Pilgrims of hope

In accordance with an ancient tradition, the Pope proclaims a Holy Year, a Jubilee, every twenty-five years. This special Holy Year that will begin on Christmas Eve this year and end at Epiphany in 2026, is, in essence, the Church offering a year of hope, especially for those living on the margins.

In the Old Testament the Jubilee was a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, to be marked every 50 years by the forgiveness of debts, the liberation of slaves or and prisoners, and the return of land and property to its rightful owners.

A sign of hope for refugees

It is highly relevant to us at JRS as refugees are some of the most marginalised people in our world today. Pope Francis names various groups of marginalised people in the official document setting up the Jubilee Year, the Bull of Indiction, regarding refugees, he says: 

“Signs of hope should also be present for migrants who leave their homelands behind in search of a better life for themselves and for their families. Their expectations must not be frustrated by prejudice and rejection. 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. 

May the Christian community always be prepared to defend the rights of those who are most vulnerable, opening wide its doors to welcome them, lest anyone ever be robbed of the hope of a better future. May the Lord’s words in the great parable of the Last Judgement always find an echo in our hearts: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” for “just as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did it to me” (Mt 25:35.40).” 

An opportunity to change direction

 The Jubilee offers us a special new year, a fresh start, an opportunity to change direction; it is a call for Christians to play our part, “to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind”. We must take to heart the need to  “bear credible and attractive witness to the faith and love that dwell in our hearts; that our faith may be joyful and our charity enthusiastic; and that each of us may be able to offer a smile, a small gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a good deed, in the knowledge that, in the Spirit of Jesus, these can become, for those who receive them, rich seeds of hope”.