(This article originally appeared in the TAU-USA Winter 2025  Issue #114)

            The 2025 Jubilee: “Pilgrims of Hope”

by Bret Thoman, OFS

A Jubilee is an occasion in which Catholics can seek grace and holiness in a particular way. The name derives from the instrument used to mark its launch—the yobel, or ram’s horn—and proclaim the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) by the ancient Jewish people. Today, Jews celebrate the feast every year, though in the Bible, a Jubilee was to be observed every 50 years. (See Leviticus 25:8-13.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus makes clear his own mission to bring “Jubilee.” In the synagogue at Nazareth, he reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming a year of the Lord’s favor. (See Luke 4:18-19; 21.)

Thus, a Jubilee is seen as an occasion to make reparation for sin and to renew one’s commitment to conversion of life. It is an invitation to return to a right relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation.

Jubilees in Rome began in 1300 A.D. when Pope Boniface VIII called for the first Holy Year, granting a plenary indulgence to all pilgrims who visited the Roman basilicas. He intended future Jubilees to be observed every century, though the frequency has changed over time. Today, Jubilees take place every 25 years, though extraordinary Jubilees can be observed during the intervals.

The title of Pope Francis’ Bull of Indiction (published to launch the Jubilee year) is Spes non Confundit (“Hope does not disappoint”), a quote from Romans 5:5.

As Paul was encouraging the Christian community of Rome, Pope Francis is inviting the faithful to come to Rome to experience a “personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, the ‘door’ (cf. Jn 10:7.9) of our salvation, whom the Church is charged to proclaim always, everywhere and to all as ‘our hope’ (1 Tim 1:1) … May the Jubilee be an opportunity to be renewed in hope. … Let us return to the message that the Apostle Paul wished to communicate to the Christians of Rome.” (1) “The coming Jubilee will thus be a Holy Year marked by the hope that does not fade, our hope in God. May it help us to recover the confident trust that we require.” (25)

Quotes about Hope by Franciscans

“The saints are like the stars, who, in His providence, Christ hides in a different place in the sky to guide the travelers of all times. Let us fix our eyes on the light of these stars, so that we may not be swamped by the waves of pride or fear but may keep safe and confident in the harbor of hope.” St. Anthony of Padua

“Do not despair, for the mercy of God is infinite. Trust in His goodness, and with the help of His grace, rise again from your fall. Hope in the Lord, for He does not abandon those who seek Him.” St. Bernardine of Siena

“Hope is that virtue by which we firmly trust that God, who is all-powerful and all-merciful, will bring us to eternal happiness and provide the necessary means to attain it.” Bl. Duns Scotus

“Hope is the confident expectation of the divine assistance by which we trust that, through the merits of Christ and the mercy of God, we shall attain eternal happiness and the means to obtain it.” St. Bonaventure

“Go forward securely, joyfully, and swiftly, on the path of prudent happiness, believing nothing, agreeing with nothing, which would dissuade you from this resolution or place a stumbling block for you on the way.” St. Clare

“Most High, Glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our minds. Give us a right faith, a firm hope, and a perfect charity, so that we may always and in all things act according to Your Holy Will.” St. Francis