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Santa Caterina da Siena, from a woman of the people to an advisor to Popes and princes. Courageous, wise, and completely devoted to Christ. Let’s get to know better the patroness of Italy. Thinking of Caterina da Siena, the first reflection that arises is how…
A pilgrimage to Rome has always been one of the most significant spiritual experiences for Christians from around the world. Speaking of a pilgrimage to Rome immediately brings to mind past times when people from all walks of life and diverse backgrounds set out from…
The Jubilee 2025 will be an opportunity to experience a time of grace and mercy, and to walk together towards hope. It promises to be an extraordinary moment of joy, hope, and reconciliation, thanks to the anticipated influx of pilgrims from all over the world to Rome, which, like never before, will reaffirm itself as the preferred pilgrimage destination for Christians. This influx, so numerous and varied, will create unity and solidarity among the different religious communities, contributing to strengthening the bonds among the faithful from all parts of the globe. But the Jubilee of Rome promises to offer much more than an opportunity for meeting and prayer. In addition to religious celebrations, cultural events, concerts, and exhibitions will be organized to celebrate the rich history and art of Rome. These events will offer pilgrims a complete experience that will unite faith, culture, and spirituality. In this way, the Jubilee will not only be a moment of religious reflection but also an opportunity to immerse oneself in the beauty and diversity of the eternal city.
Moreover, the Jubilee, also known as the Holy Year, has always been characterized not only by the solemn sacred rites that distinguish it from beginning to end but also by its intention to promote the holiness of life, strengthen faith, encourage acts of solidarity, and foster fraternal communion within the Church and society. A significant moment of spiritual renewal and commitment to the practice of the Christian faith, therefore, but also of unity of purpose and sharing of experiences that enrich the spirit and soul of those who take part.
The upcoming Holy Year will have hope as its central theme, and the motto chosen for the event is “Pilgrims of Hope.” In a symbolic gesture of great importance, on the occasion of the last World Youth Day, Pope Francis invited all young people to Rome in 2025 for the next Jubilee, so that they may become true “Pilgrims of Hope.” This call reveals a deep desire to involve young people in the journey of faith, encouraging them to be active protagonists of a better world. Through the call to hope, the aim is to convey a message of trust in the future, solidarity, and commitment to building a more just and fraternal society.
In anticipation of the upcoming Jubilee, Pope Francis has outlined his hopes for the new year, emphasizing the importance of a renewed spiritual commitment to understanding the concept of Mercy more deeply. He has called for prayer and conscious reflection on God’s will, so that we may embody it in our daily lives through concrete actions of compassion, forgiveness, and solidarity within contemporary humanity.
The number of pilgrims expected in Rome to participate in the many initiatives of the Jubilee is over 32 million.
Preparations for the Jubilee 2025 have already begun, with the creation of the Jubilee logo, a powerful symbolic representation of hope, with four stylized figures representing humanity embracing each other. The first of the figures, to which the others are connected, holds the cross. The message is clear: a hope of solidarity and brotherhood among all peoples united in faith in Christ.
The Jubilee Hymn has also been previewed during a press conference in the Sistine Chapel. It was written by theologian Pierangelo Sequeri and composer Francesco Meneghello from Mantua, selected from almost three hundred compositions proposed by artists from all over the world.
December 24, 2024 – Opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2025
January 24-26 | Jubilee of the World of Communication
February 8-9 | Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Security Forces
February 16-18 | Jubilee of Artists
February 21-23 | Jubilee of Deacons
MARCH-APRIL 2025
March 8-9 | Jubilee of the World of Volunteering
March 28 | 24 Hours for the Lord
March 28-30 | Jubilee of Missionaries of Mercy
April 5-6 | Jubilee of the Sick and the World of Health
April 25-27 | Jubilee of Adolescents
April 28-30 | Jubilee of Persons with Disabilities
MAY – JULY 2025
May 1-4 | Jubilee of Workers
May 4-5 | Jubilee of Entrepreneurs
May 10-11 | Jubilee of Bands
May 16-18 | Jubilee of Confraternities
May 24-25 | Jubilee of Children
May 30 – June 1 | Jubilee of Families, Grandparents, and the Elderly
June 7-8 | Jubilee of Movements, Associations, and New Communities
June 9 | Jubilee of the Holy See
June 14-15 | Jubilee of Sports
June 20-22 | Jubilee of Governors
June 23-24 | Jubilee of Seminarians
June 25 | Jubilee of Bishops
June 26-27 | Jubilee of Priests
June 28 | Jubilee of Eastern Churches
July 28 – August 3 | Jubilee of Young People
SEPTEMBER – DECEMBER 2025
September 15 | Jubilee of Consolation
September 20 | Jubilee of Justice Workers
September 26-28 | Jubilee of Catechists
October 5 | Jubilee of Migrants
October 8-9 | Jubilee of Consecrated Life
October 11-12 | Jubilee of Marian Spirituality
October 18-19 | Jubilee of the Missionary World
October 30 – November 2 | Jubilee of the Educational World
November 16 | Jubilee of the Poor
November 22-23 | Jubilee of Choirs and Chorales
December 14 | Jubilee of Prisoners
December 24, 2025 – Closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Holy Year begins with the opening of the Holy Door and ends with its closing. The opening of the Holy Door not only represents the official beginning of the event but is imbued with symbolic meanings for the faithful. The Jubilee 2025 will begin on December 24, 2024, at 4:30 pm, with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. The solemn opening ceremony will be presided over by Pope Francis.
