What is a jubilee?
A jubilee is a special time of grace offered by God, to celebrate an important anniversary in the life of the Church. In the Old Testament, at the Lord’s request, it was celebrated every 50 years. Since God is gracious, it was important for Israel to be able to experience this grace in a consecrated time, and in a new way of life: this time corresponded to very concrete debt forgiveness, and enabled them to recover their possessions.
Today, this time of year is celebrated every “25 years”, based on the Incarnation of Christ in the year “zero”… The custom originated in the XIIIe century. This time of year opens up to us the riches of Divine Mercy: its love and forgiveness are offered to us so that we can rediscover full communion with God and with our brothers and sisters, and so taste the joy of a new, renewed life.
In 1925, the Curé d’Ars was canonized. Saint Jean-Marie Vianney was officially recognized as a saint for the whole Church, a model for all. One hundred years on, we rejoice in this gift, which is still alive and well today. And just as he had show the way to Heaven to his parishioners, so we ask him to lead us along this same path and make saints of us all. “Saint Curé d’Ars, make us saints! has naturally become the theme of this jubilee year.
We invite you to take part in this Jubilee to (re)discover the saintly figure of the Curé d’Ars, who speaks to us all! A jubilee year to awaken in us the desire for holiness, whatever our state in life, our age, our talents or our limitations… A call to become saints, passionate about Jesus Christ and consumed by the zeal to spread His Love, as was Saint Jean-Marie Vianney.
All of you – bishops, priests, seminarians, religious, families, single people, the elderly and sick, young people and children, artists and craftsmen, parishioners, pilgrims, from every region and culture – come and place yourselves under the fatherly and blessing hand of the Holy Curé throughout this year, which begins on 1st November 2024, in the company of all the saints, until All Saints’ Day 2025.
Saint Jean-Marie Vianney, who became a saint in his ministry and through his ministry as a priest, never ceases to show everyone the way to heaven. way to Heavenwhich is the Way of Hope.
All these ideas have been brought together in the Jubilee logo, featuring the outlines of the Curé d’Ars, inspired by the statue that welcomes pilgrims to the Basilica.
The Curé d’Ars blesses the jubilee year with a tender shepherd’s gesture. The turquoise-blue part recalls the sky. This is the sky that he has never ceased to show to his parishioners in Ars, and that he continues to show to pilgrims from all over the world. Heaven is also where Saint Jean-Marie-Vianney now intercedes for all those entrusted to his care, and where he contemplates the God he loved so much. A link between Heaven and Earth…
Turquoise blue and brick red, the two colors of the logo recall the roof of the Ars Basilica and its bell tower.
We thank you, God of wonders! Where the saints go, you go with them. Lead us on the path to Heaven!
You send down the blessings of your Spirit into our hearts . You suffered to save us; we look to you.
From us sinners, you make saints, mirrors of your Mercy. Our treasure is in heaven: come and draw us to meet you.
You are here, present among us, in the sacrament of your love. Give us the grace to love you as much as we can.
Grant us the great happiness of always walking in living Faith. When we live in Charity, your Heart, O Jesus, flows into us.
Lord, you alone are everything to us, the great Sun of our lives. We want to be all yours, to live in your presence every day.
The only happiness on this earth is to love and be loved by you. We are poor before you; we expect everything from your goodness.
You take pleasure in forgiving… Your Heart is so good to us sinners! You have borne all our burdens. In you, we find true rest.
By your strength and your light, you lead us to the right Way. Your Cross enlightens our earth; your Cross is the ladder to Heaven.
Only your Spirit can lead us, lift our souls to you. To kindle a fire of love, you have given us your Gospel.
We want to do everything according to your divine will. Like the offering of incense, receive the prayer of our hearts.
With Mary, we praise you, exulting in your face! We magnify your Most Holy Name: you have done great things for us!
You who lift up the lowly, you fill the hungry with good. You want to extend the benefits of your mercy from age to age.
You remember your love, the promises made to Abraham. Honor and praise be to you, O Lord. Let all that lives sing your Glory!
Here’s the jubilee process (also included in the itinerary) we’re proposing, with steps to help you live it fruitfully and open your heart widely to the graces of this jubilee, especially the grace of plenary indulgence.
A souvenir image of your personal journey is available in the sacristy or at Reception.
1 – Through the entrance as a pilgrim, praying the Our Father : with Christ, from death to Life
Lay down your intentions and receive a phrase from the Holy Curé on Hope.
2 – Receive the sacrament of penance and reconciliation: immerse yourself in God’s mercy
In Ars or in the days surrounding my visit to Ars.
[confessions de 9h20 à 12h00 et de 14h00 à 18h00]
3 – Taking part in the Eucharist and receiving communion : letting ourselves be loved and nourished by God
[weekdays at 8:45, 11:00 or 18:00].
[Sundays at 8:00, 9:30, 11:00 or 18:00]
4 – Experience a time of prayer, in union with the universal Church: enter into friendship with God and the communion of saints
– Praying to Mary: invocation, rosary…
[chapelet tous les jours à 17h00 sauf le dimanche]
+ Praying with the holy Curé d’Ars (Act of love)
+ Praying the I believe in God received from the Apostles
+ Praying for the Holy Father’s intentions
5 – Perform a concrete act of charity: living and bearing witness to God’s love
At Ars, I choose the gesture I’m going to make [a visit to a sick person, a gesture of reconciliation, a gift to those most in need, patience and special attention to someone…].
Conditions for obtaining a plenary indulgence.
(standards taken from the Manuel des indulgences, Éd. du Jubilé-Lethielleux)
To obtain the plenary indulgence, it is necessary to be baptized (norm 17 § 1).
And also, in addition to excluding any assignment to sin, even venial, it is required to accomplish the indulgent work [la démarche proposée à Ars] and fulfill the three conditions:
1 – Sacramental confession,
2 – Eucharistic communion,
3 – Prayer for the Sovereign Pontiff’s intentions (norm 20 § 1).
This can be received once a day, for oneself or for a deceased person, but not for another living person (norm 3).
Plenary indulgence is a grace offered by God. It is God’s indulgence. It is not linked to our merits, but is purely a free gift of Divine Mercy to those who have prepared themselves. It is a manifestation of God’s merciful love. that sweeps away everything in its path “(Saint J.-M. Vianney).
In the sacrament of forgiveness, sin is forgiven. But there remains what is known as the “temporal penalty” of sin. This is the disorder caused by the sin, which needs to be repaired and purified. This is why the forgiven sinner performs a “penance” after receiving sacramental forgiveness, to contribute with the grace given to him or her, to reparation in God’s work.
Plenary indulgence totally frees us from the temporal punishment due for sin whose fault has already been erased. This is what Pope Francis explained during the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy: ” Despite forgiveness, our lives are marked by the contradictions that are the consequence of our sins. In the sacrament of reconciliation, God forgives sins, and they are truly erased, though the negative imprint of sins in our behavior and thoughts remains. But God’s mercy is stronger than that. It becomes the indulgence of the Father, who reaches out to the forgiven sinner through the Bride of Christ, and frees him or her from all that remains of the consequences of sin, enabling him or her to act with Charity, to grow in love rather than fall back into sin. “(Pope Francis, Misericordiae VultusBull of Indiction for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, no. 22).
