KENYA: Jubilee Year 2025: Archbishop Van Megan Challenges Kenyans to Embrace Hope Amid Crisis
Nuncio Jubilee year Opening Nairobi
Sr. Henriette Anne, FSSA
On the feast of the Holy Family on Sunday, 29th, December 2024 the Apostolic Nuncio to Kenya Archbishop Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megan symbolically opened the Holy Door and launch the jubilee year 2025 at the Holy Family Basilica, Nairobi-Kenya, following the official opening of Holy Door and launching of jubilee year 2025 themed “Hope does not disappoint” by Pope Francis on the Christmas Eve of 2024.
The Apostolic Nuncio described the jubilee year 2025 as a historic year when all the Christian Churches will celebrate Easter together.
“Now this coming year, 2025, historically the Easter of 2025 will be very important because this coming easter celebration all the Christian Churches are celebrating it together on the same day, the Catholic, Lateran Church, the Orthodox Churches will celebrate Easter and exactly the same period”, he narrated.
In his homily, Archbishop van Megen reminded the Christians to go with haste just like angels did in the Gospel; to recover the lost hope, to renew the hope in their hearts and to sow the seed of hope.
“The Gospel tells us that having heard the message of the angel they went with haste, on the same way with haste we too are called to recover lost hope, to renew the hope in our hearts and to saw seed of hope”.
He continued, “There is so much darkness and desolation in our time. We think of wars, we think of children, being shot of hospitals and schools, we think of abject poverty, we think of abductions, we think of torture, corruption and lawlessness, but even when we are involved in one of this most Keynes of crimes do not delay, do not hesitate”.
Quoting the words of St. Augustine, the representative of Holy Father in Kenya called upon Kenyans to be upset with things that wrong and to find the courage to change them since that’s is what hope calls for.
“Hope calls us as St. Augustine would say, ‘Hope calls us to be upset with things that are wrong and to find the courage change them.’ Hope calls us to become pilgrims in search for truth, dream as who never tire, women and men open to be challenged by God’s dream, which to dream of a new world where peace and justice reign, especially in our present situation we need hope, and we need to be messengers of that hope, we people of God, we Kenyans we need to be upset with things that wrong and to find the courage to change them”.
Referencing the sermon of Pope Francis at St. Peter Basilica on Christmas eve, Archbishop Van Megan stressed that hope does not tolerate indifference or fear of failure but calls for courage, responsibility, and compassion, a call to leave comfort zones.
“Pope Francis in his sermon there at St. Peter Basilica on Christmas eve said that the hope of Christians now does not tolerate the indifference of the complacent, of the liturgy of those satisfied with their own comforts. So many of us are in danger of becoming too comfort of being in our comfort zone.”
“Hope”, says the Pope, “does not accept the false prudence of those who refuse to get involve for fear of making mistake or those who think only of themselves. “Hope”, says the Pope, “is incompatible with those who refuse to speak out of the evil and injustices perpetrated at the expense of the poor”, he narrated.
Most Rev. van Megen further noted that the jubilee year 2025 is a season of hope which Christians are invited to rediscover the joy of meeting the Lord, a call to spiritual renewal, a time to break the societal chains of greed, to forgive debts and uplift the marginalized.
Narrating how the Holy Father having opened the Holy Door Christmas eve and the following day he went to the outskirt of the city of Rome to prison, so that those who are in prison may receive grace of pardon from the crime they have committed, the Apostolic Nuncio highlighted that the Holy Door is open to all whatever crime we have committed, whatever seen we have fallen into, in order that the guilt of all would be forgiven”.