The Holy Year will conclude on December 24, 2025, with the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
In addition to the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, the other Holy Doors of Rome will also be opened: Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Basilica of St. John Lateran, Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
Holy Door: what it is and what its opening represents
The opening of the Holy Door marks the beginning of the Jubilee, but it also represents a spiritually evocative symbol for Christians. Here’s what it entails.
Each jubilee meeting will be an opportunity to deepen faith, live fraternal communion, and discern together the challenges of the contemporary world. An invitation to all the faithful to walk together as “pilgrims of hope,” bringing the light of the Gospel into the heart of society. The twelve months of jubilee meetings will be like waves of hope spreading from the heart of the Church to all humanity. An invitation to all to build a better future, based on fraternity, solidarity, and love.
The first significant date of Jubilee 2025 will be December 24, when the Opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica will take place.
Saint Peter in the Vatican: Church symbol of the whole Christian world
Saint Peter in the Vatican is a basilica full of meanings, mysteries and sacred works of art famous all over the world. Here are some curiosities…
The first major event of the Holy Year will be the Jubilee of the World of Communication, which will be held in Rome from January 24 to 26, 2025. It will be a precious opportunity to reflect on the role of communication in the contemporary world, promote the dissemination of constructive and peaceful information, and encourage all those who work in the field of communication to convey a message of truth and hope.
From February 8 to 9, 2025, the Jubilee of the Armed Forces, Police, and Security Forces will also be held in Rome, to recognize and celebrate the service provided by those who work daily for the security and defence of the country. In addition to recognizing the value of the service provided by the Armed Forces, Police, and Security Forces, it will be an opportunity to pray for peace and security in the world and encourage living service with fidelity and dedication.
The Jubilee of Artists will be held in Rome from February 16 to 18, 2025, aimed at musicians, painters, sculptors, writers, actors, directors, and all those who wish to come together in prayer for beauty and goodness. The event was initiated by Pope Francis to celebrate the gift of beauty and the role of artists in society. The goal of the initiative is to recognize the value of art and its role in society, encourage artists to use their talent to promote beauty and goodness and foster dialogue between art and faith.
From February 21 to 23, 2025, the Jubilee of Deacons will be held to celebrate the diaconal ministry the fundamental role of deacons in the Church and the value of the diaconal ministry. The purpose of the initiative will be to encourage deacons to live their service with fidelity and dedication and foster dialogue between deacons and priests.
How to become a deacon: duties and education
Who is a deacon and what does he do? How to become a deacon? Let’s find out more about this figure that has always been present in the Catholic Church, and has important and solemn duties…
March 8 and 9 will be reserved for the Jubilee of the World of Volunteering, to celebrate the gift of free and loving service, while March 28 will celebrate the 24 Hours for the Lord prayer initiative. On March 29 and 30, the Jubilee of Missionaries of Mercy will be celebrated, to revive missionary zeal and solidarity with the neediest peoples.
April will be dedicated to health and youth. From April 5 to 6, the Jubilee of the Sick and the World of Health will be celebrated, a moment of deep reflection and intense prayer for those who suffer in body and spirit and for all those who dedicate themselves with love and dedication to their care, followed by that of Adolescents (April 25-27), an exciting adventure of faith and joy for all boys and girls aged 13 to 16. A unique opportunity to experience an encounter with God, with the Church, and with their peers from all over the world, and that of Persons with Disabilities (April 28-30), a unique opportunity to celebrate the dignity of every person, regardless of their physical or mental conditions, and to reaffirm everyone’s right to live a full and participatory life.
World Mission Day: giving oneself to others
October 24 marks World Mission Day, which consecrates October as missionary month
May will celebrate the Jubilee of Workers and that of Entrepreneurs, respectively on May 1-4 and May 4-5. They will be two occasions to celebrate the immeasurable value of work and to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of the world of work in a social and economic context that is constantly evolving, but also a moment of meeting and dialogue among workers, entrepreneurs, politicians, and representatives of the different realities of the world of work, to address common challenges and seek together solutions for a fairer and more sustainable future. This will be followed by the Jubilee of Musical Bands (May 10-11), that of Confraternities (May 16-18), and finally the month will end with the Jubilee of Children on May 24 and 25, dedicated to the importance of childhood, to listen to the voices of the smallest, often forgotten and unheard, and the Jubilee of Families, Grandparents, and the Elderly from May 30 to June 1, to rediscover the beauty and centrality of the family in society.
June will be dedicated to movements, associations, and new communities, but also to the Roman Curia and the Nuncios and to sports. From June 7-8, the Jubilee of Movements, Associations, and New Communities will be held, while June 9 will celebrate the Jubilee of the Holy See. The month will continue with the Jubilee of Sports on June 14-15, that of Governors from June 20-22, a moment of reflection and commitment for the common good by all those who hold political responsibilities at national and international levels, and that of Seminarians on June 23-24, an opportunity for discernment and vocational growth for all seminarians worldwide. The celebrations will return to focus on the church and its ministers with the Jubilee of Bishops (June 25), that of Priests (June 26-27), and that of Eastern Churches (June 28).
On July 13, the Jubilee of Prisoners will be celebrated, while that of Young People will take place from July 28 to August 3. In particular, July 28 will host the World Youth Day in Tor Vergata, to nurture the faith of young people and their protagonism in the Church and the world.
In September, the Jubilee of Consolation will take place (September 14 and 15), while on September 20 and 21, there will be the Jubilee of Justice Workers. The Jubilee of Catechists will take place from September 26 to 28, to recognize their fundamental role in the transmission of faith.
