Pope Francis is scheduled to open the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome Dec. 24 to inaugurate an extraordinary jubilee year dedicated to hope. In opening the Holy Door, Pope Francis opens the door of hope for the Church and for the whole human family.
The pilgrims who pass through the Holy Door will enter a most magnificent church. Their eye will be drawn to its beautifully restored baldacchino, a structure that rises 10 stories above the papal altar, the focal point of the entire basilica. Behind the baldacchino, under the window of the Holy Spirit, they will see the restored “Altar of the Chair” – that is, the Chair of Peter – gleaming with renewed splendor.
Centuries of grime and dirt have been removed from both so that the beauty of these masterpieces might shine forth anew. These restorations serve as a metaphor for what the Holy Father desires as the fruit of this extraordinary Holy Year: a restoration of hope.
But what is hope? Is it wishful thinking? Or optimistic predictions? Or a naïve belief that somehow everything will turn out fine?
No, hope is not airy optimism. Hope does not mean we will be spared illness, financial hardship, rejection or the realization of our worst fears. It does mean that amid life’s joys and sorrows, its aspirations and anxieties, something appears at the forefront of our minds and in the depths of our hearts, “something so good that it could not be better.” Hope is our deepest yearning for that reality and fixes our gaze on it. At length we discover that it has a name, a face and an identity: Jesus the Son of God and the Son of Mary, the One “who loved us and gave his life for us” (Gal 3:20).
The Holy Door that the Lord wants most to open is the door of our hearts – hearts that are sometimes shut tight because of sin, anger, fear or discouragement. But no matter how many times we ignore him, the Lord continues to knock at the door of our hearts (cf. Rev 3:20). When he knocks, let us hasten to open our hearts, knowing that the Lord will not necessarily grant our wishes, but he will satisfy our yearning to see the face of God, our yearning to be loved and loved infinitely.
Could it be that the door to the confessional is the door of hope? So many people, fearful of this great sacrament of mercy, hesitate to open that door, to enter and to make an unburdening confession of their sins. Yet, when we do this, we profess our hope in God’s love and mercy, so powerful that it can wipe away our sins. If God loves us while we are yet sinners (cf. Rom 5:8), should we not be filled with hope and joy? Going to confession is something like wiping away the grime that had accumulated on the baldacchino in St. Peter’s. When we are cleansed of sin, we shine forth with the splendor hope – hope of life eternal.
When hope overtakes us, we start opening doors of hope for others. Charity – love of neighbor – is the key that unlocks the door of hope. When we show love and concern, not only for our friends but also for our enemies and for those in need, we are unlocking the door of hope. During this Jubilee Year, let’s make it a point to open the door of hope for someone every day.
Throughout this Holy Year, may you experience “the hope that does not disappoint because the love of God has been poured in our hearts” (Rom 5:5).
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