In 1543, Nicolaus Copernicus published his revolutionary theory proposing that the sun is the center of the planetary system, and not the earth. This position overthrew the standing Western tradition that had viewed the earth as the center point of all that revolved around it. Though ancient Greek philosophers had already proposed heliocentric theories, the credit was given to Copernicus for ushering in a new way of viewing our solar system, in which our main source of warmth and light was seen to be the point around which all life revolves.
In these first months of the Jubilee Year of 2025, Christians around the world have the opportunity to ask who or what is at the center of their lives. Does the ego or a craving for fame and glory serve as the point around which we revolve? Does the pursuit of money or power become the idol around which our activities are based? Recognizing the Incarnation of Christ as God dwelling among us renews our vision to see that we are not the center of the universe, but instead, kneel before God as our focal point, around which all activity should be ordered.
A Jubilee year helps believers realize that the Church is on pilgrimage toward the second coming of Christ, with an awareness of God’s ongoing gift of mercy toward His people. Within this journey, we mark time as pilgrims who are seeking to bring about the Kingdom of God and ready ourselves for the Lord’s deeper coming into our minds and hearts. In this celebration, new initiatives of faith and evangelization are undertaken so that the Gospel may reach all people. Additionally, special doors are designated in cathedrals and churches around the world in which believers may pass through as physical gestures that reminds us that we must pass through the threshold of Christ for the gift of eternal life.
As pilgrims of faith, the start of the Jubilee lets us reflect on who is at the center of lives, keeping us rooted in our focus and direction. It also gives us the chance to recall once again that Christ ought to be the center point in which all desires revolve, turning our attention from ourselves to Him as the source of life and light. Pope Francis reminds us in his proclamation of the Jubilee year that our pilgrimage routes “can serve as oases of spirituality and places of rest on the pilgrimage of faith, where we can drink from the wellsprings of hope, above all by approaching the sacrament of Reconciliation, the essential starting-point of any true journey of conversion.” All such conversion in this year-long celebration will be ordered toward finding Christ as the grounding points of our lives.
Beyond our own ongoing conversions, a Jubilee also lets the Church ask if her activities remain steadfast in her focus on Christ. Does her efforts at evangelization merely keep the status quo in parishes, schools, and universities? Or will a recentering on Christ provide an impetus for new initiatives? The Holy Father wants this Jubilee year to be marked as a season for hope, especially for those who on the margins of society and feel the burden of the world’s injustices. This sense of hope must enliven all that the Church undertakes so that her missionary zeal remains fresh and vital, and reaches all who are in need of Christ’s message of comfort and peace.
Copernicus revealed to the Western world that our planet revolves around the sun. In a similar way, we pray that this Jubilee year in the Church helps us to see the One around whom our lives ultimately revolve. For in recalling the centrality of Christ, we find our true source of renewal and the means by which we continue our pilgrimage toward the kingdom of heaven.
