Spes non confundit, hope does not disappoint, taken from the Letter to the Romans (Rom 5:5), is the title of the Decree announcing the Holy Year 2025 , which was delivered by Pope Francis to the Churches on the five continents on the afternoon of May 9, 2024, during Vespers II of the Ascension. The Decree, divided into 25 numbers, includes the appeals and proposals, the dreams of the Holy Father in the Holy Year 2025. The following is the full Vietnamese text of the Decree, translated by the Translation Committee of the Vietnamese Bishops’ Council.

Non-Constitutional

DECREE
PROCLAMATION OF THE ORDINARY HOLY YEAR 2025

FRANCIS, BISHOP OF ROME,
SERVANT OF THE SERVANTS OF GOD

MAY ALL WHO READ THIS LETTER
HAVE THEIR HEARTS FILLED WITH HOPE

 

1.  Spes non confundit . “Hope does not disappoint” ( Rom  5:5). With this sign of hope, the Apostle Paul encouraged the Christian community of Rome. Hope is also the central message of the upcoming Holy Year, which, according to an ancient tradition, the Pope proclaims every 25 years. I think of all  the pilgrims of hope  who will come to Rome to experience the Holy Year, and of all those who, although unable to come to the City of the Apostles Peter and Paul, will nevertheless celebrate it in their local Churches. For everyone, may the Holy Year be a time of encounter with the living and personal Lord Jesus, the “door” of salvation (cf.  Jn  10:7,9), “our hope” (cf.  1 Tim  1:1), whom the Church has the duty to proclaim always, in every place and to all.

Everyone hopes. Hope is in the heart of every person, a desire and expectation of good things to come, even though we do not know what tomorrow will bring. However, the uncertainty of the future gives rise to emotions that are sometimes contradictory: from trust to fear, from serenity to discouragement, from certainty to doubt. We often meet people who are discouraged, who look to the future with skepticism and pessimism, as if nothing could bring them happiness. May the Jubilee be an opportunity for everyone to rekindle hope. The Word of God helps us to find reasons for that hope. Let us be guided by what Saint Paul wrote to the Christians in Rome.

A word of hope

2. “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access through faith into this grace in which we stand; and we rejoice in our hope of sharing in the glory of God. […] This hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” ( Rom  5:1-2.5). Here Paul offers much to reflect on. We know that the Letter to the Romans marks a decisive stage in Paul’s missionary activity. Until then, he had been working in the east of the Roman Empire, and now Rome awaited him with all that it presented to the eyes of the world; it was a great challenge to accept in order to proclaim the Gospel, a challenge without barriers or limits. The Church of Rome was not founded by Saint Paul, but he had a great desire to go there as soon as possible to bring to everyone the Good News of Jesus Christ, who died and rose again, the proclamation of hope that fulfills the promise, that leads to glory and does not disappoint because it is founded on love.

3. Indeed, hope is born of love and is based on the love that flows from the Heart of Jesus pierced on the cross: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved by his life” ( Rom  5:10). And his life is made manifest in our life of faith, which begins with Baptism, grows in openness to God’s grace, is animated by hope that is constantly renewed and strengthened by the action of the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, it is the Holy Spirit who is always present with the pilgrim Church to shed the light of hope on believers: he keeps that light burning like an unquenchable torch to sustain and energize us. Indeed, Christian hope neither deceives nor disappoints because it is based on the certainty that nothing and no one can separate us from the love of God: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or persecution, or sword? […] Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” ( Rom  8:35,37-39). This is why this hope does not yield to difficulties: because it is founded on faith and nourished by charity. It helps us to move forward in life. On this subject, Saint Augustine wrote: “No matter what state of life one may find oneself in, one cannot live without these three sentiments: faith, hope, and love.” [1]

4. Saint Paul is realistic. He knows that life has both joy and sorrow, that love is tested when difficulties arise and suffering seems to extinguish hope. Yet he writes: “We glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope” ( Rom  5:3-4). For the Apostle, hardship and suffering are the constant condition of those who preach the Gospel in a context of misunderstanding and persecution (cf.  2 Cor  6:3-10). In these circumstances, we see light in the darkness. We discover how the power of Christ’s cross and resurrection sustains the mission. This leads to the development of a virtue closely linked to hope: patience  . In a world that is always in a hurry, we are used to wanting everything immediately. We no longer have time to see each other and it often becomes difficult to meet and talk calmly, even within the family. Impatience leads to loss of patience, which is very harmful to people. Indeed, it causes intolerance, tension, and sometimes even gratuitous violence, leading to dissatisfaction and withdrawal.

