Pope Francis addressed the Italian Union of the Blind and Partially Sighted on January 3, 2025, in the Vatican, urging them to embody the spirit of “pilgrims of hope” for the Jubilee Year 2025.
The Pope emphasized that 2025 is a jubilee year of hope. He reminded those present that the motto of this year is “pilgrims of hope,” and he called on them to be pilgrims, always on the move, at every age, children, youth, adults, the elderly, never still, never arriving at the destination but always with the desire to move forward. However, as he pointed out, to walk towards a destination:
But the “pilgrim” is one who not only walks, but has a destination, and a particular destination: the pilgrim’s destination is a holy place, which attracts him, which motivates the journey, which sustains him in his fatigue. In the case of the Jubilee, the destination is a door. Curious, isn’t it? The Holy Door. Of course, it is a symbol: the Holy Door represents Jesus Christ, His Mystery of salvation, which allows us to enter into the new life, free from the slavery of sin, free to love and serve God and neighbor.
The Pope explained that pilgrims are eager to meet Jesus because He alone can give us meaning and joy:
And so I would like to wish for you not only to be on the move, but also pilgrims, that is, eager to meet Jesus, to know Him, to listen to His Word that gives meaning to life, that fills it with a new joy, a different joy, a joy that does not remain “outside”, on the surface, but which fills the heart and warms it, a joy that is peace, that is goodness, that is tenderness. The joy of Jesus is like this. Only Jesus can give this joy. It is shown by the witness of many saints of all times, even of our time. Think of Pier Giorgio Frassati, a young man from Turin who lived a hundred years ago. And then there are the great “champions,” such as Francis and Claire of Assisi, whom you all know; or Thérèse of the Child Jesus, a young Frenchwoman of the late nineteenth century – she was so enamored by Jesus that she would have liked to travel around the entire world to proclaim Him to everyone, and discovered that the way to do so was to become love herself, in a life consecrated to prayer and the service of her sisters.
The Pope described those saints as “pilgrims of hope,” young people who have met the Lord Jesus and walked with Him, who is the hope of every man and woman.
Pope Francis concluded by encouraging everyone present to journey together as small signs of hope, inspiring others in their daily lives.
