A little over a week ago, I crossed seven sacred thresholds in Rome - each one a doorway into silence, mercy, and mystery. Conceived by St. Philip Neri in the 16th century, this Seven Churches pilgrimage is one of the oldest Roman traditions. I walked about 15 km (9 miles) in 3 days across the city, passing through the Appian Way countryside, the catacombs, and some of Rome's best basilicas.
Every 25 years, the Roman Catholic Church declares a Jubilee Year, marked by renewal, mercy, and pilgrimage which the faithful are encouraged to undertake to acquire the Jubilee indulgence. The Jubilee Year has origins in the Old Testament. Rooted in Leviticus 25, the Jubilee Year in ancient Israel, occurring every fifty years, was a sacred time marked by the release of debts, liberation of slaves, and restoration of land - a divine reset for society.
In the New Testament, Jesus directly connects Isaiah 61:1-2 to His mission in Luke 4:18-19, when He reads from the scroll in the synagogue at Nazareth:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” (Luke 4:18–19; cf. Isaiah 61:1–2)
Immediately after reading, Jesus declares: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)
This moment marks His public announcement of His messianic identity and mission. Jesus presents Himself as He who fulfils the ancient Jubilee, having come to "preach the acceptable year of the Lord,” a time of grace, restoration, and liberation.
You may be wondering: What is a Jubilee indulgence?
It’s a gift of grace: The Church offers it to help people wipe away the spiritual consequences (called temporal punishment) of past sins that have already been forgiven.
Not a “get out of jail free” card: It doesn't replace confession or repentance - rather, it's like clearing the leftover emotional or spiritual mess after you’ve said “I’m sorry” and truly meant it.
To obtain a Jubilee indulgence, believers go on a sacred pilgrimage to Rome to walk to designated sacred Jubilee sites and walk through the Holy Door, take part in the Holy Mass and liturgical celebrations in any of the four Major Papal Basilicas of Rome, participate in Eucharistic adoration or meditation, pray for the Pope's intentions, and perform acts of mercy or charity. The crossing of the threshold of a Holy Door signifies that a pilgrim allows him or herself to be guided by Jesus and thus find their salvation.
Here's a preview of the Seven Churches pilgrimage I accomplished recently in Rome:
I invite you to watch this trailer as an introduction to my full journey.
Two things struck me in this walking pilgrimage:
1. Silence is a virtue. We need it for prayer. I used the word 'detoxifying' before when I visited Santo Domingo de Silos in 2014. Silence is detoxifying - stepping away from the daily rhythms of life, unplugging from the noise and chaos, and restoring our sense of faith in God. It's only in Silence that we can truly contemplate, discern, and hear God's whisper. 1 Kings 19:12 (NIV) says, "After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper." God reveals Himself to Elijah (and us) not in dramatic displays of power but sometimes in subtle ways.
Where love appears, there's harmony, smiles, gratitude, gentleness... but where it lacks, there's hostility, rudeness, and aggression (even passive aggressiveness).
I see with clarity now what Pope Francis had long promoted - love, joy, peace, and a heart for the poor. Both the late Pope Francis and our current Pope Leo XIV have prayed often for the victims of conflicts. Peace remains one of the Pope's deepest intentions. Let us all join in prayer for Peace -- in Gaza, Ukraine, along the Cambodia-Thailand border, and wherever war continues to blow up.
I feel what our Lord Jesus Christ pins for - a yearning for people to love Him and to have love for one another, for peace.
As pilgrims of hope, in this Jubilee Year of Hope, we choose NOT to focus on the dark and tragic events around us, but to pay attention to all the good in the world. In this pilgrimage, the good can be seen in smiling nuns who greet you, the nodding affirmation of a priest who hears your confession, the beauty of historic Roman architecture that stands the test of time, the meaningful encounters you meet with fellow pilgrims, and the renewals received through the Holy Spirit. We choose to bring our salt and light into this world, to bring out goodness and share the fruit of the Spirit in the face of so much evil, violence, and suffering. The reason for our Hope is in the Word of God, the Logos, in Jesus Christ.
I encourage you dear reader to go into a quiet place to contemplate, pray, and get close to the love of Jesus Christ. Invite Him into your life.
Let me know if you have any questions or comments - like if you wish for me to elaborate on my experience in Vallombrosa, perhaps?
May every threshold you cross stir the soul and awaken the Spirit within.
In a future post, I'll take you through my first day of walking - from the majestic St. Peter's Basilica to the historic St. Paul Outside the Walls, with stops and quiet reflections along the way.
God bless you, my dear readers.
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