The Jubilee Year of 2025: An Invitation of Preparation from Pope Francis

Did you know that the Holy Father has invited Catholics everywhere, in 2023, to read the 4 major documents of Vatican II? This invitation is in preparation for the Jubilee Year 2025. The Church celebrates jubilees at least once every 25 years. For example, St. John Paul II celebrated the Great Jubilee Year in 2000, guiding the Catholic Church into the 3rd millennium.

Jubilees are a time to focus on repentance, thanksgiving, and prayer; they are a spiritual pilgrimage. They give us opportunities to receive graces and grow closer to God. During 2023, Pope Francis has invited us to prepare for the Holy Year by reading the 4 dogmatic constitutions of Vatican II. Why is this important?

Here are a few of my musings. Unfortunately, Vatican II has been heavily politicized and a strong point of contention between “liberal” and “conservative” Catholics (I think labeling others as such is divisive; we are all Catholic, a part of the one Church, which transcends everything else). But it seems to me that many Catholics have not read the documents.

For me, reading the 4 constitutions while forgetting everything I’ve heard, good or bad, about Vatican II, helped me understand the true spirit of Vatican II. I got my information from the primary sources, rather than from what I’ve been hearing in various Church circles. As Pope Francis states,

“The four Constitutions of the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council… will continue to provide direction and guidance to God’s holy people, so that it can press forward in its mission of bringing the joyful proclamation of the Gospel to everyone,” (Letter of the Holy Father Francis to Msgr. Rino Fisichella for the Promotion of the New Evangelization for the Jubilee 2025).

These constitutions help us to proclaim the Gospel while engaging with the modern world. And they teach us that everyone has a call to this mission, not just the clergy, and that the role of the laity is crucial (See Lumen Gentium chapter 5 on the universal call to holiness). The documents also lead to a renewed appreciation for the liturgy, scripture, and tradition.

I think the documents from Vatican II are beautiful and refreshing. The time I spent reading them was well worth it. If you’d like to read the 4 constitutions, they can be found on the Vatican website by clicking the links below:

Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations)

Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium (Sacred Council)

Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World: Gaudium et Spes (Joy and Hope)

Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation: Dei Verbum (Word of God)