By Anthony Richards
The Jubilee Year of Hope 2025 officially culminated in the Diocese of St. Augustine with the closing celebration Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine on Jan. 5.
Bishop Erik Pohlmeier echoed the words of Pope Leo XIV, who opened the New Year by calling for the world to be “disarmed and disarming,” which he described as the way Jesus entered the world.
“It’s an extraordinary idea, because Jesus did come into the world as the conqueror of sin and death and the one who would take on all battles, but he intentionally chose not to use the weapons of war and the human response of engaging in the battles,” Bishop Pohlmeier said.
He encouraged everyone to strive to take this approach into their daily lives and to reflect on how they interact with others.
“Do we approach the people around us as disarmed or do we have a tendency to engage with a certain aggression and to approach with an expectation or a demand?” he said.
According to Pohlmeier, it is a vital question to ask ourselves to determine whether we are approaching others with clinched fists or with open arms.
Hope was the theme that spread throughout the jubilee year, and it is one that Bishop Pohlmeier stressed must continue to carry on and be the focus.
“As we come to the conclusion of this jubilee year, I am filled with hope and grateful for all that we have celebrated this year, and the many ways that we have gathered people through the aspects of our human life and our faith,” he said. “I’m hopeful that these extended efforts should mark our lives from here on out with a greater sense of hope.”
Twenty-eight various jubilee celebrations took place throughout 2025 from commemorating groups within the faith, such as young adults and mission workers, to celebrating significant moments in the church’s history like the 17000th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
“We need to recognize that we should be less concerned with what happens to us and more concerned about what happens to others, because usually we get that wrong, which leads to a failure in hope,” he said. “Hope only comes when we look at the world the way that the Lord calls us to see it.”
Click on the link to hear Bishop Erik Pohlmeier’s full homily from the Jubilee Year of Hope Closing Mass: 2026 Homily Mon., January 5, Jubilee Pilgrims of Hope Closing Mass–Cathedral Basilica, St. Augustine
Photos by Fran Ruchalski
