Jubilee Year is an opportunity to be present, prayerful, and purposeful to those in need
By Bishop Mark Beckman
The great Jubilee Year of 2025 begins this Christmas Eve when Pope Francis opens the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, an event that ordinarily takes place every 25 years in the life of the Church.
The name given by Pope Francis to this jubilee is “Pilgrims of Hope,” and the artistic logo shows pilgrims moving forward across a wavy sea reaching out to the cross, which is attached to an anchor. The rough waves are meant to be a reminder that the journey of life is not always smooth.
Indeed, the coming year’s jubilee takes place in the background of a world touched by major wars in various parts of the world, polarization and conflict in many countries, the painful effects of climate change, and many other forms of human suffering. Indeed, here in our own Diocese of Knoxville, our Five Rivers Deanery has been directly impacted by the remnants of Hurricane Helene, as were so many other states.
Recently, a group from our Chancery offices was able to visit some of the hardest hit areas of our diocese. Witnessing firsthand the destruction caused by the floodwaters left an indelible mark on my mind. More profoundly, meeting those directly impacted and the terrible losses they have experienced remain engraved in my heart.
We first met a circle of people in Erwin at the local Catholic church who were trying to process what had happened. Some had lost loved ones in the floodwaters, others were witnesses to what took place, and still others had family members who had not yet been found. The grief, shock, and loss were palpable.
Later at a local press conference, family members held up photos of missing loved ones, calling out to authorities to help them find their lost family members and friends, a heart-wrenching experience. In the face of such pain, what can we do?
Perhaps the call of Pope Francis to “cling to the cross of Christ,” which is our only true anchor in the storms of life, is part of the answer. We are called to be “Pilgrims of Hope” in the darkest moments. Being a “pilgrim of hope” means being present to others in their suffering, walking with them in love, living with them in a solidarity of prayer. Presence, prayer, purposeful actions of support and compassion—these are embodied signs of hope.
I was truly moved by the goodness and service of countless men and women, young and old, who simply showed up to help, and to the many who have made financial contributions to support those in flood-ravaged areas.
My own recent trip to Rome to attend the required “new bishops’ school,” with hundreds of other bishops from throughout the world, deepened my own awareness of the universality of this beautiful Catholic Church. Bishops from all over the planet revealed the “waves” that afflicted their own parts of the world.
I met bishops from India, where clergy are being persecuted for their Christian faith by the government. A bishop from Lebanon was standing next to me when we received the news that “pager bombs” had detonated throughout his country. A bishop from Syria pleaded with the pope for prayers for suffering Christians there and throughout the Middle East. And a bishop from Ukraine spoke about how the Russian advance had come within seven kilometers of his home.
Yet what moved me the most from being in Rome with all of these bishops was a profound experience of hope and solidarity. The joy, prayer, and peace I witnessed on their faces spoke to me of Christ.
As we move forward in this beautiful Christian life here in the Diocese of Knoxville, I want to invite and challenge all of us to truly be “pilgrims of hope”! Let us cling to the cross of Christ, bearing witness to His love for everyone, allowing the anchor of our faith to hold us in peace in the storms of life.
On one of my journeys to Rome, our guide would call out “Andiamo!” It’s a beautiful Italian word that means something like “Let’s go!” or “Hurry Up!” Andiamo, brothers and sisters! Let’s go forward now together as pilgrims of hope in a world desperately yearning for the light of Christ.
Top photo: Bishop Mark Beckman and Father Tom Charters, GHM, associate pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Erwin, Tenn., attend a press conference at Unicoi County High School on Oct. 2 with family members of loved ones who were killed or missing in Hurricane Helene flooding. (Photo Bill Brewer)
