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In accordance with the Jubilee’s bull of induction, the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran was opened on Sunday, December 29, by Cardinal Baldassare Reina. The Archpriest of the Cathedral of Rome, delegated by the Holy Father, presided over the rite and the Eucharistic celebration in the same basilica, in an outpouring of gratitude to the Lord and profound hope. He was accompanied by a cohort of cardinals, bishops, and concelebrating priests, along with thousands of faithful and pilgrims who came to experience this moment of grace.

“With great joy, we have witnessed the opening of the Holy Door of our cathedral; in doing so, we have renewed our profession of faith in Christ, the Door of our salvation, confirming our commitment to being a concrete sign of hope for every brother and sister by opening the door of our hearts with sentiments of mercy, kindness, and justice,” stated the Holy Father’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome during his homily on the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

This celebration, he continued, takes on even greater significance as it coincides with the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth, “the model of every domestic community and a reflection of Trinitarian communion.” The invitation arising from this celebration, he clarified, “is to recognize ourselves as God’s family, called to grow in unity and mutual charity and to support in prayer all families, especially those experiencing difficulties and suffering.” Drawing from the parable of the prodigal son in his homily (cf. Lk 15:11-32), particularly the figure of the merciful father, Cardinal Reina invited the faithful, as they passed through the Holy Door, to think with special compassion of those who, like the younger son in the parable, “feel distant and unworthy,” and of those who, like the elder son, “carry within their hearts the weight of profound bitterness and no longer feel like beloved children.”

Relying on the texts of the day’s liturgy in his homily, the Italian cardinal explained to the faithful and pilgrims present that the proclaimed Word of God helps us meditate on our identity as children of the Son, called to live as a family with God. “The Holy Door that we have just crossed,” he continued, “evokes the daily gesture of crossing the threshold of our homes.” The Archpriest of the Papal Basilica of St. John Lateran emphasized that this door, now wide open, “has not only led us into the Lord’s house but into the intimacy of His heart.”

Referring to the apostle John, who in the second reading offers an extraordinarily profound proclamation, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1), the prelate underscored that being children of God is a foundational reality that introduces us into a living and transformative relationship with the Father. “Faith is configured as a profound relational experience that inserts us into the dynamics of divine filiation. This truth demands constant rediscovery, an incessant return to the source of God’s paternal love, which illuminates the authentic meaning of our being and acting.” In this light, the cardinal indicated, the parable of the merciful father serves as a mirror in which we are invited to recognize ourselves.

Focusing then on this parable from the Gospel of Luke, the Holy Father’s Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome explained that this story confronts us with a clear representation of our times, burdened by the misunderstanding that “God is the enemy of our freedom, an obstacle to be eliminated so we can finally become the creators of our existence.” However, he added, even the elder son, who might seem a model of loyalty and obedience, is trapped in a profound misunderstanding. “His true condition becomes clear in the protest he addresses to his father upon his younger brother’s return: ‘All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends'” (Lk 15:29).

These words reveal obedience without love, experienced as servitude to a will perceived as despotic, the prelate noted, explaining that both sons end up interpreting their place in their father’s house not as beloved sons but as servants: “the elder declares that he has served, and the younger decides to return home intending to ask to be received as one of his father’s hired workers.” A misunderstanding that could directly impact their brotherhood.

Cardinal Baldassare Reina dwelt on an important detail of this parable, inviting contemplation once again on the image of the door, “the same door we have crossed and will continue to cross throughout this year of grace.” When the son begins his journey home, St. Luke highlights with touching precision, “While he was still a long way off” (Lk 15:20). The prelate thus highlighted an extraordinary trait of the paternal heart: “The father did not merely wait but watched with unwavering hope, and upon seeing his son from afar, he felt his heart tremble with compassion. He did not delay; he ran to him, embraced him, and kissed him with infinite tenderness.” The home awaiting us, he specified, is none other than the Father’s abode, His heart, a place where we are seen even if we have not yet perceived it. “It is a heart that moves toward us while we are still far off because it has never been separated from us.”

Addressing the Christians gathered in St. John Lateran Cathedral, the Archpriest urged them to be pilgrims of hope, “of that hope, of love that does not tire, of salvation rediscovered, of a family restored.” From these open arms, he continued, “we learn to be the Church, to become its sacrament, the family of God who liberates our freedom toward the good.” The Italian cardinal thus encouraged the faithful and pilgrims not to hesitate to cross the Door leading to God’s heart, a living image of His wide-open arms ready to welcome us. “Let us enter with confidence, taste and see that the Lord is good (Ps 34:9); and once we have experienced the joy of this filial belonging, let us become tireless sowers of hope and builders of fraternity,” he exhorted.

The cardinal further explained that the Holy Door signifies accepting this call and living as children in the Son, witnesses of the Father who awaits us while we are “still far off” (Lk 15:20). It is an invitation to respond to God’s grace with an open heart, “allowing ourselves to be reconciled by His embrace, which restores our dignity and enables us to build authentic fraternal relationships,” he specified.

Today, crossing this Door that symbolizes “the Father’s arms,” the prelate invited reflection with particular compassion for those who, like the younger son in the parable, feel distant and unworthy, and for those who, like the elder son, carry in their hearts the weight of profound bitterness and no longer feel like beloved children, particularly the sick, prisoners, and the poor. “In this world torn apart by wars, discord, and inequalities, let us extend our arms to everyone; let us ensure that through our open arms, a reflection of God’s love reaches them,” said the Archpriest of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, emphasizing that “we will not be saved alone but as a family.” He concluded his homily with this prayer: “May our testimony, like that of Mary and Joseph, be luminous and fruitful so that every closed door may become an open one, and every distant heart may find its way back to the Father’s home.”

Rev. Fr. George Nwachukwu
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