Truth in charity (December, 2024)

By Bishop Lawrence Persico
12/16/2024

Among the most wonderful aspects of being Catholic is the wide array of opportunities the church provides for us to grow in our faith. It is a pleasure to share insights into one of the church’s rarer events now that it is on the horizon.

On the Solemnity of the Ascension last May, Pope Francis declared that 2025 will be a Jubilee Year. It’s an event that generally happens once every 25 years, so if we’re fortunate, many of us will get to experience a jubilee about three times during our lives.

A Jubilee Year, also referred to as a Holy Year, is a moment when the church calls us to forgiveness, conversion and joyful celebration. It will begin in Rome on Christmas Eve, when the pope will open the Holy Doors at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica. In the following days, he will do the same for the doors at the other three papal basilicas: St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran and St. Paul-Outside-the-Walls. Each opening symbolizes an invitation to encounter Christ, “the door” of our salvation. (John 10:9) Traditionally, people are encouraged to walk through the Holy Doors, and the diocese is offering a pilgrimage to Italy for this purpose. But I recognize that as much as we might want to, the vast majority of us will not be making that trip.

That is why we also are creating a variety of occasions to ensure everyone in the diocese can participate in and receive the graces available during the 2025 Holy Year.

I encourage you to visit and bookmark the microsite about it on our website at www.ErieRCD.org/HolyYear2025.html. Each month, we will upload a new edition of Jubilee Journey: Pilgrims of Hope. The two-page publication has something for everyone. Designed in concert with the calendar published by the Vatican, each month will focus on a theme ranging from hope, the journey of renewal and the resurrection, to children, the family and the communion of saints, among others. Each publication also will have a Scripture verse for consideration, a prayer, a question for discussion/reflection and a little something for children to enjoy.

The publication is designed to fit nicely into parish bulletins, but also can be downloaded for use at home, in schools or in parishes. I want to pause here and ask you to think about this moment.

It is my hope that you will prioritize this Holy Year. One of the benefits provided through the annual Catholic Services Appeal is that we have staff members who are connected not only to all that’s going on in the diocese, but also to the work of the church at the national and global levels. They are making plans to integrate the themes and teachings of the Holy Year into their work throughout 2025. While I know all too well how busy we all are with many significant responsibilities, I cannot encourage you strongly enough to take advantage of the resources being made available for this special year. Don’t miss out on the graces you can enjoy.

We are creating Jubilee Journey: Pilgrims of Hope, but it will be up to each of us to find the best way to use it. Think of it as a year-long retreat. Imagine the benefits of setting aside time each month to read the publication, reflecting on what it has to say and then finding new paths for spiritual growth throughout the jubilee year. Even small adjustments in our lives are beneficial.

Taking fuller advantage of the sacraments, perhaps praying the rosary as a couple or as a family, spending time before the tabernacle — the possibilities for seeking and growing closer to God are endless. No matter what avenues you select, you will enjoy the fruits promised in Galatians 5: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

I know that when we hear the word jubilee, we think of celebration. But the Jubilee Year is also about forgiveness and starting anew. Please do not overlook the beauty and hope available in the sacrament of reconciliation. What better way to remind us of the importance of our relationship with Christ? Again, I encourage you not to miss out on the grace that is there for the asking.

As you receive this edition of Faith magazine, we are in the middle of another wonderful liturgical season: Advent. Before we know it, we will be celebrating the beautiful Christmas season all the way through Jan. 11, the day before we observe the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

I want to suggest one other wonderful resource with which you may not be familiar. Each year, the U.S. bishops publish a liturgical calendar. This day-by-day listing of the feast days, memorials, solemnities and liturgical seasons is available to download, free of charge, at www.usccb.org/resources/2025cal.pdf.

Those looking for a reason to celebrate or to be more intentional about special liturgical celebrations or even saints’ feast days would do well to keep the calendar where they can reference it each morning.

May God bless you and your families in the coming Year of Jubilee, and may you have a blessed Christmas.

-