Every 25 years, the Catholic Church celebrates a Jubilee. 2025 will be special for several reasons and Pope Francis wants all Catholics to prepare ourselves for this special Holy Year of grace by living 2024 as a Year of Prayer.
The celebration of Holy Years has its roots in the ancient Hebrew tradition of the jubilee (yobel), which was a special time devoted to forgiveness and reconciliation. For Catholics, since year 1300, the Holy Year is a special occasion to ponder on the gift of divine mercy and the importance of our personal conversion.
Every 25 years, the Pope opens the Holy Doors at the basilicas in Rome, which are crossed by thousands of pilgrims who travel to the Eternal City for this purpose. By extension, bishops open a holy door in their dioceses so all Catholics can benefit from the indulgences received during a jubilee.
The 2025 Ordinary Jubilee will be the only ordinary jubilee the Catholic Church will celebrate under the pastoral guidance of Pope Francis. It will mark 1700 years of the First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the church, summoned to resolve the Arian controversy over the nature of Jesus and his relationship to God, the Father, in particular, whether the Son had been ‘begotten’ by the Father from his own being, and therefore having no beginning, or else created out of nothing, and therefore having a beginning. A significant fruit of this council was the formulation of the Nicene Creed. In addition, the church reached an agreement on when to celebrate Easter, the most important feast in the calendar.
“Teach us to Pray” – A guide for the Year of Prayer
For this Year of Prayer, the Dicastery of Evangelization has issued a guide titled “Teach us to Pray”. Inspired by the teachings of Pope Francis, this booklet is written as an aid to intensify our prayer as a dialogue with God. The guide covers prayer in the parish community, in the family, by young people, in cloistered communities, during catechesis and in spiritual retreats.
Prayer in the parish community
The Sunday celebration of the Lord’s Day and his Eucharist is at the heart of the life of the Church (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church 2177) and the parish in that it is «the source and summit of all Christian life» (Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, 11). The Year of Prayer in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025 offers a valuable opportunity for preparing and deepening our understanding of the true meaning of the Eucharist. This guides explains, step by step, how to make of each part of Mass a moment of attentive prayer.
In parishes, the practice of the Liturgy of the Hours can help parochial communities to achieve the prayer without ceasing recommended by St. Paul to the Thessalonians (1 Thess 5:17).
The guide, in this section, also proposes a special format for contemplative prayer during Eucharistic Adoration, highlighting this is an indispensable means for encountering the Lord.
Prayer in the family
In this section, the prayer guide explains how families can become schools of prayer and provides examples of family prayer, explains how to pray at the table before and after meals and at the beginning and end of the day. It also recommends that families pray the Lauds every Sunday during this Year of Prayer, as a family preparation towards the Jubilee, and explains in detail how to say this prayer in family.
Young people’s prayer
Youth is a time of transition in which childhood practices are questioned in the search of a more intimate way to connect with God. Based on Samuel’s prayer,«Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening» (1Sam 3:9), this guide explains young Catholics how to understand God’s will. It also explains how to organize meeting prayers that will help young people in a simple and straightforward way to relate to the Lord.
Prayer retreats
Jesus liked to go into deserted places to pray to his Father. This practice makes two aspects Christian prayer evident: removing oneself from the daily routine and a silent heart capable of listening to the voice of God. Prayer retreats can offer the space and time needed for this practice in order to attain the spiritual conversion and renewal of heart to which we have been invited by the Holy Spirit, especially as we prepare ourselves for the Jubilee.
Prayer in catechesis
A crucial step in the evangelization process is catechesis. It promotes growth and maturation in the faith. Catechesis educates for prayer and in prayer, developing the contemplative dimension of Christian experience (Directory for Catechesis 56 and 86).
This section outlines a series of practical guidelines for the catechesis on prayer under different circumstances and liturgical seasons.
The prayer of the cloistered
Cloistered communities do master the practice of prayer in different fashions. Monks and nuns play a prominent role in their dedication to prayer in this Year of Prayer precisely.
This guide recommends pilgrimages to monasteries as an experience of conversion toward God’s holiness.
Prayer in sanctuaries
Shrines are special places where the faithful can feel and experience how vital it is to pray. Especially, the Our Father that invokes the Lord’s return. At a shrine, pilgrims can sense the mysterious presence of God in their personal lives. Therefore, this guide invites the faithful to visit shrines and pray entrusting special intentions with the desire that the 2025 Jubilee will be a true year of reconciliation, overflowing with spiritual graces for everyone.
The prayer of the faithful for the 2025 Jubilee
In this section, the guide stresses the importance of the prayer of God’s people for the Holy Year and provides examples of prayers of the faithful in preparation for Jubilee 2025, such as the prayer of intercession, the prayer of praise, the prayer of thanksgiving and the prayer of petition.
You may download the full guide in PDF of the guide “Teach us to Pray” from the Vatican’s website of the 2025 Jubilee:
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