SEEDS OF HOPE
As we celebrate this year, we want to encourage and edify others with testimonies of hope and stories of God's work that bring hope.
Resource: Jesus and the Jubilee: The Biblical Roots of the Year of God’s Favor by Dr. John Bergsma
"You are children of the light! You belong to Christ, and He has called you by name."
–Pope St. John Paul II
It is truly a blessing to share the gift of baptism with our daughter, Rose Elizabeth, and to remind her that she is a child of the Light. From the moment we found out we were pregnant we knew her life was a sign of the Lord’s love and light in our life. Her precious life is a witness to God’s faithfulness. In all things, big and small, the Lord’s love has been steadfast in our lives.
As Rosie’s parents it is our mission to always remind her of her identity as a beloved daughter of God. We want her to cling to Christ in all things, especially in a world that tries to find idols elsewhere. In her joys we pray that she runs to Jesus and in her sorrows we pray that she runs to Jesus. He will never disappoint her.
Watching our daughter grow in her love for Christ and her relationship with Him is a great privilege. The Lord has called us for a reason to be Rosie’s parents and lead her in the faith. Her name came to both of us in prayer during different times, this was before we even knew she was a girl. Her life and her name are a constant reminder that the Lord sees the desires of our hearts and wants to fulfill them. We are surrounded by miracles every day—we need only open the eyes of our hearts to notice them. This is our prayer for Rosie, that she may always keep the eyes of her heart open to the miracles Christ wants to do in her life.
The "Seeds of Hope" series continues with Allen's testimony of his faith journey and his yes to the Lord.
Allen Golan, a parishioner at St. Michael's, has been accepted as a postulant into Mt. Angel Abbey. Currently residing in Portland, but originally from Silverton, OR, Allen is a cradle catholic but fell away from the faith after high-school. Many years later, after the covid lock downs, Allen experienced a mental health crisis, which was the catalyst for his return to the faith. He attended Alpha at St. Michael's, and had a powerful experience at the Holy Spirit Retreat. Since then he has been on fire for God, with the discernment of religious life being a natural fruit. Allen will be entering Mt. Angel Abbey on March 20, 2025, and would appreciate prayers for humility and perseverance from the St. Michael's community.
We continue with our series "Seeds of Hope" during this Jubilee year. You can read Joe’s testimony below!
A few years after I was baptized in 1971, my family left the Catholic church. We came from generations of Catholics, so leaving caused heartbreak and division among my relatives. We became Baptists, and I grew devoted to Baptist theology. I even went to seminary. There, I studied church history, which drew me to the sacraments; the sacraments led me to Lutheranism. After moving to Portland in 2019, I stepped into St. Michael's. I'm still not sure why. But after RCIA (twice), tribunals, and lots of struggle, Father Ignacio received me into the church in April 2024—over fifty years after my baptism.
This news brought some disappointment for family and friends. So it was an even bigger surprise when my youngest son called me in September from Bellingham, where he lives and attends school. He said he was joining OCIA. Then, in January, Christopher texted, "You should come to mass Saturday [because] that's when my confirmation is." That day, with two pews of friends and family, Christopher was received into the Church in the same building where his grandparents (and toddler father) had attended over fifty years earlier.
God's time works differently than ours; fifty years is not too late, and a few months is not too soon. He never gives up on us, nor does he turn a deaf ear to the prayers of his people.
Photo: Christopher Johnson, pictured here with Father Jeffrey Moore, Church of the Assumption, Bellingham, WA (January 11, 2025)
Here's our first story from our Mercy Missionaries and some of their friends:
Last year, we started to find out our street friends' birthdays and favorite cakes, and go out looking for them to celebrate their lives. The first person we gave a homemade cake to said, "I don't know when I last celebrated my birthday." He was turning 33. It's amazing what a difference it makes for them--to know they are loved, that someone is glad they're alive, to receive a cake, to be sung "Happy Birthday to you," to be told you are being prayed for.
Last Friday, five of us went out to celebrate Riley's 25th birthday. He wanted a giant chocolate peanut butter chip cookie, so we made it and brought it to him, with candles and napkins. He was really moved by it, hugged us, took selfies, and set up his phone to take a group picture. "I've been looking forward to this so much," he said. "I was afraid you wouldn't find me." (He had recently had to move because of a sweep.) "Riley," we told him, "we would have kept looking until we could find you. Happy birthday!"
