The Cross of Christ—Our anchor of hope in the Jubilee year

In the Diocese of Calgary, we inaugurated the opening of the Jubilee Year of Hope on the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday, December 29, 2024.

​This special year of grace invites us to be Pilgrims of Hope and to experience signs of Christian hope in our daily lives of faith that do not deceive or disappoint because they are founded upon the certainty that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. We hear this echoed in the words of St. Paul, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or the sword?” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:35, 37–39). St. Paul knows that life is filled with its ups and downs, that we experience both joy and sorrow, that our faith and love are tested amid trials, and through all of these we come to know that “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

In the last Ordinary Jubilee Year in 2000, we marked two millennia since the birth of Jesus Christ. In 2015, Pope Francis proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee year that focused on the “merciful face of God.” This upcoming year coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD) which was convoked to preserve the unity of the Church when it was threatened by a heretical teaching that denied the full divinity of Jesus Christ. The Council Fathers who met formulated the Creed that we say today as a profession of faith when we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist. They introduced the expression “We believe” as a statement of communion, and that Christians profess a unity of belief that Jesus Christ, who is “consubstantial with the Father,” is truly human and divine.

​This Jubilee Year also provides us with the opportunity to promote a visible path of unity through our pastoral renewal. As we enter this next stage of pastoral planning, we will develop goals and actions that promote the three diocesan priorities that can be signs of hope. This Renewal of our parishes is a response to the urgent need for evangelization, to form missionary disciples in Christ, to be a Church of encounter and witness, and to strengthen family life. As Pope Francis stated, “all the baptized, with their respective charisms and ministries, are co-responsible for ensuring that the manifold signs of hope bear witness to God’s presence in the world.” [Spes non Confundit #17]

The signs of hope which God’s grace calls us to discover in our Pastoral Renewal are the signs of the times that the Lord reveals to the Church in every generation. The first sign of hope is the desire to work for peace and justice in the world. The second is the social covenant to support and foster the hope for the transmission of life and to encourage young people to give birth to new sons and daughters. The third is to promote amnesty and pardon for prisoners deprived of their freedom. Fourth, is to support the sick, those who experience their own weakness and limitations, and the healthcare workers who care for them. Fifth, is to accompany migrants, those who are exiled, displaced persons and refugees who search for a better life for themselves and their families. The sixth is to esteem the treasure and life experience of the elderly and grandparents who are a bridge to the younger generation. To care for young people who face an uncertain future in education, employment opportunities, financial security, and the confidence that they will inherit just and democratic structures of society. Finally, to support the poor who lack the essentials of life and who are always found among our next-door neighbours.

​The ultimate sign of our hope is the Cross of Christ. This symbol figured prominently in our opening Mass for the Jubilee Year of Hope, and it continues to be of significance in our diocesan Church. The Cross was carried in pilgrimage to the Cathedral as we chanted the Litany of the Saints. Upon entering the front doors of the Cathedral, I invited the faithful to venerate the Cross with the invocation “Hail, cross of Christ, our only hope,” to which they responded “You are our hope, we will never be confounded.” 

It is important to note that this Diocesan Jubilee Year Cross is the same one that will be processed on Good Friday through the downtown streets of Calgary. This is the sign in which the people of the Diocese began our pilgrimage of faith in this Jubilee Year of Hope. 

In a world in which progress and regression are intertwined, the Cross of Christ remains an anchor of salvation: a sign of hope that does not disappoint because it is founded on the love of God, merciful and faithful.” (Pope Francis, General Audience, Piazza San Pietro – 21 September 2022). 

May the grace of this Jubilee Year of Hope allow us to experience the mercy of God and thus renew each of us in our faithful witness to Christ. ​

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How do I participate in the Jubilee Year of Hope?
The 2025 Jubilee invites everyone on a pilgrimage of hope—locally in our diocese or cathedral, at Canada’s shrines, or in Rome. It’s a time to renew faith, seek grace, and grow in unity with God and one another. Visit catholicyyc.ca/jubilee for resources and ways to take part.

For more information about the Jubilee Year in the Diocese of Calgary, contact [email protected] 

Photos: Bandi Szakony for the Diocese of Calgary.

PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING MASS FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR

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Written by Most Rev.  William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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​Jan 5, 2025