Everywhere: Jubilee experience

In addition to experiencing the death of Pope Francis with sorrow, sadness and hope, says Fr. José Manuel González Trobo, MSC, parish priest of the MSC parish of San Federico, our goal was to go to Rome as pilgrims in this Jubilee Year and symbolically cross the four Holy Doors.

Thirty-three of us set out on our journey. We went as pilgrims, not as mere tourists, discovering places that made us vibrate inwardly, recognising the signs of hope in our world (the Jubilee for Young People and the tomb of Carlo Acutis in Assisi), seeing the good that exists in it and hearing Jesus’ call to sow hope by defending life and the rights of the most fragile and weakest members of our society.

This jubilee pilgrimage to Rome in April has been filled with experiences that I would like to share with many people in the group throughout this week in Rome.
1.- It has been a time of God’s grace and mercy to strengthen relationships, deepen our trust in Jesus of Nazareth and experience the closeness of the community-group.
2.- To live and become more consciously aware of the essence of fraternity. To be companions on the journey. To reach out to our fellow travellers who, at a given moment, needed our help and company.
3.- A call from Jesus to change our selfish attitudes (conversion) and to live a healthier and more positive lifestyle.
4.- To become aware of our mission as Christians and our commitment to solidarity with the most vulnerable.

These experiences took shape at different moments:

· First moment: Holy Doors. Procession along the Via della Conciliazione, confession of our faith before the tomb of the Apostle Peter and updating of the words of John 10:9 in the other three basilicas: ‘I am the door: whoever enters through me will be saved…’. A second meaning for the group was the need to enter and live in community, the door that leads to encounter and dialogue, to reconciliation and peace.
· Second moment: Reconciliation. How important it is for us to live reconciled with one another, to restore our relationships and bonds! We experienced this in Santa Maria Maggiore, where Pope Francis rests.
Third moment: Prayer. There were very significant moments of prayer. We began the day at 8:00 a.m. in the beautiful chapel of the Vatican Priests’ Residence, giving meaning to the new day ahead of us. I would like to highlight the prayer of the “Acordaos” in the Shrine of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart in Piazza Navona; the prayer in the Catacombs; in the Porziuncola in Assisi; at the tombs of St. Clare and Carlo Acutis in Assisi.
· Fourth moment. The Eucharist. The central moment of each day in various churches of the Diocese of Rome: San Lorenzo, Santa Ana, in the Abbey of Tre Fontana and the final Eucharist in the residence, expressing the experiences of the pilgrimage. All were very participatory, dynamic and welcoming. Songs. Manifestation of feelings of joy and remembrance of our sick brothers and sisters and our communities in Madrid.
· Fifth moment: Sharing. Meals, joys, a few falls, the culture of Rome, museums, conversations along the way, tiredness, the night march to the coffin of our brother and Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Basilica… we carry him in our hearts. Rest in peace.

We can conclude that this Jubilee Pilgrimage to Rome in 2025 has helped us to open the doors of our hearts a little more to God’s mercy, to strengthen our community relationships, to look to the future with more hope and to feel more clearly our mission and commitment to the different faces of poverty that surround us. And we understand better at this moment in human history that ‘hope does not disappoint’ but is very necessary to overcome the fatigue, crises and anxiety that accompany us at times. We feel more strongly our vocation to be “Pilgrims of Hope”.

José Manuel González Trobo, MSC (Spain)