College of Saint Benedict, Sacred Heart Chapel
The crowd in today’s Gospel has set out on a journey, coming from all corners of the land in a common quest. They have come from nearby neighborhoods, from Jerusalem, from Tyre and Sidon, from the region beyond the Jordan. They have heard that a man has been freed from a demon. Another has been cured of leprosy. A woman has been healed of a threatening fever. A paralytic has been seen walking through the streets. They have heard that Jesus even has forgiven sins. The crowd has flocked to Jesus, curious if what they have heard is true. They’ve come to see the wonders for themselves, many hoping to receive a miracle for themselves. Together, they have become pilgrims in hope that they will see something fresh, receive something new.
We, too, are invited to join the crowd as pilgrims of hope in this Jubilee Year 2025. Pope Francis has called us as a global community to live with a spirit of pilgrimage throughout the year. To journey “with an open spirit, a trusting heart, a far-sighted mission.” To make a pilgrimage. To pray. To offer works of justice and charity in the context of relationship with those in need. To delight in and care for creation. To grow as a human family. To journey together in hope. (cf. Letter on the Promotion of the New Evangelization for the Jubilee 2025.)
In many ways, this Jubilee journey is a share in Jesus’s healing ministry as we come seeking renewal for ourselves and as we do works of mercy for others. How will you join the journey this year?
Kimberly Baker
Kimberly Baker, PhD, is associate professor of patristics at Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology and cofounder of Women of the Church, a Catholic leadership forum.
Kimberly Baker from the January 2025 issue of Give Us This Day giveusthisday.org (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2025). Used with permission.