former Vicar Forane.