As we move closer to the Jubilee of 2025, Pope Francis wants 2024 to be dedicated to prayer. Thus, he is inviting the whole Church to a time of intense commitment in preparation for the Opening of the Holy Door. The celebration of a Holy Year has its earliest origins in the Jewish tradition of the jubilee (yobel) as a time of forgiveness and reconciliation. Since the 1300s this has been a special time to meditate on the great gift of divine mercy that always awaits us, as well as the importance of inner conversion. Both are necessary to be able to live out the spiritual gifts lavished on pilgrims during a Holy Year, and to renew the bond that unites all who are baptized as brothers and sisters in Christ, with all of humanity, in that everyone is loved by God. The Jubilee will involve not only the city of Rome, but will extend far beyond, as God’s mercy is proclaimed to the whole world, thus becoming a great opportunity for evangelization. As Christians, we are invited to bear witness as authentic “Pilgrims of Hope” walking toward the Lord, who opens his merciful and forgiving arms to us, as well as to our brothers and sisters who are still waiting for the Gospel to be proclaimed to them.—over the next few months excerpts from the Preparatory Document and Pope Francis’ catechesis on prayer will be included in the Newsletter as space permits.