The Holy Year for 2025, the Jubilee Year of Hope, will officially begin on Christmas Eve 24th December. In the document announcing the Holy Year (SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5), after explaining what the Holy Year was about and when it begins and ends, Pope Francis speaks about the ‘Signs of Hope’. In n.7 he says: “In addition to finding hope in God’s grace, we are also called to discover hope in the signs ofthe times that the Lord gives us. As the Second Vatican Council observed: ‘In every age, the Church has the responsibility of reading the signs of the times and interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. In this way, in language adapted to every generation, she can respond to people’s persistent questions about the meaning of this present life and of the life to come, and how one is related to the other.’ (Quote from Gaudium et Spes (Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World) n.4) We need to recognize the immense goodness present in our world, lest we be tempted to think ourselves overwhelmed by evil and violence. The signs of the times, which include the yearning of human hearts in need of God’s saving presence, ought to become signs of hope.” Pope Francis then goes on to speak of eight different areas of life in the light of hope and ‘ we will look at those as we journey along the ‘pilgrimage of hope’ that is the Holy Year. Can we become a hopeful people? In the midst of the challenges of the world that go against the hopeful nature of faith, let’s ask the Spirit to strengthen us in those moments.
Roman Catholic Diocese of Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland.