October, the month traditionally dedicated to the Feast of the Grandparents will begin with the Jubilee of Grandparents (October 4-5), to enhance the wisdom and experience of those who have so much to give. On October 8-9, there will be the Jubilee of Consecrated Life, on October 11-12 that of Marian Spirituality, on October 18-19 that of the Missionary World. October will end from October 28 to November 2 with the Jubilee of the Educational World, a unique opportunity to celebrate the fundamental role of education in the transmission of values and the construction of a better future.
Finally, in November, there will be two more great jubilee events: on November 16 and 17 the Jubilee of the Poor and socially excluded people, while from November 21 to 23 of Choirs and Chorales, to celebrate the beauty of choral singing and experience a moment of fraternal communion.
The Jubilee of Prisoners, which will be held on December 14, 2025, will be the last of the jubilee events of Jubilee 2025, an opportunity for encounter and hope for all prisoners in the world, a moment to celebrate the dignity of every person, even those who have made mistakes, and to reaffirm the right to hope and redemption.
The opening of the Holy Door marks the beginning of the Jubilee, but it also represents a spiritually evocative symbol for Christians. Here’s what it entails. The door has always held fundamental importance throughout human history. As a protective and defensive element for villages, cities,…
Who Were the Children of Adam and Eve, and How Did the Human Race Originate? Here’s How the Bible Narrates the Birth of Humanity Before delving into this discourse on the children of Adam and Eve and the origin of the human race, it is…
We have already reflected on several occasions on the affection that Jesus reserved for the women who followed Him. The Gospels mention their presence among the disciples, and some of them are named and described, allowing us to imagine who they were. Consider Martha and Mary of Bethany, Lazarus’ sisters, who welcomed Jesus into their home as a brother, or Mary Magdalene, considered an apostle among the apostles because she was the first to announce the Resurrection. In particular, John, in his Gospel, tells us about the pious women who stood beneath the Cross during Jesus’ torment: “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (John 19:25-27).
Who was Mary Magdalene” History and life of the “Apostle of the Apostles”
Among the disciples, there were also several women. We know better Mary Magdalene, the apostle who left everything to follow Jesus.
Here are the three pious women.
The Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Mary of Cleophas, His aunt (as the wife of Cleophas, the brother of St. Joseph), and the mother of James the Less.
The aforementioned Mary Magdalene, the “repentant” from Magdala, who, according to some apocryphal Gospels, was considered a companion or even the wife of Jesus.
In reality, many more women followed Jesus and presumably accompanied Him during His Passion. Anna Katharina Emmerick, a German mystic who, in one of her visions, relived the entire Passion, describing it with details not reported in the Gospels but confirmed by other sources, names at least seventeen.
However, in the Gospels, primarily the pious women are mentioned, also called the three Marys.
Mary Magdalene wife of Jesus: let’s clarify
What is the truth about Mary Magdalene? Wife of Jesus or simple disciple? Let’s find out in this article.
A special mention goes to Mary, the Mother of Jesus, who shared in His immense physical and moral pain. Although, when thinking about the Passion and Crucifixion, it is natural to focus attention on what happened on the Cross, it is worth contemplating those who, at the foot of it, suffered no less pain, with dignity and resignation. Mary knew from the beginning that this would be her destined fate, from the moment she accepted God’s invitation (“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” Luke 1:38-39) and, subsequently, through Simeon’s prophecy (“This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too” Luke 2:34-35). Throughout Jesus’ life, she prepared herself to be pierced by that cruel sword, and her silent agony is the most poignant imaginable.
The cult of Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows is a name attributed to Mary, mother of Jesus. This is how secular devotion to Mater Dolorosa was born.
In the canonical Gospels, the three pious women are described differently. Matthew speaks of three women at the foot of the Cross, two named Mary (Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, but does not mention the Virgin Mary (Matthew 27:55-56). Mark also speaks of two Marys (Mary Magdalene and Mary of Cleophas) and Salome, neglecting the Virgin Mary. Luke does not specify the number of women or their names (Luke 23:49), while, as we have seen, John is much more precise. The tradition of the three Marys comes directly from his account.
The apocryphal gospels: what differentiates them from the canonical ones
The apocryphal gospels are not part of the New Testament: what differentiates them from the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and…
Again, three women play a central role in the Resurrection of Christ, in the account of finding His empty tomb. In this case, too, the women who went to the tomb to bring myrrh for Christ’s body (hence the name “myrrh-bearers”) are referred to as the three Marys, already present during the deposition and embalming of Jesus’ body by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
In particular, Mark recounts how Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went to Jesus’ tomb, having bought aromatic oils, and found the stone that sealed it rolled away. Inside, a young man announced to them the Resurrection of Jesus (Mark 16:1-8).
In Matthew, the women are two—Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”—who witness the miraculous opening of the tomb by an angel. The angel announces that Christ has risen and instructs them to inform the disciples (Matthew 28:1-10).
