On the eve of Christmas, Pope Francis will formally announce the theme of the Jubilee Year, "Pilgrims of Hope" and open the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican on December 24 to welcome the faithful.
The Jubilee Year ends on the Epiphany of the following year.
For the Catholic Church, every 25th year is a special year of grace and conversion. As we were profoundly affected in present times of suffering from war, poverty, climate change, and the COVID pandemic, Pope Francis emphasized that the Jubilee Year's theme "is an invitation to share the hope of the Christian faith with the world."
There is hope!
Catholics are enjoined to pray more, go on pilgrimages, and offer sacramental repentance. The goal is to strengthen the Church's witness to God's mercy and to encourage holiness of life among the faithful.
Plenary Indulgence
How do we become Pilgrims of Hope?
As Catholic faithful, we obtain indulgence by going on a local pilgrimage, choosing an act of penance, praying to the Holy Spirit, and going to confession.
An indulgence comes from the Latin word "indulgeo" that means "permit" or "to gratify oneself." In the Church, it is a way to reduce the weight of punishment on has to undergo for the forgiveness of sins.
Called the Jubilee Indulgence, this can also apply to souls in purgatory and for the deceased.
Indulgences are usually granted only once a day but in the Jubilee Year, the faithful are privileged to up to two per day like receiving communion twice in a day.
Jubilee Churches
One doesn't have to go to the Vatican during the Holy Year if one can't afford it.
The Pope has declared almost 700 churches across the country as Jubilee Churches. In the Archdiocese of Manila alone, there are 24 Jubilee Churches.
For special intentions, there are Jubilee Churches assigned, as: the Archdiocesan Shrine of Mary Queen of Peace or the EDSA shrine in Quezon City for government officials and workers, including the military and police and security personnel; Chapel of St. Lazarus at the San Lazaro Hospital in Sta. Cruz, Manila for sick, health workers, and people with disabilities; San Felipe Neri in Mandaluyong for teeners, youth and students;
Shrine of Santo Nino in Tondo, Manila for children; Parish of San Loreto in Sampaloc, Manila for families, grandparents and the elderly; Sacred Heart in San Antonio Village, Makati for entrepreneurs and business owners; San Jose de Trozo Parish in Sta. Cruz for workers and laborers; San Ildefonso Parish in Pio del Pilar, Makati for young adults and professionals; St. John Bosco in San Lorenzo, Makati for artists, musical bands and athletes;
San Fernando Dilao in Paco, Manila for educators; Espiritu Santo in Sta. Cruz for confraternities, ecclesial movements, associations, and new communities; San Carlos Seminary on EDSA, Guadalupe, Makati for seminarians, deacons, priests, bishops, consecrated persons, and missionaries, and also for ecumenical and interfaith personnel; San Lorenzo Ruiz in Binondo, Manila for catechists and volunteer workers;
Our Lady of the Abandoned in Santa Ana, Manila for the poor and orphans; Our Lady of Sorrows in Pasay City for persons deprived of liberty and their families; Nuestra Senora de Guia in Ermita, Manila for migrants and refugees; San Pablo Apostol for the environment, and the Mary Mother of Hope at Landmark in Makati for digital communicators.
Go and visit Jubilee churches, attend the Holy Mass, receive communion, do acts of kindness, sacrifice, and repent.
(email opinyon.luchie@gmail.com, luchiearguelles@yahoo.com)
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