Notizie

“Jubilee” is the name of a particular year: most likely this denomination originates from the instrument used to indicate its beginning, namely the yobel, the ram’s horn, whose sound announced the Day of Atonement. In the Bible we read that it had to be convened every 50 years, since it was the ‘extra’ year to be lived every seven weeks of years (Lev 25,8-13), and represented the occasion in which to re-establish the correct relationship with God, between people and with creation; it involved the remission of debts, the restitution of alienated lands and the rest of the earth. In 1300 Boniface VIII proclaimed the first Jubilee, also called “Holy Year” because it was configured as a time in which to experience that the holiness of God transforms the heart of every man. It takes place every 25 years and, if one participates with faith, allows one to obtain plenary indulgence.

Some special signs characterize the Jubilee.

THE PILGRIMAGE

The Jubilee asks us to set out on a journey and overcome some boundaries: moving, in fact, is not just a change of location, but the possibility of transforming ourselves. For centuries, the Sacred Michaelic Grotto has been a destination for pilgrimages and has welcomed millions of faithful who, under the gaze of the Archangel, came longing for forgiveness and conversion.

THE DOOR

Crossing the threshold means recognizing Christ as the “door” and trusting his words: “If anyone enters through me, he will be saved” (see John 10). The door is also the means by which one enters the interior of a church, the sacred space: at the entrance of the Celestial Basilica stands a plaque that presents it as the “House of God and Gate of Heaven”, referring to the deeply spiritual experience of encounter and dialogue with the Lord, as well as reconciliation and inner peace.

RECONCILIATION

Reconciliation is one of the cornerstones of this “favorable time” because it is the cause and consequence of conversion. It helps to put God at the center of one’s existence and to move toward Him, recognizing His primacy. It is, ultimately, the meaning of the cry “Quis ut Deus” and of the message and action of Saint Michael: He promised that whoever went to the Spelonca, repentant and contrite, would obtain forgiveness of their sins. The Sanctuary is recognized as a Place of Penance and Mercy.

THE PROFESSION OF FAITH

It is a sign of recognition of the baptized: it summarizes the central content of the faith and the main truths that a believer accepts and testifies on the day of baptism and shares with the entire Christian community for the rest of his life. CHARITY The preeminent feature of the Christian faith and its form of credibility. Saint Peter said (see 1Pt 4:8): “Above all, maintain great charity among yourselves, because charity covers a multitude of sins.” The evangelist John echoes him when he states that love for one’s neighbor will allow one to recognize the true disciples of Christ in the future.

PRAYER

There are many ways and many reasons to pray: at the base there is always the desire to open oneself to the presence of God and to his offer of love.

PLENARY INDULGENCE

Indulgence is the concrete manifestation of God’s Mercy, a treasure of grace that has become history in Jesus and the saints: looking at these examples, and living in communion with them, the hope of forgiveness and of one’s own path to holiness is strengthened and becomes certain. Concretely, in addition to the canonical conditions (make a pilgrimage; attend Holy Mass; celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation; pray in the intentions of the Pontiff; recite the “Creed”), this experience also requires some actions that translate into the so-called corporal works of mercy (Feed the hungry; Give drink to the thirsty; Clothe the naked; Lodge pilgrims; Visit the sick; Visit the imprisoned; Bury the dead) and spiritual works of mercy (Advise the doubtful; Teach the errant; Admonish sinners; Console the afflicted; Forgive offenses; Patiently bear troublesome people; Pray for the living and the dead).