WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE between a vacation and a pilgrimage; don’t they mean the same thing, since you left home and traveled somewhere special?
According to the dictionary, a vacation is an opportunity when one leaves home for relaxation and enjoyment, while a pilgrimage is a special journey made by a pilgrim to a sacred or holy place.
In our Catholic Church, a Jubilee or Holy Year is celebrated every 25 years, stemming from an ancient tradition tracing its roots back to the Jewish people, our ancestors in the faith. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, designated the theme “Pilgrims of Hope” for this current Jubilee Year which commenced Dec. 24, 2024, when he officially opened the Holy Year door at St. Peter’s Basilica, sealed and bricked over since the ending of the prior Jubilee Year 25 years ago.
It will conclude with the closing of that same Holy Door on Jan. 6, 2026, the feast of the Epiphany. After this Jubilee Year, a special one in 2033 will mark the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection.
In Romans 5:5 we read “… hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”
Some, in the face of loss or tragedy and out of disillusionment, may contest this statement. While true that at times our hopes and prayers are not realized, or not in the manner we desire, God’s answer is always YES!
These are the times when we must cling to hope, even in the most difficult or painful of circumstances, as a drowning person desperately clings to a life preserver. Even the simplest of wishes, as when a child says “I hope we have hamburgers and ice cream for dinner tonight on my birthday” or “I hope I get the latest cell phone for Christmas,” they are not hoping that suddenly the food will appear on the table, or the gift materialize under the Christmas tree.
Our hope is not in an event or in an object, but in the person able to fulfill this wish. What is really meant is: “I hope my parents (or guardian or relative or friend) will provide this meal or gift.”
How, then, do we become Pilgrims of Hope? Firstly, it is important to realize that our entire life is a pilgrimage toward our goal, union with God forever. God wants us to come home to heaven even more than we desire to.
As we journey through life, we need to keep our eyes focused on Jesus, true God, and true man, who entered our world 2,000 years ago as a human being to help us know how infinitely loved and precious we are to God. Since Jesus is the light of the world, let us follow His example which can never lead us astray, and keep hope alive in our hearts.
FOR YOUR FAMILY:
■ Make a pilgrimage to Rome if possible, or to your local Cathedral.
■ Find information online regarding previous Jubilee years.
■ Share your hopes for and about each other, and your hopes concerning the precious gifts of faith, hope and love you received.