They open the Holy Door of the Basilica Santa María la Mayor: The fourth of the Jubilee 2025

This January 1, on the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major was opened, the fourth so far since the beginning of the Jubilee of Hope 2025.

The ceremony was carried out by Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, coadjutor archpriest of the Basilica of Santa María Maggiore.

The first Holy Door was opened by Pope Francis on December 24 in St. Peter’s Basilica. Two days later, the Pontiff opened a Holy Door in the Rebibbia prison in Rome as a gesture of closeness to the prisoners, as stated in the bull. Hope is not confused with which he called for the Jubilee 2025.

On December 29, the Holy Door of the Basilica of Saint John Lateran was opened, and that of Saint Paul Outside the Walls will take place on January 5.

“Open the doors of justice for me, I will enter and give thanks to the Lord,” is the final part of the formula pronounced by Cardinal Makrickas when opening the Holy Door of the oldest Marian church in the West.

Once the rite was concluded, the cardinal proceeded to celebrate the Holy Mass, in which he highlighted that at the moment of opening the door the ancient bell of the lostwhich on March 21, 2024 returned to this basilica after 140 years.

In that sense, Cardinal Makrickas stated in his homily that the ringing of this bell transforms into sound the image of Mary leading the way in the darkness.

“Time is a great creature of God,” said the cardinal, and indicated that although “man has often and in different ways wanted to increase or perfect time with new technologies,” each attempt has “always ended in its loss.” or in what we could define as ‘time fatigue’.”

He indicated that an example is computers and mobile phones, which were created to save and enrich time, but which have often become their worst enemies.

Instead, he stated that a person can never feel lost or tired of the time spent with God. The Virgin Mother, he added, “is at the heart of this time: God was pleased to change history and our time through Her, the Immaculate Woman of the chosen people.”

In this sense, he highlighted that “every pilgrim who crosses the threshold of the Holy Door of this first Marian sanctuary in the West during the Jubilee Year will pray before the icon of the Mother of God, Salvation of the Roman Peopleand in front of the Sacred Cradle of Jesus and you will not be able to leave here without feeling a particular sensation.”

“Sense and certainty that Heavenly Mother is with him. “Everyone will leave here with the certainty of being accompanied by the grace, protection, care and maternal tenderness of Mary,” he added.

Furthermore, he recalled that, just as Mary “was decisive in the fullness of time, so she is decisive for the life of every Christian. Because no one knows the times and urgencies of the children better than the Mother.”

Later, the coadjutor archpriest referred to the arrival of the shepherds to the Bethlehem grotto to worship the Child Jesus.

“Leaving the fields towards the humble stable of Bethlehem, the shepherds, on that holy night, summarize the essence of Christianity: going out to meet the Lord, following his star,” he said.

Finally, regarding Jubilee 2025, Cardinal Makrickas noted that all people are called to “this same hope” and to walk “down this path of joyful hope.”

“All! And Mary is next to everyone, excluding no one. Like a mother, she loves all her children and always takes care of them,” he said.

“We entrust today, at the beginning of the Jubilee Year—once again—to the Mother of God our life, our time, so that she may lead us to Jesus: the fullness of time, of each time, of everyone’s time for us,” express.

According to the bull Hope is not confusedthe Holy Doors of the basilicas of Saint John Lateran, Saint Paul Outside the Walls and Saint Mary Major will be closed on December 28, 2025.

While the closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica will take place on January 6, 2026, on the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, carrying out the closing of the ordinary Jubilee.