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Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - In the pilgrimage of Christian life a new beginning is always possible. It is always possible to start anew. This was repeated by the Fathers of the Church, such as Saint Irenaeus of Lyon. Pope Francis repeated this today, January 11, as he inaugurated the "Saturday Jubilee audiences", similar in structure to the Wednesday General Audiences, which will mark the coming months and allow the Bishop of Rome to "ideally welcome and embrace all those who are coming from all over the world in search of a new beginning. Indeed, the Jubilee is a new beginning, the possibility for everyone to start anew from God". In a playful manner, Pope Francis, taking his cue from the various passages of his reflection, invited the multitude gathered in the Paul VI Hall several times during the Audience to chant the word ‘Start again!’ all together.
The common thread of the special cycle of Jubilee Audiences will be that of Hope, the key word of the Holy Year 2025.
Hope - explained the Pope, repeating what the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches - is "a theological virtue", that is, "a strength that comes from God. Hope, therefore, is not a habit or a character trait – that you either have or you don’t – but a strength to be asked for. That is why we make ourselves pilgrims: we come to ask for a gift, to start again on life’s journey".
Taking inspiration from the feast of the Baptism of Jesus, which is celebrated tomorrow, Pope Francis recalled the figure of "that great prophet of hope who was John the Baptist". Many people recalled the Pope - "flocked to him, longing for a new beginning, longing to start over". Jesus himself - continued the Successor of Peter, quoting the words reported in the Gospel of Luke - said that "among those born of women, no one is greater than John". But he also added that "the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he". "Here is the surprise", commented the Pope: "welcoming the Kingdom of God leads us to a new order of greatness".
Like John the Baptist, who in prison, before being beheaded on Herod's orders, was "full of questions", "we too", the Pope continued, "bring many questions on our pilgrimage, because there are many “Herods” who still oppose the Kingdom of God. Jesus, however, shows us the new path, the path of the Beatitudes, which are the surprising law of the Gospel". And we can always start again "from this originality of God, which shone in Jesus and which now binds us to serve, to love fraternally, to acknowledge ourselves as small. And to see the least, to listen to them and to be their voice. Here - concluded the Pontiff - is the new beginning, our Jubilee. And so we must…" And the multitude, at the urging of Pope Francis, once again repeated, all together, the word "Begin again!". (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 11/1/2025)
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