Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Pope Leo has called the Church throughout the world to observe this year as a Jubilee in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, inviting us to renew our faith through repentance, simplicity, peace, and joyful trust in God. Jubilee years have long held a special place in the life of the Church. Rooted in the biblical tradition of restoration and mercy, a Jubilee is a sacred time to step back from the noise of daily life, to return to the essentials of the Gospel, and to allow God to heal what is broken within us and among us.
In choosing St. Francis as the spiritual guide for this Jubilee year, Pope Leo points us toward one of the most beloved and transformative figures in Christian history. Born into wealth in 12th-century Assisi, Francis was the son of a prosperous merchant and seemed destined for comfort and success. Yet through a profound conversion—marked by illness, prayer, and an encounter with Christ crucified—Francis renounced riches, ambition, and status in order to live the Gospel sine glossa, “without gloss,” or compromise.
Francis’ life was radical not because it was extreme, but because it was evangelical. He embraced poverty not as deprivation, but as freedom. He preached peace not as an idea, but as a way of life. He loved creation not sentimentally, but as a reflection of the Creator. His joyful simplicity, deep humility, and fearless love for the poor revealed a Church stripped of excess and centered wholly on Christ.
The legacy of St. Francis endures precisely because it speaks to every age. In a world marked by division, anxiety, consumerism, and environmental neglect, Francis reminds us that holiness is possible when we place God first and trust Him completely. His greeting—“The Lord give you peace”—was not a polite farewell, but a proclamation of the Kingdom of God breaking into the world. Peace, for Francis, flowed from reconciliation with God, with one another, and with all creation.
Pope Leo’s call for a Franciscan Jubilee invites each of us to examine our own lives. Where have we allowed comfort to replace compassion? Where have we become distracted from prayer, generosity, or gratitude? Where is God inviting us to simplify, to forgive, or to begin again? Jubilee years are moments of grace, offering us the chance to reset our spiritual priorities and to rediscover the joy of discipleship.
As a parish community, we are invited to walk together in this spirit throughout the year. This Jubilee is not merely an observance, but a call to action: to serve the poor with greater intention, to speak words of peace rather than division, to care for God’s creation responsibly, and to deepen our prayer lives both personally and communally.
As one concrete expression of this Jubilee year, we will conclude the Prayer of the Faithful at Mass by praying the Prayer of St. Francis together. This beloved prayer captures the heart of Franciscan spirituality—asking God to make us instruments of peace, love, forgiveness, and hope in a wounded world. By praying these words each week, we ask not only to admire St. Francis, but to imitate him.
May this Jubilee year renew our parish, strengthen our faith, and help us rediscover the joy of living the Gospel with simplicity and trust. Through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, may we become a people of peace, mercy, and joyful witness.
St. Francis of Assisi, pray for us.
God bless,
Fr. Tom Lanza
Pastor, St. Matthias Parish & School