What became of Our Lady after the Resurrection of Jesus? Let’s investigate Mary’s life through the Gospels, up to the day of her Assumption into Heaven What happened to Mary the mother of Jesus after the death and Resurrection of Her Son? The Gospels do…
The Passion of Jesus is the highest and most terrible moment of his parable among men. From the Last Supper to the deposition in the tomb let’s see how the last days on Earth have been Easter is approaching, and we are preparing once again…
Few religious festivals can boast the depth and variety of symbols such as Easter, already before the advent of Jesus, and then with the consequent and substantial implementation of the solemnity linked to him, with the advent of the symbols of the Passion of Christ that we all know. The Passover, the Pesach, was an occasion of celebration and fundamental spiritual solemnity, involving every aspect of the culture and life of the Jewish people. It was a feast that celebrated freedom, recalling the escape of the Jews from Egypt and the ransom from slavery, and was linked to two other important celebrations: the sacrifice of the lamb, who remembered how to bathe the doorposts with lamb’s blood saved the firstborn of Israel from the Angel of Death, and the feast of unleavened bread, in memory of the unleavened bread that the Jews ate to support themselves in the desert during the flight.
The symbolism of the Easter Lamb
Easter is getting closer, carrying its solemn suggestions and symbols full of spirituality. The Easter Cross, candles, lamb. Not just simple traditions, but objects of devotion and spiritual renovation. Let’s check them out.
The coming of Jesus represented an extraordinary evolution, a subversion destined to change the fate not only of the Jewish people but of all humanity. Even considering the symbols of the Passion of Christ, His brief and earth-shattering parable, and above all the message of His death and Resurrection, we see Easter confirmed as a celebration of liberation, in this case of all humanity from Sin and Death, thanks to the extreme sacrifice of a single Man who took upon himself all the evil and pain of the world, immolating himself as a sacrificial victim.
In particular, dwelling on the Passion of Jesus, we can list a series of universally known symbols that have crossed the history of man over the centuries, irremediably interwoven with events not only spiritual but also historical and human. We have already dwelt on the animals, symbols of Christian Easter. In this article, we will discuss objects and precious relics related to the Passion.
The animal symbols of Christian Easter
Doves, rabbits, lambs: as animals and other elements of the natural world become symbols of Easter
In the Gospels of Matthew (27:29), Mark (15:17) and John (19:2) we read of how Jesus, condemned to death by Pontius Pilate, was dragged out by Roman soldiers who, to taunt him in His role as King of the Jews, clothed him in purple, symbol of royalty, and they placed on his head a crown of thorns intertwined. This crown of thorns is one of the most emblematic symbols of the Passion. The third painful mystery of the Holy Rosary recalls this episode, making it the emblem of Jesus’ atonement and sacrifice, which acquires reality and consistency in this humiliating and painful monil, of His love to the end, as we read in John 13:1: “Before the feast of Easter Jesus, knowing that it was his time to pass from this world to the Father, having loved his own in the world, loved them to the end.”
In spite of the will of the soldiers to taunt and humiliate their prisoner, the crown of thorns of Jesus really becomes a symbol of royalty and power. It is precisely in pain and humiliation that Christ reveals himself as King and Messiah.
In Paris every first Friday of the month you can admire and venerate the Crown of Thorns of Notre Dame, a precious relic received by Louis IX king of France by the Emperor of Constantinople Baldwin in 1239, as a pledge for a loan. It consists of a circle of 70 thorns woven and held together by a golden thread.
Instead, in the Cathedral of Turin there is the Shroud of Jesus, or Holy Shroud, a linen cloth on which is imprinted the figure of a life-size man. The marks of wounds and mutilations made us think that it could be Jesus, His body torn by the signs of the Passion and that that sheet was used to wrap him before he was lowered into the Tomb. The Shroud of Turin would therefore be the shroud of Jesus, and as such, it has been exposed to public veneration on various occasions over the years, in events known as ostensions. For centuries the shroud fascinates and divides scholars and believers around the world and, although nothing certain has ever been expressed on it, remains one of the most considered and debated sacred objects of all time.
A symbolic place par excellence of Christianity is the Holy Sepulchre, the presumed tomb where Jesus was laid. It is located in Jerusalem, inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre. According to the Gospels, it had been excavated by Joseph D’Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, who went to Pontius Pilate and claimed the latter’s body. Also from the Gospels, we can deduce the location and description of the tomb. Discovered by Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, the Holy Sepulchre has known a troubled history, made of invasions, distraction, restoration. Today it consists of two rooms, the Chapel of the Angel, where you can see a fragment of the stone that closed the tomb and that Jesus would have moved at the time of the Resurrection, and the Holy Sepulchre where the body of Jesus would have been placed on a block of rock. Since 1192 a Palestinian family of Arab Muslims has been handed down the custody of the key of the Holy Sepulchre.
Flavia Giulia Elena, mother of Constantine, also found in Jerusalem the Cross of Jesus, the so-called True Cross. Even this relic, perhaps the most famous of the symbols of the Passion of Christ, has known endless difficulties over the centuries. Fragments attributed truthfully or not to it have travelled to every corner of the world. Elena would find the True Cross along with two other crosses, perhaps those of the two thieves, at the Titulus Crucis of Jesus and the Holy Nails used to nail it to the wood among the ruins of a pagan temple that had been erected over the Holy Sepulchre. Kept for a long time in a silver casket and offered for the veneration of pilgrims, the traces of the True Cross were lost after the conquest of Jerusalem by Saladin. Churches and places of worship around the world still preserve fragments of it.
Among the finds attributed to Flavia Giulia Elena in 327-328 A.D., there are also the Holy Nails used for the Crucifixion of Jesus. There would have been three or four, and the Empress Dowager took them with her to Rome, where from one she took a horse bite for her son, while she had another mounted on her helmet to provide protection in battle. Various legends have followed the travels of the precious Nails in time. Today several Holy Nails are venerated in churches in Italy and abroad, among them the two Holy Nails of Milan and Rome, which would be two parts of the nail used for the bite of Constantine’s horse.
