Dear Pilgrims of Hope, at the close of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000, St John Paul II invited all the faithful to remember the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm, and to look forward to the future with confidence. This sentiment can be summarised by the key word of the present Jubilee – hope.
Living the present with enthusiasm: The first month of the Jubilee Year in Rome
and in the local churches has certainly reignited a sense of hope. Hope is
alive in the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all walks of life who have
been descending upon the Eternal City to pass through the Holy Door. Pilgrims
of hope never journey alone. Hope is therefore alive in the Christian communities
around the world singing the same Jubilee Hymn in their local languages. Between
the two Jubilees of the Third Millenium, these are concrete responses to the
invitation to live hope together.
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| Inauguration of the Jubilee Year in the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, South Africa (Lisa Faith Fotography) |
Those following the Jubilee events in Rome via social media would have discovered that a special Jubilee Audience with the Pope takes place every Saturday, in addition to the weekly Wednesday General Audience. This gives pilgrims an opportunity to reflect together with the Holy Father on the theme of hope. The first major event of the Jubilee took place last weekend, around the Sunday of the Word of God, for all those involved in Communication, an invitation to live and communicate hope even in the digital world.
Remembering the past with gratitude: This event coincided with the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (18-25 January). During this annual event, the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea was recalled which took place in the year 325 and which approved the Creed. Later this year, the Church will also recall the anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). Nicaea was concerned with the content of the one true faith, in the one Lord of all, based on the one baptism (cf. Eph 4:5-6). Vatican II was concerned with living this faith in the modern world as the pilgrim people of God.
Looking forward to the future with confidence: Perhaps what both of these monumental councils have in common is the theme of unity among Christians, especially the churches of the West and the East. Without going into the history of the rifts in the unity of the Church, it is best to recall the efforts made towards Christian Unity since Vatican II. Providentially, in this Holy Year, all Christians can live hope together in the celebration of Easter on a common date, in both the Gregorian and Julian Calendars, followed and West and East respectively. The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is, after all, the foundation of our faith. In Christ, we continue to pray that they may all be one (cf. Jn 17:20).
Could we once again live as common witnesses of hope? Recalling today the martyrdom of South Africa’s first blessed, Tshimangadzo Samuel Benedict Daswa, have you reflected on the models of hope in your life? Like all the Christian martyrs, Daswa was ready to give an account of the hope that was within him (1 Peter 3:15-17). May he inspire both young and old to keep the flame of hope alive throughout the Jubilee Year.
The Pilgrim
Fr Runaine James Radine
1 February 2025
Memorial of Blessed Benedict Daswa
