Opening the Holy Door: Meditations for the Jubilee Year

Opening the Holy Door: Meditations for the Jubilee Year

• Tuesdays, Oct. 28-Nov. 18
• 6:30-8 p.m. central time
• Led by Fr. Ron Will

The Holy Door on the north side of St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican has 16 bronze panels that depict salvation history from the dawn of creation to the present. They help us to connect our lives to the timeless story of Jesus Christ.

Using images of these panels and the scripture passages that inspired them, Fr. Ron Will guides us through a series of lectio divina and visio divina meditations to pray and reflect upon the deeper meaning of these images.

These meditations celebrate the Jubilee Year of Hope by exploring the people and holy moments that have been revered for centuries by Christians all over the world. Each reflection will help you to cross the spiritual threshold of this iconic door — located in the heart of the Church — as you enliven and enrich your faith by contemplating their timeless beauty.

To aid our reflections, we will be using the book Opening the Holy Door: Hope-Filled Scripture Reflections from St. Peter’s Basilica by Joan Watson. You can purchase the book from the Ave Maria Press website or your local bookstore. The Renewal Center has several copies of the book at a reduced price, but you must pick up the book at the Renewal Center. Contact us for details.

The image above shows two panels from the Holy Door that depict two stories from the gospels, The Prodigal Son and the cure of a Paralytic. The Holy Door has 16 such panels.