We mentioned the Titulus Crucis, the sign on the Cross of Christ. We can see it in a multitude of depictions of the Crucifixion, and we can read an inscription: INRI. But what is the meaning of INRI? They are the Initials of the Latin expression Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews”. Pontius Pilate had it affixed to the Cross as a reason for the condemnation of Jesus Christ, according to a widespread custom at the time. In the four canonical gospels, we find several descriptions of the Titulus Crucis. According to the Gospel of John, the inscription was even reported in three languages, as was the case on special occasions: Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
In addition to the significance of INRI on the Cross, there are different evangelical traditions about what would have been the last words of Jesus on the Cross. The evangelist Luke makes Him say: “Father, forgive them because they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34), and shortly after: “Father, in your hands I deliver my spirit” (Luke 23:46). According to John, instead, Jesus before dying would have only said: “All is finished!” (John 19,30). The Gospels of Matthew and Mark also contain sentences and words, and all these are collected in the so-called Seven Words of Christ on the Cross (Septem verba Domini Jesu Christ), the set of words and phrases that Jesus pronounced on the Cross and that were used in the Summa Passionis, polyphonic Renaissance songs composed by the last 7 words of Christ on the Cross from the four Gospels.
Here are the last 7 words of Jesus:
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing Lk 23,34
Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in heaven Lk 23,43
Woman, here is your son. Son, here is your mother Jn 19,26
My God, my God, why did you abandon me? Mt 27,46; Mk 15,34
I am thirsty Jn 19,28
All is accomplished Jn 19,30
Father, in your hands I deliver my spirit Lc 23,46
Although the Holy Staircase that we all know, and that is visited every year by many pilgrims, is located in Rome, at the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, where stands precisely the pontifical shrine of the Holy Staircase, In fact, Scala Santa means the ascent by Jesus to reach the room where he was interrogated by Pontius Pilate and sentenced to death. According to medieval legend, that same staircase that was located in Jerusalem would have been dismantled and transported to Rome by order of Saint Helena Empress, mother of Constantine I, in 326 A.D. It consists of 28 steps of white marble covered with a layer of wood, that for centuries the faithful walked on their knees as a sign of devotion.
In this case, they are not symbols, but men, yet their participation in the Passion of Christ makes them iconic elements in the history of the Church. Let’s talk about the two thieves. Who were the two thieves crucified with Jesus on Golgotha? We do not know much about them. We have dedicated an article to Saint Disma, who in the Gospel of Luke not only defends Jesus from the insults that the other thief addresses him but comes to beg him to remember him when he goes to Heaven. So it happens, and Jesus forgives Disma, welcoming him into Heaven with him, unique among all the saints of all time. Today he is venerated on March 25 as the patron saint of prisoners and dying, for having been able to recognize his own guilt, and accept punishment, but also for having put aside his own suffering to use kind words to those who, innocent, suffered as much and more than him on the Cross.
In the world, there are many thorns considered to come from the crown that the Roman soldiers placed on Jesus’ head just before crucifying him. Some are considered authentic, belonging to that crown, and others are ‘contact relics’, in the sense that they were not part of the crown, but were resting on it over the centuries. In any case, they have become famous relics, venerated throughout the world, and kept in sumptuous reliquaries, such as the Reliquary of the Holy Thorn in France, or the Holy Thorn of Andria, preserved and venerated in the cathedral of the town of Andria.
Meta description: In view of Easter we discover the symbols of the Passion of Christ, from the most famous, such as the crown of thorns or the Holy Shroud, to the most mysterious
The washing of the feet is one of the greatest gestures of God’s love. Here is how it happened and how it is repeated every year between the rites of Holy Thursday There is one particular episode that is told only in one of the…
Palm Sunday is the last Sunday before Easter. With it begins Holy Week. Here is what is celebrated and how. Anyone among us who grew up in a Catholic family will have happened as a child to be taken to church on Palm Sunday and…
From the Gospels we know that Jesus was not led to Calvary to be crucified alone. “Two evildoers were also led with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him and the two evildoers, one on the right and the other on the left.” (Luke 23:32-33). John the Evangelist does not dwell on these figures at all. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark we read that both thieves reviled Jesus, while in Luke’s Gospel we notice a significant difference: the thief on the right, known in apocryphal texts as Gestas, bitterly insulted Jesus, but the other, Disma, allegedly defended him and commended himself to him: “One of the evildoers hanging on the cross insulted him, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us too!” But the other rebuked him, “Do you not also fear God and are damned to the same penalty? We justly, because we receive righteousness for our deeds, he, on the other hand, has done nothing wrong.” And he added, ‘Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom'” (Luke 23:39-42). Today we are talking precisely about St. Disma, or Dismas, the Good Thief, one of the thieves crucified with Jesus, also known as Titus in some apocryphal texts, such as the Arabic Gospel for Children, and as `by the Russian Orthodox Church.
What makes this character, who appears in only a few lines of a single canonical Gospel, so special? Well, St. Dismaswas the only saint to be made such directly by Jesus! In fact, to his heartfelt plea Christ “answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise'” (Luke 23:43).
We do not know much about the two thieves crucified on Calvary with Jesus. According to certain traditions they were two of the bandits who attacked Mary and Joseph during the Flight into Egypt to rob them. We know that death by crucifixion was intended for low-level criminals and slaves who fled from their masters, because they were believed to deserve such a horrible death more than others and served as a warning to their peers. In the Gospels they are referred to by the Greek word kakourgoi, meaning men who were guilty of aberrant crimes.