Moreover, in the age of  the internet , where space and time are dominated by the “here and now,” patience is of no value. If we can still look at nature with wonder, we can understand how decisive patience is. Waiting for the seasons and their fruits to change; observing the life of animals and their cycles of growth; having the simple vision of Saint Francis, who, as in the Canticle of the Creatures, composed exactly 800 years ago, saw creation as a great family and called the sun “brother” and the moon “sister.” [2]  Rediscovering patience brings many benefits for ourselves and for others. Saint Paul often uses patience to emphasize the importance of perseverance and trust in what God has promised us, but above all he testifies that God is patient with us, he is “the source of patience and encouragement” ( Rom  15:5). Patience, a fruit of the Holy Spirit, nourishes and strengthens hope as a virtue and a way of life. Let us therefore learn to frequently ask for the grace of patience, which is both the child of hope and its nurturer.

A path of hope

5. From the link between hope and patience, it becomes clear that the Christian life is a  path that  needs  powerful moments  to nourish and strengthen hope as an indispensable companion, offering a glimpse of the goal: the encounter with Jesus. I like to think that the proclamation of the first Holy Year in 1300 began on a path of grace inspired by popular piety. Indeed, we cannot forget the various forms in which forgiveness has been poured out in abundance on God’s holy and faithful People. Let us recall, for example, the great “pardon” that Saint Celestine V intended to grant to those who visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Collemaggio in L’Aquila, on 28 and 29 August 1294, six years before Pope Boniface VIII instituted the Holy Year. The Church thus had an experience of the grace of mercy during the Holy Year. And even before that, in 1216, Pope Honorius III granted the request of Saint Francis, granting indulgences to those who visited the Portiuncula on the first two days of August. The same is true for the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela: in 1122, Pope Callixtus II authorized the celebration of the Holy Year in this basilica whenever the feast of the Apostle James falls on a Sunday. It is good that this “extended” form of celebrating the Holy Year continues, so that the power of God’s forgiveness can sustain and accompany the pilgrimage of communities and individuals.

It is no coincidence that  pilgrimage  is a fundamental element of every Jubilee event. Setting out on the road is characteristic of those who seek the meaning of life. Pilgrimages on foot are very conducive to rediscovering the value of silence, of effort and of the essential. Next year, once again,  pilgrims of hope  will not miss the opportunity to walk ancient and modern roads to live the Jubilee experience in an intense way. In the city of Rome itself, there will also be routes of faith, in addition to the traditional routes of the catacombs and the seven churches. By moving from country to country as if borders had been erased, by moving from city to city to admire nature and works of art, we can take advantage of diverse experiences and cultures to embrace beauty. Beauty combined with prayer will lead to thanksgiving to God for the wonders he has worked. During the Jubilee, the churches along the roads and in  the city of Rome will be spiritual oases where we can renew our lives of faith and quench our thirst for hope, above all by approaching the sacrament of Reconciliation, the irreplaceable starting point for a path of authentic conversion. In the local Churches, special attention must be paid to the preparation of priests and the faithful for the celebration of the sacrament of Reconciliation and to its reception in personal form.

On this pilgrimage, I would like to extend a special invitation to the faithful of the Eastern Churches, especially those who are in full communion with the Successor of Peter. They have suffered so much – often to the point of death – for their fidelity to Christ and to the Church; they must feel particularly welcome here in Rome, which is also their Mother and the place where many memories of their presence are kept. The Catholic Church, enriched by its very ancient liturgies, by the theology and spirituality of the Fathers, monks and theologians, wishes to symbolically welcome them, as well as their Orthodox brothers and sisters, as they live the  Via Crucis  [ Way of the Cross ], which often forces them to leave their homelands, their holy lands, pursued by violence and instability, in order to reach safer countries. For them, experiencing a Church that loves them, that does not abandon them but follows them wherever they go, makes the sign of the Jubilee all the more powerful.

