I was the latter. I did some research. I am here to help.
So basically, from what I have gathered and have been told, Popes nowadays can just call for a Holy Year… because… well… they are the Pope. So this year, per Francis’ request, Catholics are to be focusing on mercy and forgiveness. It even has a theme song. Cool, right?
A Holy Year also comes with, what else, a Holy Door! If you go to reconciliation, and jump through a few more Catholic hoops, and walk through one of these Holy Doors (they are all over the place but the big one is in Rome) you are given plenary indulgences.
Some people believe Plenary Indulgences are sort of like “time off for good behavior,” meaning that it will get you less time in purgatory and a Fast Pass into heaven. In actuality, the process to getting an indulgence exists to detach yourself from sin and refocus yourself on your faith. I am mostly saying that because 1) I don’t KNOW if there is even the concept of time in purgatory and 2) If I promise “time off” in purgatory I feel like the people I promise that to will be super mad at me IN purgatory and make my time there more like hell.
So what does the Holy Year mean for you?
As to avoid being too preachy, it is definitely a good time to think about the people you can forgive in your own life. If you would like a “preachy-er” version of that, or want constant updates on the Jubilee Year of Mercy, the company “Our Sunday Visitor” has created an app called “365 Days of Mercy” for the enjoyment of us tech savvy Catholics. The app has prayers, bible verses, and THE THEME SONG! It’s free and can be found at the Apple or Google App Stores.
Any input or plans for your Jubilee Year of Mercy? Tell me about it in the comments!