The Seventh Day in the Octave of Christmas
John 1:1-18
Pilgrims of Hope into 2025

As we embrace the final moments of 2024 and step into the Jubilee Year of “Pilgrims of Hope,” John’s Prologue offers a profound call to journey with faith and purpose. It reveals Jesus as the eternal Word, the light that shines in the darkness—a light that no shadow can extinguish. In a time marked by trials and transitions, this message assures us of God’s abiding presence.

God, in His infinite love, chose to walk among us, embracing human frailty to bring grace and truth. As we close 2024, we reflect on how we have encountered this Word in our lives and how it has transformed us. Have we welcomed Christ’s light into the dark corners of our hearts? Have we shared His hope with those around us?

The Jubilee Year calls us to be “pilgrims of hope,” travelling with renewed trust in God’s promises. To be children of God is to walk with the assurance that we are loved and called to radiate that love. As we move into 2025, this identity challenges us to be witnesses to the light, bearing Christ’s presence into a world yearning for hope and healing.

Like John the Baptist, we are sent to prepare the way for the Lord, proclaiming the Good News through our actions. The Jubilee reminds us that our lives are a sacred journey, a pilgrimage toward God’s eternal embrace. Let us step into this new year with hearts full of gratitude, courage, and a commitment to embody hope, grace, and truth in every moment.

May the Word who dwells among us guide and sustain us, as we journey forward as pilgrims of hope, bringing light and love to all.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2024