6. The Jubilee Year 2025 follows on from previous events of grace. In the previous ordinary Jubilee Year, we crossed the threshold of the second millennium after the birth of Jesus Christ. Then, on 13 March 2015, I proclaimed an extraordinary Jubilee Year, the purpose of which is to manifest and enable everyone to encounter the “merciful face” of God, [3]  the central proclamation of the Gospel for people of every age. Now the time has come to proclaim a new Jubilee Year, so that the Holy Door may be opened once more to offer a living experience of God’s love, which awakens in hearts the sure hope of salvation in Christ. At the same time, this Jubilee will lead us towards another foundational celebration for all Christians. In 2033, we will celebrate the two thousandth anniversary of the redemption accomplished through the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. Thus, we are about to embark on a journey marked by great events, in which the grace of God precedes and accompanies those who walk fervently in faith, act in charity and persevere in hope (cf.  1 Thess  1:3).

Based on this long-standing tradition and convinced that this Holy Year will be a profound experience of grace and hope for the whole Church, I have decided to inaugurate the Ordinary Jubilee Year by opening the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on 24 December 2024. The following Sunday, 29 December 2024, I will open the Holy Door of my Cathedral of St. John Lateran, which will celebrate the 1,700th anniversary of its dedication on 9 November of that year. Then, on 1 January 2025, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I will open the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Mary Major. Finally, on Sunday 5 January, I will open the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls. The last three Holy Doors will be closed no later than Sunday 28 December of that year.

Furthermore, I decree that on Sunday 29 December 2024, in all Cathedrals and Co-Cathedrals, the diocesan Bishops will celebrate the solemn Mass for the inauguration of the Holy Year, according to the Rite to be prepared for the occasion. In the Co-Cathedral, a specially designated representative may take the place of the Bishop in celebrating this Mass. A pilgrimage, starting from a church chosen for the  assembly  and going to the Cathedral, will be a sign of the path of hope, enlightened by the Word of God, that unites believers. During the pilgrimage, the texts of this document will be read, and the Jubilee Indulgence will be proclaimed, which can be obtained in the local Churches according to the provisions of the same Ritual for the Celebration of the Holy Year. The Holy Year will end in the local Churches on Sunday 28 December 2025. During the Jubilee Year, efforts must be made to ensure that the People of God fully participate in receiving the proclamation of the hope of God’s grace and in receiving the signs that demonstrate the effectiveness of this grace.

The Ordinary Jubilee Year will conclude with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on 6 January 2026, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. May the light of Christian hope reach everyone as a message of God’s love addressed to all! May the Church be a faithful witness to this proclamation in every corner of the world!

Signs of hope

7. In addition to drawing hope from God’s grace, we are also called to rediscover that hope in the signs  of the times  that the Lord gives us. As the Second Vatican Council affirmed: “It is the duty of the Church to study the signs of the times and to interpret them in the light of the Gospel, so that she can respond in a way appropriate to each generation to the perennial questions of humanity about the meaning of this life and the life to come, and about the relationship between them.” [4]  We must therefore be attentive to all the good present in the world, lest we fall into the temptation of thinking that we are overwhelmed by evil and violence. But the signs of the times, including the yearning of the human heart for God’s saving presence, demand to be transformed into signs of hope.

8. The first sign of hope that must be realized is  peace,  because the world is once again plunged into the tragedy  of war . Because humanity has forgotten the tragedies of the past, it is faced with a new and difficult challenge in seeing so many peoples subjected to brutal violence. What have these peoples not suffered? How can their desperate cry not spur the leaders of nations to put an end to so many regional conflicts, given the consequences that can be felt on a global scale? Is it too much to dream that arms will be silenced and no longer bring death and destruction? The Jubilee must remind us that those who “make peace” will be “called children of God” ( Mt  5:9). The demand for peace challenges everyone and requires the pursuit of concrete plans. With courage and creativity, diplomats must continue to commit themselves to creating spaces for negotiations aimed at achieving lasting peace.

9. Looking to the future with hope also means having a positive outlook on life, ready to pass it on. Unfortunately, we must sadly acknowledge that, in many situations, we have lost this outlook. The first consequence is  a loss of desire to procreate.  In many countries, we are witnessing a   worrying  decline in birth rates , due to a frenetic pace of life and fear of the future, to a lack of job security and adequate social protection, to social models in which the search for profit rather than concern for relationships sets the agenda. Elsewhere, on the other hand, “blaming population growth rather than the excessive and selective consumerism of some is a way of not facing the problems”. [5]

Openness to life through responsible fatherhood and motherhood is the plan that the Creator has inscribed in the hearts and bodies of men and women, the mission that he has entrusted to married couples and their love. It is urgent that, in addition to the juridical commitment of States, they receive convincing support from all sectors of the religious and civil communities, because  the desire of young people to have more children  as a sign of their fruitful love gives life to any society. This desire is a matter of hope because it depends on hope and generates hope.

