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I almost completely forgot about this item from the 1/1/10 OR.
My first post in the CHURCH&VATICAN thread last May was about the Holy Year of St. James in 2010:
Benedict XVI on the Holy Year of St. James:
An occasion to meet Christ
even for non-believers
Translated from
the 1/1/10 issue of
The opening of the Holy Door in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela on the afternoon of December 31, 2009, marked the start of the Holy Year of St. James 2010, which calls on the Spanish faithful and pilgrims from all over Europe and the other continents to visit what tradition has always held to be the tomb of St. James the Major, brother of John.
[Santiago is Spanish for 'St. James' derived from his Jewish name Jacob, Sant'Iacobo --> Santiago.]
The solemn rite was followed by a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by the Archbishop of Santiago, Mons. Julián Barrio Barrio.
The Holy Year of 2010 is the 119th since 1120 when Pope Callistus II granted the diocese the privilege of declaring a Holy Year every time that the Feast of James, July 25, falls on a Sunday.
On the eve of this Holy Year, the archbishop wrote a pastoral letter in which he uses the story of the disciples in Emmaus to explain the significance of the Holy Year as well as the spirit and the place of pilgrimage in the observance of the faith.
For the occasion, Benedict XVI sent Archbishop Barrios the following letter (translated here from the Spanish):
To Mons. Julián Barrio Barrio
Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela
1. On the occasion of the opening of the Holy Door which will begin the Compostela Jubilee of 2010, I send a cordial greeting to Your Excellency and the participants in this significant ceremony, as well as to the pastors and faithful of the local Church, which for its immemorial link to the Apostle St. James, has its roots anchored in the Gospel of Christ, offering this spiritual treasure to its children and to pilgrims from Galicia, other parts of Spain, Europe and the farthest corners of the world.
This solemn act opens a special time of grace and forgiveness, of the 'great pardon', as tradition calls it. A special opportunity for believers to recall their calling to holiness in life, to commit themselves to the Word of God which enlightens and interpellates, and to acknowledge Christ who comes to accompany men in the vicissitudes of their journey in this world and gives himself to them personally, especially in the Eucharist.
But even those who have no faith, or perhaps have allowed it to shrivel, will have a singular opportunity to receive the gift of "Him who enlightens all men so that they may finally have true life" (Lumen gentium, 16).
2. Santiago de Compostela has been distinguished since remote antiquity as an eminent destination for pilgrims, whose steps have marked the Way that bears the Apostle's name [Camino de Santiago], to whose tomb have come countless people, especially from the most diverse regions of Europe, to renew and strengthen their faith.
It is a Way that is sown with so many examples of fervor, penitence, hospitality, art and culture that speak to us eloquently of the spiritual roots of the Old Continent.
The theme of this new Compostelan Jubilee Year - "A pilgrimage towards the light" - as well as the pastoral letter for this occasion, "Pilgrims of the faith and witnesses to the Risen Christ", faithfully follow this tradition and offer anew an evangelizing call to the men and women of today, recalling the essentially pilgrim character of the Church and of the Christian in this world (cf. Lumen gentium, 6.48-50).
Along the Way, one contemplates new horizons which allow a recapacitation from the straits of one's own existence for the immensity of the human being within and outside himself, preparing him to go forth in search of what his heart truly yearns for.
Open to wonder and transcendence, the pilgrim lets himself be instructed by the Word of God, and in this way, rid his faith of unfounded adherences and fears.
As the Risen Lord did with some disciples, who still stunned and disheartened, were on their way to Emmaus. When his words were completed by his breaking bread with them, their eyes were opened (cfr Lk 24,31) and they recognized him whom they had thought dead.
Thus did they meet Christ personally, who lives for always and is part of their lives. At that moment, their first and most ardent desire was to announce and testify to others what had just occurred (cf. Lk 24, 35).
I ask the Lord fervently to accompany the pilgrims, that he may enter their hearts "so that they may have life and have it in abundance" (Jn 10,10). This is the true destination, the grace which the mere material undertaking of the journey cannot accomplish by itself, and which brings the pilgrim to convert himself into a witness to others that Christ lives and he is our enduring hope for salvation.
The Archdiocese, along with many ecclesial organizations, has placed into motion multiple pastoral initiatives of a spiritual nature to help achieve this essential objective of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, even if in some cases, there has been a tendency to ignore or distort them.
3. In this Holy Year, which blends in with the Year for Priests, priests have a decisive role - their spirit of hospitality and full commitment towards the faithful and pilgrims has to be especially generous.
Pilgrims themselves, they are called on to serve their brothers, offering them the life of God, as men of the Divine Word and of the sacred (To the International Priests Retreat in Ars, Sept. 20, 2009).
Therefore, encourage the priests of the Archdiocese, those who will augment their numbers during the Jubilee, and those of the dioceses along the Way of St. James, to do all they can in administering the sacraments of Penance and the Eucharist, since the most sought after and most precious characteristic of the Holy Year is forgiveness and encounter with the living Christ.
4. In this circumstance, I express my special closeness to the pilgrims who are arriving and will continue to arrive in Santiago. I invite them to take stock of the experiences of faith, charity and brotherhood that they encounter along their journey so that they may live the pilgrimage interiorly above all, allowing themselves to listen to the call that the Lord makes to each of them.
Thus they can say with joy and firmness when they get to the Portico of Glory in Compostela, "I believe".
I also ask them not to forget in their prayers those who could not be with them, their families and friends, the sick and the needy, immigrants, the weak of faith and the People of God with their pastors.
5. I cordially thank the Archdiocese of Santiago, as well as the authorities and other collaborators, for their efforts in preparing for this Compostelan Jubilee, and to the volunteers and all who are willing to contribute to its success.
I entrust the spiritual and pastoral fruits of this Holy Year to our Mother in heaven, the Pilgrim Virgin, and to the Apostle James, 'the friend of the Lord', as I impart to all with affection the Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican
December 18, 2009
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 02/01/2010 13:45] |