Fleeing to Egypt: the journey of the Holy Family to escape King Herod
The fleeing to Egypt is an episode from Jesus’ childhood. Between history and faith here is the Savior’s first journey
The Gospel of Nicodemus or Narrative of Joseph of Arimathea contains references to the reasons for condemnation. Gestas was a marauder and murderer, who slaughtered wayfarers, tortured women by cutting off their breasts, drank the blood of children, and took pleasure in the evil he did, without respect for men or God. In the same apocryphal Gospel Disma, or Dema, came from Galilee and owned an inn. He stole from the rich, but he also gave many alms and helped the needy.
Many ancientscenes of the Crucifixion depict the sun and moon accompanied by the inscriptions East and West on the heads of the two thieves. Based on very ancient depictions of the Crucifixion found in Syria some scholars have come to the conclusion that the name Dismas, and consequently the thief himself, came from there. In fact, “Dismas” resembles the Greek word used to denote the East, and on ancient Syriac coins, the sun and moon and the words “East” and “West” are shown, as well as in the scenes of the Crucifixion. Others trace the etymology of the name Dismasback to ancient Greek δυσμάς (dismas) or δυσμη (dysme, dusmé), “sunset,” or “death.” In the Gospel of Nicodemus Dismas is evildoer crucified to the left of Jesus.
Jacopo da Varagine’s Legenda Aurea mentions Gestas by the alternative name Gesma, while in the Arabic Gospel for Children he is called Dimachus.
The Catholic Church commemorates St. Dismas on March 25, the Eastern ones on March 23. He is the protector of prisoners and the dying and the patron saint of those who help alcoholics, gamblers and thieves.
Dysma’s name does not appear in the Gospels, but was taken from the Acts of Pilate, an apocryphal Greek text written between the mid 2nd and 3rd centuries and later merged with the Gospel of Nicodemus. We know nothing about him, neither how he was captured nor what crime he had committed. However, we do know of Dismas that, having come to the end of his life, he was able to acknowledge his guilt, and accepted the punishment that was inflicted on him for his crimes and sins. But not only that. At the moment of the punishment, while each man is alone with his own pain and remorse, Dismas manages to distract his attention from his suffering, and he leans toward Jesus, who suffers his own pain even though he is blameless. And in Him, his fellow executioner, he recognizes the power to grant him salvation, if not in this life in the next. It is this that makes St. Dismas special, this act of faith that is consummated in the last instant of his life, this recognition of Jesus on the cross, at the moment when He Himself is just a man nailed to the wood, without a following, without the Word on His lips, prey only to the pain and mockery of His tormentors. And yet for Dismas he is the King, the Savior who can give him peace. It is precisely this ability to recognize the greatness of Jesus at the lowest and most terrible moment of his human parable that makes Dismas, the first of the redeemed, worthy of Holiness and to be remembered and revered even today. Dismas first shows us that it is never too late to repent and take the path of salvation.
The well-known journalist and writer Nino Badano left written a special Prayer to St. Dismas. His words are a touching and heartfelt acknowledgement of the role of this mysterious man, misunderstood by history, who nevertheless was able to leave such a precious and important mark for Christians of all times.
O holy thief,
on the cross beside Jesus, you merited a gift of grace for us as well.
At no time was the Son of God, more unrecognizable and more humiliated; at no time was His kingship, declared in derision by Pilate’s scroll, more invisible and hidden; and you said to Him:
“O Jesus remember me when You are in the magnificence of Your Kingdom.”
There was Mary, John and the pious women, but of the others none;
all had forsaken Him;
the only act of faith, the only comfort of repentance, the only incredible testimony of love came to him from You.
“Truly I tell you today you will be with me in heaven.”
Disma, first of the redeemed,
we do not have the merit that You had of comforting Jesus on the cross and proclaiming Him King when His kingship was most reviled and denied; we do not have the glory of confessing Him from a gallows beside His own while everyone blasphemes and insults Him.
Even today Christ is blasphemed and insulted: even today there are crucifiers who ask Him to come down from the cross and manifest His power; but our confession after two thousand years is not as meritorious and heroic as yours.
Soon we too will be on the cross-awaiting death, and then we will remember your unpredictable and stupendous prayer.
With your words there is no man who cannot obtain salvation.
God inspired you so that we might see how divinely easy it is to obtain heaven even without having deserved it.
We need only repeat them to get the same answer as you did: for the promise of the kingdom is not commensurate with our nonexistent merits, but with His infinite ones.
O good thief, the first of the saints who entered Paradise with the Lord, help us to die like you.
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It happens to everyone, at certain times in life, when facing problems big and small or finding oneself in need, to feel the need to turn to someone for help. Or, relieved of a distress, recovering from a particularly hard trial that has worn us down in body and spirit, but from which we have managed to emerge, a gratitude arises in us that needs to be addressed to an external, ineffable presence. These are the occasions when we turn to the patron saints, repositories of our prayers, doubts, fears and, finally, our gratitude.
It would be trite to evoke a special need for patron saints on the part of women, prosaic to do so as March 8 approaches. But whether they like to admit it or not, they are the ones who most often need help, comfort, someone to turn to and seek refuge in. Perhaps because of their many facets. A woman is seldom just a woman: she is a wife, a mother, a housewife, a working woman, a woman who cares for those who are more fragile, weak, and defenseless than she is, and to do this she needs a strength that she cannot always find in herself alone.
