Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
by Fabio Beretta
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "Haec porta Domini. Iusti intrabunt in eam". On Christmas Eve, the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica opens onto a world torn apart by wars and violence. The Jubilee of the Catholic Church begins, the 27th "ordinary", dedicated to hope.
And while in the past it was the sound of the ram's horn called Jobel that announced the beginning of the Holy Year, the third Jubilee of the 21st century began with a concert of bells at the beginning of the solemn ceremony.
The ceremony was presided over by Pope Francis, who arrived at the Vatican Basilica in a wheelchair. Before him were the bronze doors of the Holy Door, the work of the Tuscan sculptor Vico Consorti. The doors were still closed when the Gospel according to John was proclaimed, in which Jesus describes himself as the door to be crossed to be saved.
Decorated with fir branches, holly and red and yellow flowers, the Holy Door is then opened. The Pontiff stands in silent prayer on the threshold of the basilica while a long applause (about 6,000 faithful were present in the basilica, thousands remained in the square to follow the rite from the maxi screens) greets the moment. The Bishop of Rome is followed by cardinals, bishops, priests but also by 54 faithful representing all the people of God.
Among them were some representatives of the other non-Catholic Churches and ecclesial communities present in Rome. Some of these ecumenical guests, the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity announced in a note, "have been invited to be among those who will cross the threshold of the Holy Door." A gesture that is above all "a visible sign of the faith that all Christians share in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh - the faith that we profess in the Nicene Creed - and of our common conviction that Jesus himself is the Door through which we enter into life". To thus underline what is shared by all Christians, rather than the things that divide them, is a response to the call of the Jubilee to be pilgrims of hope that does not disappoint, manifesting our real communion, even if it is incomplete".
The solemn procession led by the Bishop of Rome stopped in front of the Altar of Confession, where, as usual, the statuette of the Child Jesus is placed. The statuette is unveiled at the end of the singing of the "Kalenda", the announcement that historically frames the birth of the Son of God.
"The infinitely great has made himself tiny; divine light has shone amid the darkness of our world; the glory of heaven has appeared on earth. And how? As a little child,” are the words that Pope Francis pronounces shortly after in his homily, a reflection woven around the key word that will be the leitmotif of this Jubilee, defined as “the Jubilee of Hope.”
Christ himself, come in the flesh, is the ever-living source of Christian hope, a gift for the world. And “if God can visit us, even when our hearts seem like a lowly manger, we can truly say: Hope is not dead; hope is alive and it embraces our lives forever”.
With the opening of the Holy Year, the Pope emphasized, tonight “the door of hope has opened wide to the world. Tonight, God speaks to each of us and says: there is hope also for you!”. Like the shepherds who first adored the Child Jesus and then “went with haste” to announce to others what they had seen, “we too are called to recover lost hope, to renew that hope in our hearts, and to sow seeds of hope amid the bleakness of our time and our world. And there is so much desolation at this time. We think of wars, of children being shot at, bombs on schools and hospitals. Do not delay, do not hesitate, but allow yourselves to be drawn along by the Good News. we too cannot ‘slow down’. For Christian hope is not a cinematic “happy ending” which we passively await, but rather, a promise, the Lord’s promise, to be welcomed here and now in our world of suffering and sighs.”
“There is so much desolation at this time. We think of wars, of children being shot at, bombs on schools and hospitals,” he added.
Christian hope, the Pontiff continued, “does not tolerate the indifference of the complacent or the lethargy of those content with their own comforts – and so many of us are in danger of becoming too comfortable; hope does not accept the faux prudence of those who refuse to get involved for fear of making mistakes, or of those who think only of themselves. Hope is incompatible with the detachment of those who refuse to speak out against evil and the injustices perpetrated at the expense of the poor. Christian hope, on the other hand, while inviting us to wait patiently for the Kingdom to grow and spread, also requires of us, even now, to be bold, responsible, and not only that but also compassionate, in our anticipation of the fulfilment of the Lord’s promise. And here perhaps it will do us good to ask ourselves about compassion”.
"This is the season of hope in which we are invited to rediscover the joy of meeting the Lord. The Jubilee calls us to spiritual renewal and commits us to the transformation of our world, so that this year may truly become a time of jubilation. A jubilee for our mother Earth, disfigured by profiteering; a time of jubilee for the poorer countries burdened beneath unfair debts; a time of jubilee for all those who are in bondage to forms of slavery old and new,” the Pontiff added.
“Dear sister, dear brother, on this night the “holy door” of God’s heart lies open before you. Jesus, God-with-us, is born for you, for me, for us, for every man and woman. And remember that with him, joy flourishes; with him, life changes; with him, hope does not disappoint ,” the Pope exhorted as he concluded his homily.
At the end of the celebration, he paused in silence to pray before the Nativity scene set up inside the Vatican Basilica. (Agenzia Fides, 24/12/2024)
