Enter The Door of Hope
And the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica has been opened, kicking off the “Jubilee Year of Hope,” opening wide the doors to Christ! No, this is not a perverse, Hollywood movie called Conclave, it is a beautiful tradition for Christians to encounter the living God in a powerful way.
Following a tradition that has biblical origins, the first Jubilee in the Catholic Church was proclaimed in the year 1300 by Pope Boniface VIII, and since then, a Jubilee Year has been held every 25 years. Though this tradition has its roots in the Catholic Church, the Jubilee year has a message for all Christians, and the whole world for that matter, and this year, the message is Hope. As Pope Francis reminds us through the words of St. Paul, “Christian hope does not deceive or disappoint because it is grounded in the certainty that nothing and no one may ever separate us from God’s love.”
30 million people--we can call them pilgrims--will travel to Rome this year to enter the Holy Doors of the five major Roman Basilicas. The Holy Door symbolizes a path to salvation and a time of special grace from God. It represents the passage from sin to grace and the removal of obstacles to entering God’s presence. For those not able to go to Rome this year, there are holy doors designated in all local communities throughout the world to provide all people this experience of a pilgrim seeking conversion, seeking increased faith, and seeking the hope of eternal life.
Making a pilgrimage to one of the local churches, whether on foot or by car, and walking through a door with an intention on one’s heart, can be a powerful encounter with the living God. Jesus reminds us, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.” (John 10:9) A few of the designated Holy Doors in churches nearby Fayette County are Santa Cruz Catholic Church in Buda, The Cathedral of Our Lady of Victoria in Victoria, St. Mary’s Cathedral in Austin, or St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station.
Ultimately, in this jubilee year, we are reminded that we are all pilgrims, pilgrims on this earth and on a journey home. And more simply put, hope is the longing for that heavenly home. Pope Francis reminds believers that “the Christian life is a journey, calling for moments of greater intensity to encourage and sustain hope as the constant companion that guides our steps toward the goal of our encounter with the Lord Jesus.”
And so as a fellow pilgrim and in connection with Christians pilgrims around the world, I encourage all believers to be pilgrims of hope this year. As Pope Francis reminds us, “Dear brothers and sisters, in this year of prayer, as we prepare for the celebration of the Jubilee, let us lift up our hearts to Christ, and become singers of hope in a world marked by too much despair. By our actions, our words, the decisions we make each day, our patient efforts to sow seeds of beauty and kindness wherever we find ourselves, we want to sing of hope, so that its melody can touch the heartstrings of humanity and reawaken in every heart the joy and the courage to embrace life to the full.”