The Christian community must be the first to support  a social alliance of hope , an inclusive and non-ideological alliance, working towards a future filled with the laughter of many children who will fill the empty cradles in many parts of the world. But in reality, everyone needs to rediscover the joy of living because human beings, created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen  1:26), cannot be content with simply getting by, accepting only material things. These things imprison us in individualism and undermine hope, causing sadness in the heart and making it bitter and intolerant.

10. During this Jubilee Year, we are called to be visible signs of hope for our brothers and sisters living in situations of extreme hardship. I think of  prisoners  deprived of their freedom, who, in addition to the harshness of isolation and lack of affection, are daily subjected to restrictions that are often not respected. During this Jubilee Year, I ask governments to undertake initiatives that restore hope; forms of amnesty or commutation of sentences to help prisoners regain faith in themselves and in society; pathways for reintegration, accompanied by a concrete commitment to respect for the law.

The requirement to carry out acts of mercy and liberation that allow one to start anew is an ancient one, derived from the Word of God and endowed with eternal wisdom: “You shall sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants” ( Lev  25:10). The Law of Moses is recalled by the prophet Isaiah: “The Lord has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and release to prisoners, to proclaim a year of the Lord’s favor” ( Is  61:1-2). These are the words that Jesus applied to himself at the beginning of his ministry when he declared that “the year of the Lord’s favor” had been fulfilled in him (cf.  Lk 4  :18-19).

Everywhere in the world, believers, especially pastors, must be the expression of these demands, raising their voices to courageously demand dignified conditions for those who are imprisoned, respect for human rights and above all the abolition of the death penalty, a measure contrary to the Christian faith and which destroys any hope of forgiveness and renewal of life. [6]  To offer prisoners a concrete sign of closeness, I would like to open a Holy Door in a prison myself, which will be a symbol that invites them to look to the future with hope and with the determination to renew their lives.

11. We must also bring signs of hope to the  sick , whether at home or in hospital. We must alleviate their suffering through loving care and closeness. These acts of mercy are also acts of hope, which awaken gratitude in our hearts. And we must also be grateful to all those health care workers who, in often difficult conditions, care for the sick and the most vulnerable.

May we give due attention to those who, because of their extremely difficult circumstances, are forced to live in abject poverty, especially those who suffer from illnesses or disabilities that greatly limit their autonomy. Caring for them is a hymn to human dignity, a hymn of hope that calls for concerted action from the whole of society.

12. Those who are the embodiment of hope also need signs of hope:  young people . Sadly, they often see their dreams shattered. We must not disappoint them: the future is built on their enthusiasm. It is beautiful to see them full of energy, for example when they roll up their sleeves and volunteer to go to places where there is disaster and social unrest. But it is sad to see young people without hope. When the future is uncertain and their dreams are unfulfilled, when there is no way out of school, when unemployment or lack of stable employment puts their dreams at risk of being shattered, they are forced to live the present in melancholy and boredom. The illusion of drugs, the risk of crime and the search for the ephemeral make young people more confused than others, and they lose sight of the beauty and meaning of life, so they fall into a dark abyss and are tempted to commit acts of self-destruction. The Jubilee must therefore be an opportunity for the Church to inspire them. With this renewed enthusiasm, let us care for young people, students, young couples about to get married, the young generations! Let us be close to young people, the joy and hope of the Church and of the world!

13. There must also be signs of hope for migrants  who  have to leave their homelands in search of a better life for themselves and their families. May their hopes not be dashed by prejudice and closed-mindedness; may the openness to all people, in their dignity, be accompanied by a commitment that no one should be deprived of the right to build a better future. Many  exiles, displaced persons and refugees  forced to flee by controversial international events are fleeing war, violence and discrimination; they must be guaranteed security as well as access to education and employment, essential for their integration into new social contexts.

