Holy Door

“I am the gate. Whoever enters through me will be saved.” (Jn. 10:9) “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Lk. 11:9) “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, (then) I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me.” (Rev. 3:20)

These are some Biblical texts that support why Jubilee Doors are opened during special celebrations in the Church. In the papal bull, Incarnationis mysterium of 29 November 1998, Pope John Paul II formally announced the Great Jubilee of 2000 saying that the Holy Door “evokes the passage from sin to grace”. The Holy Door represents “a ritual expression of conversion”.

As Filipino Catholics who celebrate with thanksgiving and joy the gift of love and faith in our country, we hope to reflect how have we grown in the faith after having been Christianized in 1521. We thank the missionaries who brought us to believe and participate in the saving plan of God. It is then a fitting time for us to assess ourselves as believers whether we have really been transformed and ruled by our faith in Christ Jesus. We need to examine and challenge ourselves to truly be givers of what we have received.