Pope Francis has invited us to embark on a journey, a pilgrimage of hope, during this jubilee year. It is a call to walk together and become witnesses to an anxious world that God is faithful to us, and our hope in God will not disappoint. The Jubilee is a gift to the world! If you are ready to make this journey during the Jubilee of Hope, here is what you will need:
Direction for the journey
The Holy Father’s Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary Jubilee for the Year 2025, “Spes non confundit” (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”), is an excellent formative resource for pilgrims this season of grace. It presents the reason and source of Christian hope — the death and resurrection of Jesus. The document opens our eyes to find hope within and around us, in God’s grace and the signs of the times. With renewed vision, we become signs of hope for those suffering.
Five great reads for the Jubilee:
- “Spes non confundit” (“Hope Does Not Disappoint”) by Pope Francis
- “Dilexit nos” (“He Loved Us”): On the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ by Pope Francis
- “Jesus and the Jubilee: The Biblical Roots of the Year of God’s Favor” by John Bergsma
- “Hope. Always.: Our Anchor in Life’s Storms” by Kris Frank
- “Hope: An Invitation” by Sister Josephine Garrett, CSFN
Sustenance for the journey
Hope, the central theme of the Jubilee, flows through Scripture. And it “does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5) those who look to God. Meditating on biblical passages that speak of hope is a fruitful way to nurture hope. The psalms are a great place to start because they lend themselves to prayer in various situations and moods.
Five psalms of hope:
Psalm 27: Hope in God’s protection
Psalm 34: Hope in God’s comfort
Psalm 51: Hope in God’s mercy
Psalm 62: Hope in God
Psalm 121: Hope in God’s help
Companions on the journey
What does Christian hope look like in everyday life? How do we know we are people of hope? We can draw answers and inspiration from the saints. Their lives reflect chapters of the Gospel and help us see how far collaboration with grace can take us on the ultimate pilgrimage toward God.
Pope Francis plans to canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis during the Jubilee of Teenagers Mass on April 27, 2025, and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati during the Jubilee of Youth on Aug. 3, 2025. These new young saints give lively witness to the youthful quality of hope.
Five saints of hope:
- St. Jude Thaddeus: Hope for hopeless causes
- St. Martha: Hope in grief and loss
- St. Paul: Apostle of hope
- St. Augustine: Hope for the sinner
- St. Joseph: Hope at death
Additional resources
The church is making this journey together. One of the neat things about this Jubilee of Hope is that there are special jubilee celebrations for groups such as artists, entrepreneurs, athletes, Catholic influencers and catechists, to name a few. The celebrations include liturgies, pilgrimages, papal audiences, conferences and exhibitions.
Within Rome, the Jubilee Itineraries are the Papal Basilicas, the pilgrimage of the “Seven Churches,” the itinerary of the churches of the European Union (with 28 stops), and the itinerary of Patronesses of Europe and Doctors of the Church. All these are opportunities for deeper conversion and closeness to the Lord.
“Pilgrims of Hope,” the Jubilee Hymn by Pierangelo Sequeri, charges us with stirring words to keep our hearts lit and feet steady on the course — a profession of hope in different voices and languages.
Find out more about official Jubilee 2025 events and resources at www.iubilaeum2025.va.
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