Symbol of Hope: The Meaning of the Jubilee Logo

By John Graveline, Director of Parish Life

October 26, 2025

“They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings: They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.” –Isaiah 40:31

As we near the Christmas culmination of this Jubilee Year liturgically celebrating the 2025th anniversary of the birth of Jesus, it might be a suitable time to remind ourselves that this is a Jubilee Year of Hope. Hope is more than a wish or mere optimism. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in God’s promises and not relying on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit.” (no. 1817) Christian Hope is aligning our personal and communal vision with the values of the kingdom of God as proclaimed by Jesus, a new way of understanding ourselves and our world.

The logo of the Jubilee Year gives us some clues to the proper way that we are being asked to celebrate it as we approach its zenith.

The four figures are meant to symbolize people from all four corners of the earth of every ethnicity and culture, coming to embrace Christ. Jesus’ hopeful vision of the Kingdom includes all people, and we are called to live in peace and solidarity with all people. Thus, we see how racism and discrimination throw themselves across (in Greek diabolos) God’s plan for the solidarity and unity of humanity. Our work this Jubilee year is to work to bring people together in all of our rich diversity, especially reaching out to include in our care the poor, lonely, and vulnerable.

The four figures together embrace the Cross. St. Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians states that “I speak of nothing but Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Cor. 2:2) Our salvation and hope for eternal life is founded in the Pascal Mystery of Jesus’ cross and resurrection. Is there anyone or anything else in which to place our ultimate hope? Even the best people and institutions are fallible. They will let us down at some point. As Pope John Paul II wrote in his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope, a decisive moment in each one of our lives is “the day on which we become convinced that [Jesus] is the only Friend who will not disappoint us, on whom we can always count.” This Jubilee Year is a most opportune moment to entrust our lives to Jesus, our greatest Friend, uniting the dyings and risings in our lives with his Paschal Mystery.

The water under the figures could symbolize a couple of things. Hope (as a theological virtue) is baptismal. Our pledge of eternal life was given to us in the waters of baptism. Baptism is not just a “membership ritual” that is often received as an infant. Rather, we become a “new creation” with an eternal destiny to live in communion with God and neighbor in love in this world and the next. This is symbolized by the white baptismal garment that is given. (Revelation 7:9-17) The baptismal water is a symbol of new, eternal life. However, water is also dangerous. As we navigate our lives in midst of life’s storms, hope steadies us by keeping our eyes not on the winds and waves of fortune but on the promise of the kingdom of God. The many opportunities for Indulgences during this Jubilee Year gives us an occasion to renew our baptismal commitments, giving us a new impetus to lay hold of our discipleship going forward.

Finally, we notice that the lower extremity of the cross is in the shape of an anchor. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains this symbol, “Hope is the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul that enters where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf.” (no. 1820) There are so many distractions calling for our attention, so many “influencers” claiming to have wisdom. We are called to keep our eyes and ears on Jesus, claiming him as our chief influencer. Our hope is ultimately not in human wisdom, science, or technology (as great as these things are). Our hope is in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ and his promise of eternal life. This Jubilee Year is a great time to focus our attention once again on the Gospel of Jesus and rejecting anything that preaches “another Gospel. But there is no other.” (Galatians 1:6-7)

As we approach the final stages of this Jubilee Year, may we fully participate in its opportunity to grow in the virtue of Christian hope, and “this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

John