The Christian community must always be ready to defend the rights of the most vulnerable. May it open its doors generously to them so that the hope of a better life never disappoints anyone. May the words of the Lord in the parable of the Last Judgment always resonate in our hearts: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”, because “whatever you did for one of the least of these my brethren, you did for me” (Mt 25  :35,40).

14. Signs of hope also deserve to be offered to the  elderly  , who often experience loneliness and a sense of abandonment. The Christian community and civil society have a responsibility to appreciate the treasure that is the elderly, their life experience, their wisdom and their contributions. The Christian community and civil society are called to work together to build an alliance between generations.

I think especially of  grandparents , who are full of faith and life experience to pass on to the younger generations. May they be supported with gratitude by their children and grandchildren, who find in them support, understanding and encouragement.

15. I pray fervently for hope for the billions of poor people who often lack the basic necessities of life. As new waves of impoverishment follow one another, there is a risk of becoming accustomed to poverty and of becoming resigned. But we cannot ignore the tragic situations we are experiencing everywhere, not only in certain parts of the world. Every day we encounter people who are poor or near-poor, sometimes even close to us. They often lack a home or do not have enough food to eat. They suffer from exclusion and indifference on the part of many. It is scandalous that in a world where resources are abundant and mainly spent on weapons, “the vast majority are poor […], thousands of millions of people. Today, in international political and economic debates, the poor are still mentioned, but their problems often seem to be presented as an afterthought, as an almost obligatory or side issue, if not as collateral damage. In fact, when it comes to concrete action, they are often relegated to last place.” [7]  Let us not forget: the poor are almost always victims, not perpetrators.

A Call for Hope

16. Echoing the words of the ancient prophets, the Jubilee reminds us that  the goods of the earth  are not destined for a privileged few, but for everyone. Those who have them must be generous in recognizing the faces of their brothers and sisters in need. I think in particular of those who lack water and food: hunger is a shameful wound on the body of our humanity and an invitation to everyone to awaken their consciences. I renew the call that “with the resources poured into arms and other military expenditure, let us establish a global fund to eradicate hunger and to help the poorest countries develop, so that their people will not have to resort to violent or deceitful solutions, nor will they have to leave their countries in search of a more dignified life elsewhere.” [8]

I would like to make another urgent invitation on the occasion of the Jubilee: this one to the wealthiest countries, that they may recognize the importance of the many decisions that have been made, together with the cancellation of debts of countries that will never be able to repay them. This is a question of justice more than of generosity, which today is aggravated by a new form of inequality that we have come to recognize: “There is in fact a real ‘ecological debt’, especially between the global North and the global South, linked to trade imbalances with ecological consequences, as well as the chronic overuse of natural resources by some countries. [9]  As the Bible teaches, the earth belongs to God and we are all strangers and aliens (cf.  Lev  25:23). If we truly want to pave the way for world peace, let us commit ourselves to addressing the root causes of injustice, canceling the unpayable debts of injustice, and feeding the hungry.

17. The upcoming Jubilee Year marks a very important anniversary for Christians. It is the  1,700th anniversary of the first ecumenical council, the Council of Nicea.  It is important to remember that, since apostolic times, pastors have met in council on various issues of doctrine and discipline. In the first centuries of Christianity, numerous synods took place both in the East and in the West, highlighting the importance of preserving the unity of the People of God and of fidelity to the proclamation of the Gospel. The Jubilee Year can be an important opportunity to make concrete this form of synodality, which the Christian community today sees as an increasingly necessary expression for a better response to the missionary urgency: all the baptized, each with his or her own charism and mission, are responsible for being signs of hope that bear witness to God’s presence in the world.

The Council of Nicea, convoked by the Emperor Constantine on 20 May 325, with about three hundred bishops present, gathered in the imperial palace, had the mission of preserving the unity that was seriously threatened by the denial of the divinity of Jesus Christ and his consubstantiality with the Father. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, after much debate, they all agreed on the Creed that we still profess today at Sunday Mass. The Council Fathers wanted to begin this Creed by using for the first time the expression “We believe”, [10]  to express that in the name “We” all the Churches are in communion with one another and all Christians profess the same faith.

The Council of Nicea is an important milestone in the history of the Church. The anniversary of the Council invites Christians to join together in praising and thanking the Triune God and especially Jesus Christ, the Son of God, “of one being with the Father”, [11]  who revealed this mystery of love to us. But the Council of Nicea also invites all Churches and ecclesial communities to continue on the path towards visible unity, tirelessly seeking appropriate forms to respond fully to Jesus’ prayer: “That they may all be one; as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” ( Jn  17:21).

