February 2, 2025
Mgr. Felix Gmür Bishop of Basel
Readings from the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
1st reading: Mal 3:1-4
Response Psalm: Ps 24.7-8.9-10
2nd reading: Heb 2:11-12.13c-18
Gospel: Luke 2:22-40 (or 2:22-32)
The text is to be read as a homily in the services on February 1 and 2, 2025 or made known in another suitable way.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ The year 2025 is something special: it is a Holy Year, a call to set out and go on a pilgrimage. That sounds interesting, but it is not very concrete. Where should we set out? Why and with whom? To say it up front: Many destinations are possible, because a pilgrimage is not just a physical movement from one place to another, but above all a deep spiritual experience that makes us more aware of God’s presence and brings us closer to one another. Through this experience we become active pilgrims of hope for this world.
In today’s Gospel for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, we read about a journey that is fitting. The covenant that God made with his people is fulfilled when little Jesus is brought by his parents to the temple, the house of God. There the young family meets the prophet Simeon and the prophetess Hannah. The two are extremely happy about the little child. For Simeon, his deepest wish is fulfilled. His hope was not false: the Messiah was born and Simeon was able to see him with his own eyes! Simeon and Hannah bless the parents and the child and Hannah announces the Good News to the whole world. With this blessing, the young family returns home. The short pilgrimage to the temple in Jerusalem gives them the firm certainty that they are not alone on the journey, but that God is with them and blessing their lives. They share this certainty – their hope – with others. In doing so, they create a piece of a healthy and peaceful world – no matter where they are and how turbulent things are around them.
The Bible is full of such pilgrimage and salvation stories. They all tell us: We are children of God, somewhere there is always a spark of hope burning in us. Jesus is our model, because wherever Jesus went and whatever he did, he brought new hope to people. Jesus traveled a lot in his life, teaching, healing and bringing blessings in the form of encouraging, friendly or comforting words and deeds.
Even after Jesus’ death, we meet people on the way, two pilgrims on the way to Emmaus. The two disciples are disappointed and without hope because Jesus has died. But on their way through the desert they meet a man who is – at first – a stranger, to whom they complain about their suffering. This stranger gives them an answer and tells them how God leads and accompanies his people. This inspires them so much that their hearts “burn”. A tender hope begins to grow in them. Later, when breaking bread, in the community with like-minded people, they recognize the stranger for who he is: the risen Jesus. Their hope becomes real. Jesus Christ becomes the guarantor of their hope and allows them to walk confidently into the uncertain and threatening future.
In order to experience this joy and certainty of the disciples, we too must set out. Our fears, distress, grief, disappointed hope, everything is allowed to come with us. When we are on the road, we can share our experiences with others, let them share in what moves us. We continue together. The pilgrimage destinations vary from person to person. What they all have in common is an inner feeling of longing and restlessness when setting out and a feeling of joy and peace when arriving. Perhaps this is back home, surrounded by loved ones, but perhaps also closer in the relationship with God.
The two biblical stories show me that setting out requires a willingness to leave something behind and to be open to the encounters along the way – to be open to learn from others, to be open to change. This requires mindfulness and a certain amount of perseverance, because a pilgrimage can be long and arduous. The two disciples of Emmaus no longer had any faith when they set out. He died with Jesus on the cross. They were disappointed, but they did not give up, they kept going, were open to encounters with strangers, looked for answers to their pressing questions – and on this path, in this search, they met Jesus.
If we set out on a pilgrimage today, it will bear fruit later in our lives. What we have experienced wants to blossom and be translated into concrete acts of charity. Then as now, there are many opportunities to give hope to other people through acts of love and compassion, whether through supporting those in need, getting involved in the church and society, or simply through a friendly word and listening to the concerns of our fellow human beings. Every small gesture of love can make a big difference and let new hope sprout in people’s hearts. Pilgrims of hope touch other people – and they are witnesses to the living hope that dwells within us. Christians are called to be peacemakers: confidence, conversion and inner renewal for this world that is so peaceful.
Why do we need a Holy Year for this? This has to do with the fact that we humans are often so preoccupied with everyday life that we keep forgetting what our world lacks and yet is important and necessary: it is justice and – connected to this – peace and hope. Justice often left and still leaves much to be desired. Ancient Israel therefore celebrated a jubilee year every fifty years, from which history was expected to make a new beginning. The land and goods were redistributed so that everyone had the same starting conditions again. In the Middle Ages, the Church took up this idea and over time introduced the rhythm of 25 years. This radical take-up of the desire for justice shows how important it is to regularly reflect on the worthy existence of all people and of all creation.
The Holy Year encourages a courageous departure that involves some risk. What is this risk? Opening ourselves to new insights and encounters inevitably changes us, and when we set out, we do not yet know how we will change or where the path will lead us. All this ignorance requires a lot of courage from us. But with a concrete goal in mind, it becomes easier. Maybe I would like to go on a pilgrimage to a very specific place, get to know myself better on this path, deal more intensively with something that I am struggling with, grow deeper into my relationship with God or simply do something good for the world around me.
The Holy Year opens our awareness to active mercy towards ourselves and others. And wherever we set out from and wherever we are on our way, we are all part of a large community that is connected by faith in the risen Jesus and the love of God.
I thank you, dear brothers and sisters in faith, that we can walk these paths of hope and peace together. I thank you for your diverse commitment, your thoughtfulness, your patience and your prayers that the power of the Holy Spirit can have a healing effect everywhere, and I wish you God’s peace-bringing blessing from the bottom of my heart.
Yours,
Felix Gmür
Bishop of Basel