Here is a list of patron saints whom women have invoked over the centuries, men and women who have lived and died in Grace, and who by their merits and characteristics have risen to the role of symbols of the strength and love that very often in women become one. From Mary, mother of Jesus, an example of strength, spirit of sacrifice and courage for all women and all mothers, to St. Paschal Baylon, the saint who helps unmarried women find husbands, to St. Anne the patron saint of pregnant women, a quick roundup of those who protect women at every stage of life.
Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, chosen by God to carry the Messiah. What else can we say about her? This extraordinary woman consciously chose to receive God into herself, was a docile yet active and conscious instrument of His plan and stood by her son knowing how much pain awaited Him and her, in reflection. This makes her the Mother of all Mothers, the one to whom every man turns in difficult times to intercede for them with the heavenly Father. To her also women turn when they must make difficult choices, mothers and pregnant women when they fear for their children, to her blessed among women.
St. Anne, mother of the Virgin Mary, who became pregnant at an advanced age is also invoked on the occasion of impossible deliveries and more generally is considered the patron saint of women giving birth, mothers of families and even widows. Pregnant women turn to her praying for a trouble-free delivery, a healthy baby and the milk to feed it properly. She is also invoked against marital infertility. Legend has it that she and her husband Joachim, both members of the Jewish priestly class, were unable to have children, and because of this dishonor her husband had retreated into the desert among the shepherds. An angel then appeared to Anne and announced to her that if she went with her husband to the Golden Gate in Jerusalem and kissed him, she would conceive a child. Thus, Mary was born, whose name in Hebrew means ‘beloved of the Lord.’ St. Anne patroness of women in childbirth is celebrated on July 26.
The story of Saint Anne Mother of Mary
On July 26, St. Anne and St. Joachim, the parents of the Virgin Mary, are celebrated. Let’s find out why.
St. Mary Frances of the Five Wounds, who lived in Naples in the 12thXth century, is another of the saints who protect infertile and pregnant women. Growing up with an abusive father who mistreated her, and whose beatings she endured with such patience that she was nicknamed “santarella” from childhood, she took vows. She was said to possess the gift of prophecy. Her liturgical memorial is celebrated on October 6 and she is considered patron saint of Naples’ Spanish Quarter and protector of infertile and pregnant women. When she was seized with the pains of the Passion she used to sit on a special chair, now kept in the small museum dedicated to her in Vico Tre Re in Toledo in the Spanish Quarters. Today that chair is known as the “fertility chair,” and many women who wish to become mothers sit on it every day and pray asking St. Mary Frances for grace. In a small side chapel hang hundreds and hundreds of pink and blue ribbons and photos of newborn babies, joyful votive offerings for this special saint.
Perhaps not everyone knows that the word “zabaglione” used to define the rich cream of egg yolks and sugar combined with marsala or sweet wine or liqueur comes from the name of a saint who lived in the 17th century. Of Spanish origin, St. Paschal Baylon belonged to the order of Friars Minor. Legend has it that to women who came to him complaining about their husbands’ lack of vigor, the holy man suggested that they be given precisely eggnog! That is why he is considered the protector of cooks and pastry chefs, but also of women, especially those without husbands. Famous is the prayer dedicated to him by spinsters:
Saint Paschal Baylonne, protector of women,
let me find me a husband, white, red and colored,
like you, such as, O glorious Saint Paschal
Another saint, St. Gerard Maiella, is universally recognized and invoked as the protector of pregnant women. Gerard was a native of Basilicata, belonged to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer and lived just under 30 years in the mid-12th century. Of poor health and sweet and humble disposition, according to devotional tradition he saved the life of a woman who was dying in childbirth. Many years earlier, as a child, she had received a handkerchief from the visiting saint in her home and at his suggestion had kept it until then. Near death, she asked the doctors to take it and put it on her belly, and immediately the pain vanished and the birth ended happily for her and the child. The liturgical memory of St. Gerard falls on October 16. His shrine and tomb are visited every year by hundreds of pregnant women and young mothers who, thanks to him, have given birth without any problems. The shrine is home to the Hall of Bows, decorated with thousands of pink and blue bows donated as a sign or gratitude.
Saint Monica of Tagaste has always been considered a symbol for all mothers. This is because she was the mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, who before converting and becoming the extraordinary churchman he became was an unrepentant daredevil. The mother had to use all her fortitude and courage, as well as her unwavering faith, to endure the rebellion of that son, to the welfare and salvation of whom she devoted her entire existence. Certainly her efforts were rewarded. She never prevented her son from living his own life, even if she considered it wrong, and she followed him in his wanderings, even when he tried to escape and lied to her, remaining by his side as a discreet, loving and wise presence. Eventually, thanks to her advice and love, Augustine was converted and received catechesis from St. Ambrose. St. Monica became the patron saint of married women, mothers and widows, a landmark and symbol for women in every age. Here is what her son wrote of her, “To her I owe all that I am” (The Happiness, 1:6) and again, in the Confessions, “She begot me both with her flesh that I might come into the light of time and with her heart that I might be born into the light of eternity.”
Saint Monica: patron saint of mothers and example for women
Saint Monica of Tagaste was a woman endowed with extraordinary strength of mind and unwavering faith. Let’s find out why she’s become a symbol for all mothers.
