ORDINARY TIMES
By Lucia A. Silecchia
On the Feast of the Epiphany, the 2025 Jubilee Year came to a close as the Holy Doors in Rome were sealed once again. I am sorry to see the Jubilee Year come to an end.
I did not visit Rome this year. I did not attend any special Jubilee events. Despite much attention paid to the Jubilee in Catholic media, I did not give it much deep thought as the months of 2025 passed by so quickly.
Yet, I am sorry to see the Jubilee Year end because of its beautiful theme: “Hope does not disappoint.”
In inadvertently dreary headlines, I have recently read reports that “The year of hope has ended …” or words of similar effect. That these reports greet us at the start of a new year seems a particularly unfortunate juxtaposition. If there is anything that should fill the start of a new year, it is the spirit of hope.
At times, though, it seems that hope is in short supply for all too many people and for all too many reasons. Whether it is disillusionment with politics, unease about finances, disappointment about careers, concerns about health, fears about local and international peace – or the lack thereof, angst about relationships, worries about health, or dissatisfaction about how life is unfolding, so many report a lack of hope about the future, both their own and that of their communities. In a particular way, even young people with their whole lives ahead of them can also fall prey to a lack of hope when they look toward their own futures and do not see good things for the years that lie ahead.
I wonder, then, if the start of a new year is a time to think, once again, about the importance of hope. Yes, a year with hope as its central theme may have ended. Yet, the message that “hope does not disappoint” is a timeless one, as relevant in 2026 as it was when St. Paul first wrote those words to the Romans of his day. He explained further that the reason hope does not disappoint is “because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5) What a beautiful thought with which to start the new year!
In these cold January days, we often wish each other “happy new year.” Certainly, happiness, joy, good health and dreams fulfilled are all wonderful things that, with a full heart, I wish to my loved ones in the cards I send, the texts I type and the phone calls I make.
Yet, I wonder if it might be wiser to wish loved ones a “hopeful new year.” In this, there is recognition that as a new year dawns we have no idea how it will unfold or what will lie ahead for ourselves, our loved ones and our world. We may have plans, but we have no promises. We may have goals, but we have no guarantees. We may look back on 2026 as the best year of our lives or the most challenging – or somewhere in between. Now, though, at the threshold of the new year, what will be is hidden from our view.
Nevertheless, one thing that we can wish for each other and pray for each other is an abundance of hope. It is hope that can bring solace to those who face the new year with trepidation. It is hope that can animate the joy of those who face the new year with eager anticipation. It is hope that can calm all of us who know we do not know what lies ahead.
The one thing that we do know, with certainty, is that God has poured, is pouring and will continue to pour His love into our hearts, just as St. Paul announced so long ago. It is from this love that springs the hope that can fill our hearts as a new year we begin.
So, to you and yours, I wish you a hopeful new year!
(Lucia A. Silecchia is Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law. Email her at silecchia@cua.edu.)
