Posted on October 31, 2024 View all Pastor's Letter
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus:
It seems incredible, but we are already in November, indicating that everything has begun to change. Autumn is becoming more visible, indicating that winter is coming and, with it, the grand family celebrations: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year.
Next year will be a year of grace for the universal Church because the Holy Father has called for the Ordinary Jubilee. These ordinary jubilees are celebrated every twenty-five years. The last great ordinary jubilee was called by Saint John Paul II in the year 2000, which was the beginning of the new millennium. Twenty-five years have passed, and it is our turn to celebrate the second of this millennium. What is a jubilee? The Holy Scriptures in the Old Testament, in Leviticus 25:8-13, speaks to us first of all of a meeting between Jews, which was called every 50 years to re-establish the correct relationship with God, with people, and with creation. Thus, when the date arrived, the Jews would set their slaves free and stop working the land so they could rest. To begin the Holy Year, the Jobel was played, a musical instrument made from a ram’s horn, from which the name “Jubilee” comes.
The first Jubilee called by the Catholic Church was not until the year 1300, on the initiative of Pope Boniface VIII. Initially, it was planned to be called every 100 years, but the frequency changed: in 1343, it was reduced to 50 years by Pope Clement VI; in 1423, Pope Martin V reduced it to 33 years – the age of Christ when he died on the cross – and in 1470 Pope Paul II reduced the wait to 25 years where the Pope opens the Holy Door as the beginning of this celebration.
The grand tradition of opening the Holy Door will begin when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on December 24 of this year. The Holy Door is a symbolic entrance to the Jubilee, representing a passage to grace and renewal. Other holy doors will open at the Roman basilicas of St. John Lateran, St. Mary Major, and St. Paul Outside the Walls. For pilgrims who cannot travel to Rome, bishops around the world are expected to designate their cathedrals or famous Catholic shrines as unique places of prayer for Holy Year pilgrims, offering opportunities for reconciliation, indulgences, and other events intended to strengthen and revitalize the faith. Our bishop will soon let us know when the Holy Door of the cathedral will be opened or if he will designate other churches as places of pilgrimage. As a parish, we will put up small catechesis about this event on the different platforms to learn about and live the Jubilee in depth.
I was very happy to see the enthusiasm and joy with which we celebrated the Solemnity of All Saints last Friday. This feast inspires us to dream and work to earn heaven and to seek God in the small things of our daily lives. The second graders at the school did a fantastic job participating in the mass, each representing a saint; I was impressed to see that they all knew the virtues and qualities of each one.
Finally, this weekend begins the week dedicated to praying for vocations, also known as Vocation Awareness Week. This is a special time when we, as a community, come together to pray for the seminarians of our diocese and for an increase in vocations. One of our seminarians will be with us to share a vocational experience and help us reflect on the call that God may make to one of our children. This week, we will have special prayers, reflections, and discussions about vocations, and we invite you to join us in asking the Lord for workers for his masses.
Have a happy week.
Fr. Alex