On Christmas Eve, with the ritual opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter, Pope Francis began the Jubilee year. At this point in Church history, Jubilee years come once every 25 years. Although the timing of the Jubilee years has shifted over the years, the Church has been celebrating Jubilee years regularly since 1300. The roots of a Jubilee year can be found in many Scripture passages, as well as Jewish practices that arose from those. 

Originally, Jubilee years took place every 50 years, although this has changed in current Church practice: “And you shall count seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, so that the time of the seven weeks of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall send abroad the loud trumpet on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the day of atonement you shall send abroad the loud trumpet throughout all your land. And you shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants; it shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to his property and each of you shall return to his family.” (Leviticus 25, 8-10). Each Jubilee year was meant to be a time of rest, an idea that also stemmed from the very beginning when God rested after the work of creation: “A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be to you; in it you shall neither sow, not reap what grows of itself, nor gather the grapes from the undressed vines. For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you; you shall eat what it yields out of the field” (Leviticus 25, 11-12). Finally, each Jubilee year was a time of liberation: “And if your brother becomes poor beside you, and sells himself to you, you shall not make him serve as a slave: he shall be with you as a hired servant and as a sojourner. He shall serve with you until the year of the jubilee; then he shall go out from you, he and his children with him, and go back to his own family, and return to the possession of his fathers. For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves. You shall not rule over him with harshness, but shall fear your God” (Leviticus, 25, 39-43). In Biblical times, this applied to servants, but in current times the focus is on a deeper liberation: that of being freed from sin. 

The Vatican website for the 2025 Jubilee year describes Jubilee years in this way: “It was intended to be marked as a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation, and involved the forgiveness of debts, the return of misappropriated land, and a fallow period for the fields. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, the Gospel of Luke describes Jesus’ mission in this way: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord,” (Luke 4:18-19; cf. Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus lives out these words in his daily life, in his encounters with others and in his relationships, all of which bring about liberation and conversion.” Jubilee years are a great gift from the Lord to His Church; giving us a time to more deeply refocus on our intimacy with Him, particularly through our trust in His mercy towards us as we confess our sins and recommit ourselves to following Him. 

The Vatican gives various different aspects of the Jubilee Year, starting with pilgrimage, which is linked to this year’s theme of “Pilgrims of Hope.” The Jubilee website states that “Pilgrimage is an experience of conversion, of transforming one's very being to conform it to the holiness of God.” The Holy Door is another important aspect of the Jubilee year, stemming from Christ’s words in the Gospel of John: “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” It is the “ultimate aim” of each pilgrim to pass through this Holy Door. Historically, physical liberation from servitude was a key point of the Jubilee years, now this has shifted to freedom from our sins through reconciliation. Another aspect, a commitment to prayer, whether new or renewed, keeps our focus on God as we “trod the path,” particularly after we have been freed from our sins. As the year begins with a ritualistic liturgy, the Church’s liturgies are another important aspect of a Jubilee year: “Within a solemn choral liturgy, the Pope pushes open the door from the outside, passing through it as the first pilgrim. This and the other liturgical expressions that accompany the Holy Year emphasize that the Jubilee pilgrimage is not merely an intimate, personal gesture, but is a sign of the journey of the whole people of God toward the Kingdom.” Just as the liturgical aspect of the Jubilee year emphasizes the communal nature of our Church, so does the profession of faith. The Catechism tells us this about professing our Faith through the Creed: “To say the Creed with faith is to enter into communion with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and also with the whole Church which transmits the faith to us and in whose midst, we believe” (CCC 197). The final aspect reminds us that participation in the Jubilee year grants a plenary indulgence, under the proper conditions. 

Although the theme of this Jubilee year is “Pilgrims of Hope,” there are ways for faithful Catholics to participate from around the world. Although a pilgrimage to the holy sites in Rome is the most obvious way to make a pilgrimage, Catholics can visit their local cathedral or other designated pilgrimage sites, including the National Basilica. Even those who can’t physically participate in a Jubilee pilgrimage can participate spiritually, offering up sufferings and uniting themselves in the Eucharist.

Let us take full advantage of the mercy and graces offered to us in this Jubilee year!

Further resources: 

Papal Bull that announced the 2025 Jubilee year: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/bulls/documents/20240509_spes-non-confundit_bolla-giubileo2025.html 

A book from Dr. Bergsma for further reading: https://stpaulcenter.com/product/jesus-and-the-jubilee-the-biblical-roots-of-the-year-of-gods-favor/?srsltid=AfmBOoq-RSPe4ynqGwRhrlCI2dqJjkIdRMPlqRCnBrRXlZyGy-Nu9eXL 

References:

“The Jubilee In The Bible,” https://www.vatican.va/jubilee_2000/magazine/documents/ju_mag_01051997_p-78_en.html

“OSV Editors: How to participate in the Jubilee Year,” https://www.osvnews.com/2024/12/24/osv-editors-how-to-participate-in-the-jubilee-year/

“Jubilee 2025,”  https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html