The Council of Nicea also discussed the date of Easter. On this issue, there are still different positions today that prevent the celebration of the birth of the faith on the same day. Due to providential circumstances, this will happen precisely in 2025. This should be a call to all Christians in the East and the West to take a decisive step towards unity around a common date for Easter. It should also be remembered that many people do not know that there were controversies in the past and do not understand why divisions on this issue persist.

Hope is strong

18. Hope, together with faith and charity, forms the triad of “theological virtues” that express the core of Christian life (cf.  1 Cor  13:13;  1 Thess  1:3). In the inseparable dynamic of these three virtues, it can be said that hope orients, or gives direction and goal to, the life of the believer. That is why Saint Paul invites us: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” ( Rom  12:12). Yes, we must “abound in hope” (cf.  Rom  15:13) in order to give a credible and attractive witness to the faith and love that are in our hearts; thus we are joyful in faith, fervent in love; so that each one can offer even a smile, a friendly gesture, a fraternal look, a sincere listening, a selfless service, knowing that, in the Spirit of Jesus, this can become a seed of hope in those who receive it. But what is the basis of our hope? To understand this, we need to reflect on the reasons for our hope (cf.  1 Pt  3:15).

19. “I believe in  eternal life ”: [12]  we profess our faith in these words. Christian hope is founded on these words. Indeed, it is “the theological virtue by which we desire to attain happiness […] which is eternal life”. [13]  The Second Vatican Council affirms: “Without this foundation in God and hope in eternal life, human dignity would be gravely wounded, as is often the case today, and the mysteries of life and death, of sin and suffering would remain unsolved, and men would often fall into despair.” [14]  On the other hand, thanks to the hope of salvation, as we watch the passage of time, we are certain that human history and the history of each person are not heading towards a dead end or a dark abyss, but are directed towards the encounter with the glorified Lord. Let us therefore live in expectation of his return and in the hope of living forever in him. It is in this spirit that the moving invocation of the first Christians, which also concludes the Bible, becomes our own prayer: “Come, Lord Jesus!” ( Rev  22:20).

20. Jesus died and rose again, and is at the heart of our faith. With just four verbs, Saint Paul succinctly conveys the “core” of our hope: “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, then to the Twelve” ( 1 Cor  15:3-5). Christ  died, was buried, rose, appeared.  He overcame the tragedy of death for us. The Father’s love resurrected him in the power of the Holy Spirit, making his humanity the eternal firstfruits of our salvation. Christian hope consists precisely in this: in the face of death, where everything seems to have come to an end, we know with certainty that, thanks to Christ, through his grace communicated to us in Baptism, “life is not lost but changed”, [15]  forever. Indeed, in Baptism, by being buried with Christ, we receive from him, the Risen One, the gift of new life that breaks down the wall of death and transforms it into a path to eternity.

And if, in the face  of death , a painful separation forces us to part with our loved ones, without any words of comfort, the Jubilee Year offers us the opportunity to rediscover, with profound gratitude, the gift of new life received in Baptism, capable of transforming this tragedy. It is important to reflect, in the context of the Jubilee, on how this mystery has been understood from the earliest times of the Church. For a long time, for example, Christians built baptismal fonts in the shape of an octagon, and even today we can admire many ancient baptismal fonts that have retained this shape, such as those in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome. This shows that, in the baptismal fonts, the eighth day was inaugurated, the day of the resurrection, which breaks the usual weekly rhythm and opens the cycle of time to the eternal dimension, to life that lasts forever. That is the goal toward which we strive on our earthly pilgrimage (cf.  Rom  6:22).

The martyrs  give us the most convincing witness to this hope. Because of their unwavering faith in the Risen Christ, they were willing to renounce their earthly lives rather than betray their Lord. In every age there have been martyrs who have proclaimed that life never ends, and there are many of them in our own time, perhaps more than ever before. We need to preserve their witness in order to make our own hope fruitful.

These martyrs of different Christian traditions are also seeds of unity because they express the ecumenism of blood. That is why I earnestly hope that during the Holy Year there will be an ecumenical celebration, in order to highlight the rich witness of these martyrs.