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As we begin this Jubilee of Hope, we want to include some information that can help us understand the Jubilee and its importance, plus ways to take part in the graces of the Jubilee Year.
Where did the idea of the Jubilee originate? The year of jubilee was instituted in Leviticus 24 and 25. Every 50 years, a jubilee was celebrated, land was returned it its original owners, debts were forgiven, slaves set free. And Jesus, when he begins his public ministry, quoting from Isaiah, proclaims that he is inaugurating a jubilee.
How long has the Church been celebrating Jubilee Years? The first Jubilee was celebrated in 1300, and after that, for a time the Church held a Jubilee Year every 100 years, but that was reduced to every 50 years by the next Pope. In 1389, the Jubilee was set for every 33 years, in honor of the years of Christ’s life. However, since 1450, ordinary Jubilees have been held every 25 years, with the exception of two Jubilee’s during the Napoleonic wars.
What characterizes a Jubilee Year? The Jubilee Year is also called a “Holy Year,” because it is a time in which God’s grace and holiness particularly transform us. It is a year of powerful grace for the life of the Church and each person in the Church. It has seven characteristics: pilgrimage, the holy door, reconciliation, prayer, liturgy, faith, and indulgences. In the upcoming weeks, we will dive into each of these characteristics.
What is the connection between the Jubilee Year and the Works of Mercy? In “Spes Non Confundit,”the papal bull for this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis calls for all of us to be signs of hope for the world, and in that call to be signs of hope, he particularly emphasizes the works of mercy. Participating n the works of mercy is a way of manifesting hope to those who are suffering from various difficult or distressing situations, such as homelessness, illness, etc. The works of mercy both teach us to hope more in what God’s mercy can do for others and teach us how to be living witnesses to God’s merciful love. The Pope writes: “During the Holy Year, we are called to be tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind.”
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One of the key signs of the Jubilee Year is the opening of the Holy Doors, in Rome and throughout the world. Pope Francis opened the first Holy Door at St. Peter’s on Christmas Eve, officially ushering in this Jubilee Year of Hope, and in the following days, a Holy Door was opened in each of the Basilicas in Rome. Bishops throughout the world have also opened Holy Doors in their dioceses. Here in Portland, Archbishop Sample opened the Holy Door in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and designated other sites for Jubilee Pilgrimages.
What is a Holy Door, and what is its significance? The Holy Door is so called because it calls everyone who walks through that door to walk in holiness of life. The custom of the Holy Door goes all the way back to 1423. In this Jubilee of Hope, the opening of the Holy Door signifies that the door of hope has been opened to the whole world, the hope that comes from Jesus Christ. In his Christmas Eve homily, the occasion for opening the first Holy Door in Rome, Pope Francis said, “The ‘holy door’ of God’s heart lies open before you. Jesus, God-with-us, is born for you, for us, for every man and woman. With Him, joy flourishes; with Him, life changes; with Him, hope does not disappoint.”
Why make a pilgrimage to a Holy Door? Pilgrimage allows one time for prayer and reflection, and signifies the journey to God, the journey of renewal in hope. If you can’t make it to Rome, there are 10 sites in this Archdiocese, including the Cathedral and the Grotto. As Archbishop Sample said in his homily at the opening of the Jubilee here in Portland, we are called to be pilgrims of hope, to be renewed in hope for ourselves, and to bring hope out to the world.
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During this Jubilee Year of Hope, indulgences may be gained, indulgences which are to be seen as a special gift of grace of this holy year.
What is an indulgence? According to the Catechism, “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.”
Why is an indulgence connected to the Jubilee Year? The Jubilee Year is a time of extraordinary grace. An indulgence granted in the Jubilee Year is a special celebration and gift of that abundant grace.
How can I receive an indulgence? Indulgences connected to this Jubilee of Hope can be received through pilgrimages, through pious visits to sacred places, and through works of mercy and penance. For all the details about how, please visit usccb.org/jubilee2025.