The last patron saint of women we want to remember died when he was just 14 years old. He is St. Dominic Savio, a pupil of St. John Bosco, who despite his very short life distinguished himself by grace, faith and virtue. He is invoked as the protector of women in childbirth, especially in cases of high-risk pregnancies. And linked to him is the tradition of the little gown of St. Dominic Savio. Women who have to give birth and are afraid go on pilgrimage to the chapel of the shrine of Mary Help of Christians, in Turin, which houses his mortal remains, or have a ‘little gown,‘ a small scapular around their neck bearing the image of the saint, and reproducing the one placed around the neck by Dominic himself to his mother, who was suffering from her last pregnancy, and who, thanks to her son’s devotion and the intercession of the Virgin Mary, healed and gave birth to him a little sister, Catherine.
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Each one of us, attending churches and places of worship, but also leafing through art history books showing depictions of the Crucifixion, has happened to dwell on the plaque placed on the cross, usually just above Jesus’ head. In this case it is not a prerogative of Christ’s crucifixion and has no particular religious explanation. Instead, the significance of INRI on the cross is to be found in Roman law, which prescribed, in the case of a death sentence by crucifixion, a very precise set of regulations.
We have to think that in the days of Republican Rome only slaves, prisoners of war, and insurgents were executed in this way. Crucifixion was considered a particularly execrable sentence because the body was exposed for days along the road, at the mercy of the sun, bad weather, and animals. Later, in imperial times, it was decided to extend this type of condemnation to free men as well. Those who were sentenced to crucifixion were brutally whipped, before the actual execution was carried out: the whippings were meant to reduce them to death, but not to kill them, because death was to take place on the cross. And so that this sentence would be a warning to all, the judge would dictate a titulus, the reason for the sentence, which would be engraved on a wooden or terracotta sign and hung around the neck of the condemned man, along with his name.
This was also the case for Jesus. The meaning of INRI on the cross is the Titulus crucis that Pontius Pilate decreed for Christ when condemning Him to death, as the reason for the sentence.
But what does INRI mean? INRI stands for ‘Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum,’ ‘Jesus Nazarene King of the Jews.’
The inscription INRI is reported differently in the four canonical gospels.
Mark’s Gospel concerning the plaque placed on Jesus’ head reads only, “The inscription indicating the reason for condemnation said, The King of the Jews” (Mark 15:26) Matthew writes, “Above his head they placed the written reason for his condemnation: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews'” (Matthew 27:37). In Luke’s Gospel, on the other hand, we read, “There was also an inscription above his head: ‘This is the King of the Jews'” (Luke 23:38)
The Gospel of John presents a particular interpretation. On occasions of solemn events the titulus was even written in three languages. In John’s Gospel it is written that this was also the case for the death of Jesus, and that Pilate wanted to mock Christ by having the titulus written in three languages: “Meanwhile Pilate also had the title written, which said the cause of condemnation, and had it placed on the cross. It was written there, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.’ Now many of the Jews read this inscription, the place where Jesus was crucified being near the city. And it was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek. Therefore said the great Priests of the Jews to Pilate, ‘Do not write, King of the Jews; but that he said, I am the King of the Jews.’ ‘ Pilate answered, ‘What I have written, I have written.’” (Jn. 19:19-22).
On crucifixes in Orthodox Churches the inscription is not INRI, but INBI, from the Greek Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ Bασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων, Ihsous Nazoraios Basileus ton Ioudaion, Jesus Nazarene King of the Jews.
A walnut wood panel in Rome is considered to be the original plaque affixed to the cross of Jesus. It is kept in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, where once stood the palace of Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, who had collected many relics of the Passion. It is difficult to prove the veracity of this plaque, which was found in the 15th century during restoration work on the choir, ceiling and apse fresco. In a niche a lead box was found that contained a terracotta table, with the inscription “TITULUS CRUCIS” and the initial part of inscriptions in Greek, Latin and Hebrew. Legend has it that it was St. Helena herself who brought part of the tablet to Rome along with the three crosses found on Golgotha and the nails of the crucifixion.
According to the Gospel of John, Pilate had Jesus’ titulus crucis written in three languages. Connecting with the writing in Hebrew, let us dwell for a moment on the meaning of Jesus’ name in the Hebrew language. The Aramaic name “Yeshu” is the transliteration of יֵשׁוּעַ (Yeshu’a), and is pronounced “Yeh-shoo,” without the “a.” The Italian equivalent is Joshua, of which Jesus is an alternate form, and it means “YHWH (God) is salvation.” When the Bible was translated into Greek and then Latin the name was rendered as Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs) and later Iesus. The name Yehoshùa was quite common in the times recounted in the Gospels. Even in the genealogy of Jesus (Lk 3:27) we find another Jesus his ancestor. Besides Jesus in the Bible we meet Joshua, precisely, the leader who led the people of Israel after the death of Moses. St. Paul had a trusted co-worker named Jesús (Col 4:11).
Jesus’ name is one with His mission, with His destiny. When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, He told him about Mary, “She shall bring forth a son, and you shall call Him Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). In the original Greek text, the name mentioned by the angel is Ỉησοῦν, Iesùn, in the Hebrew texts ישוע (Yeshùa). The Hebrew phrase read, “you shall call him Yèshùa for he will save his people,” and here in the phrase we find the interpretation of the name: Yeshùa, “Yah will save,” where Yah is the abbreviation of God’s name (“Yah [יה] is my strength,” Ex 15:2) and shùa means “salvation.”
Meta description: We discover the meaning of INRI on the cross of Jesus and how in the very name of Christ in Hebrew is already enshrined the ultimate meaning of His coming into the world.