21. So what happens to us after death? With Jesus, beyond the threshold of death, there is eternal life, which is full communion with God, contemplating and participating in his infinite love. What we hope for today, we will see in reality one day. Saint Augustine wrote on this subject: “When I am completely one with you, there will be no more pain, no more toil; my life will be completely alive, completely filled with you.” [16]  So what is the characteristic of this full communion? It is happiness.  Happiness  is the vocation of man, the goal dear to every person.

But what is happiness? What happiness do we expect and desire? Not the fleeting joy, the momentary satisfaction which, once attained, always demands more in the whirlpool of desires; where the human soul is never satisfied but grows more and more empty. We need a happiness which is achieved once and for all in that which makes us grow, that is, in love, so that from now on we can say: I am loved, therefore I am; and I will always be in the Love that does not disappoint me. Nothing and no one can separate me from that Love. Let us recall once again the words of the Apostle: “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” ( Rom  8:38-39).

22. Another reality linked to eternal life is that of  God’s  judgment , when we die and at the end of time. Art has often sought to represent this event – ​​according to the theological conception of the time and instilling in the viewer a sense of awe – as, for example, Michelangelo’s masterpiece in the Sistine Chapel. While it is right to prepare oneself consciously and seriously for the moment of the end of life, it must always be done with hope, the theological virtue that sustains life and prevents us from being afraid. The judgment of God, who is love (cf.  1 Jn  4:8,16), can only be based on love, and in particular on how we have or have not loved those most in need, in whom Christ, the Judge, is present (cf.  Mt  25:31-46). This is therefore a judgment different from that of men and of earthly tribunals. It must be understood as a relationship between truth and God-love and with oneself in the inscrutable mystery of God’s mercy. In this regard, Scripture affirms: “By doing this you have taught your people that the just must be merciful. You have given your children abundant hope that sinners will be granted the grace of repentance. […] and we must trust in your mercy when you judge us” ( Wis  12:19,22). As Pope Benedict XVI wrote: “At the last judgment we experience and accept this dominion of God’s love over all the evil in the world and in us. The suffering of love becomes our salvation and our joy.” [17]

Therefore, judgment concerns the salvation we await and which Jesus has won for us through his death and resurrection. And it will open us to the possibility of a final encounter with him. And since, in this context, we must not think that the evil committed remains hidden, it must  be purified  so as to help us enter definitively into the love of God. In this sense, we understand the need to pray for those who have completed their earthly journey, understanding that intercession is solidarity, effective thanks to the communion of saints and the common bond that unites us in Christ, the Firstborn of all creation. Thus, through prayer, the Jubilee Indulgence is especially granted to those who have gone before us so that they may enjoy the fullness of mercy.

23. Indeed,  indulgences  help us to discover how infinite God’s mercy is. It is no coincidence that in ancient times the terms “mercy” and “indulgence” were used interchangeably, precisely because the latter was intended to express God’s total forgiveness, a forgiveness without limits.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation  assures us that God forgives our sins. The words of the Psalm are powerful and comforting: “The Lord forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases. He redeems you from the pit and covers you with his unfailing love and mercy […] The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love […] He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. As the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his love for those who worship him. As the east is far from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us” ( Ps  103:3-4.8.10-12). The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not only a wonderful spiritual gift but also a decisive, essential and indispensable step on each person’s journey of faith. It is there that we allow the Lord to destroy our sins, to heal our hearts, to lift us up and embrace us, to make known to us his gentle and loving face. Indeed, there is no better way to know God than to let ourselves be reconciled by him (cf.  2 Cor  5:20), to experience his forgiveness. Let us therefore not refuse to go to confession, but rediscover the beauty of the sacrament of healing and joy, the beauty of the forgiveness of sins!

However, personal experience tells us that sin “leaves its mark”, it has consequences: not only external consequences in the sense of the consequences of the evil committed, but also internal consequences, in the sense that “every sin, even venial, brings with it a perverse attachment to creatures, which must be purified, either in this life or after death, in the state called purgatory.” [18]  Therefore, in our weak humanity, which is attracted to evil, “residual consequences of sin” remain. These are removed by indulgences, which always have their source in the grace of Christ, who is “our indulgence,” as Saint Paul VI wrote. [19]  The Apostolic Penitentiary will issue the norms for the application of the Jubilee Indulgence and for its effectiveness.

