Pope Francis has released the official Jubilee prayer. It’s available in nearly 20 different languages on the official Jubilee website so people around the world can pray it with one heart in many voices.
In the first stanza, we call to mind the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity that we receive as gifts from God, infused in our souls. We can pray for an increase of these virtues and work with God to activate them in our lives.
The second stanza calls to mind the parable of the Sower and our mission to spread the gospel. We might be sowing seeds that we never see grow into full flower. Or we may be sowing seeds for someone else to harvest! But we do our part in humility, trusting in the Lord that he will be faithful to his promises. It might be easy to lose hope if we keep our eyes focused on this life and our current age with its problems and anxieties. We are called to hope in the new heaven and the new earth, trusting that the Lord works all things for good, and having faith that someday these sufferings will be transformed into glory.
The third stanza prays that this special Holy Year, which has been set apart, can be an impetus of grace both in our own lives and throughout the world. This is not just a ritual or a tradition in a faraway place. We are all called to enter more deeply into prayer and acts of charity this year, finding ways to dedicate this year in a special way to the Lord. The graces are ready to be given! Let’s not waste this opportunity!
The Jubilee Prayer
Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.
Amen.
Interested in going on pilgrimage to Rome for the Jubilee? Join us! You can find more information here.