Such an experience of forgiveness necessarily opens the mind to  forgiveness . Forgiveness does not change the past, it does not fix what happened. But forgiveness allows us to change the future and live differently, without resentment, without resentment and without revenge. The future enlightened by forgiveness allows us to read the past with different, more peaceful eyes, even if our eyes are still filled with tears.

During the recent Extraordinary Jubilee Year, I commissioned the Missionaries of Mercy to continue to fulfil an important mission. May they also carry out their ministry in the coming Holy Year, restoring hope and offering forgiveness whenever sinners approach them with open hearts and repentance. May they continue to be instruments of reconciliation and help us to look to the future with the fervent hope that comes from the Father’s mercy. I hope that bishops will make good use of their precious service, especially by sending them to places where hope is sorely tested, such as prisons, hospitals and places where human dignity is violated, in situations of great need and despair, so that everyone may have the opportunity to receive God’s forgiveness and consolation.

24. The most eloquent witness to hope is  the Mother of God . In her, we see that hope is not an empty optimism, but a gift of grace in the reality of life. Like any mother, every time she looked at her Son, she thought of his future, and surely in her heart she kept engraved the words Simeon had said to her in the Temple: “Behold, this child will cause the fall and rise of many in Israel, and will be a sign that will be spoken against, and a sword will pierce your own soul too” ( Luke  2:34-35). And at the foot of the cross, when she saw the innocent Jesus suffer and die, despite her extreme suffering, she repeated her “yes” without losing hope or her trust in God. In doing so, she cooperated for us in fulfilling what her Son had said when he announced that “the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again” ( Mk  8:31). And in her pain offered out of love, she became our Mother, the Mother of hope. It is no coincidence that popular piety still invokes the Virgin as  Stella Maris , a title that expresses the sure hope that, in the storms of life, the Mother of God comes to our aid, sustains us and invites us to trust and to continue to hope.

In this regard, I would like to recall that the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico is preparing to celebrate in 2031 the fifth centenary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary. Through Juan Diego, the Mother of God delivered a revolutionary message of hope that she repeats today to all pilgrims and believers: “Am I not here, your Mother?” [20]  That message is also engraved in the hearts of many Marian shrines throughout the world, where countless pilgrims come to entrust to the Mother of God their worries, their sorrows and their hopes. In this Holy Year, shrines must be sacred places of welcome and places reserved for reawakening hope. I invite the pilgrims of Rome to pray at the Marian shrines of the city, to venerate the Virgin Mary and to ask for her protection. I am certain that everyone, especially those who suffer and are troubled, will experience the closeness of Mary, the most tender of mothers. She never abandons her children, and she is “a sign of sure hope and consolation” for the holy People of God. [21]

25. On our journey towards the Jubilee, let us return to the Scriptures and listen to the words that are addressed to us: “We who have taken refuge in God are strongly exhorted to take hold of the hope that is set before us, a hope that is as  an anchor of the soul, sure and steadfast  , within the veil of the sanctuary, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner on our behalf” ( Heb  6:18-20). This is a strong invitation never to lose sight of the hope that has been given to us, and to hold on to it by seeking refuge in God.

The image of the anchor suggests the stability and security we have amid the stormy waters of life if we lean on Jesus. The storms never prevail because we are anchored in the hope of grace that enables us to live in Christ by overcoming sin, fear and death. This hope, which is much greater than the satisfaction of our daily needs and the improvement of our living conditions, carries us through trials and spurs us on, keeping our eyes fixed on the great goal to which we are called, the Kingdom of Heaven.

The coming Holy Year will therefore be marked by a hope that never fails, a hope in God. May it also help us to regain the necessary trust in the Church and in society, in interpersonal relationships, in international relations, in the promotion of the dignity of all people and in respect for creation. May our witness of faith be a true leaven of hope for the world, a proclamation of a new heaven and a new earth (cf.  2  Pt  3:13), where we will live in justice and harmony among peoples, awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise.

From today let us allow this hope to attract us and, through us, to spread it to those who thirst for it. May our lives say to them: “Hope in the Lord, be strong and courageous; trust in the Lord” ( Ps  27:14). May the power of hope fill our present, as we confidently await the return of Jesus Christ, who is worthy of praise and glory, now and for ever.

Given in Rome, at Saint John Lateran,
on 9 May, the Solemnity of the Ascension of Jesus Christ, in the year 2024,
the twelfth of my Pontificate.

FRANCIS