Now more than ever, in the living memory of Pope Francis, we are called to be pilgrims of hope. Providence has willed that this 2025, so harsh and difficult from so many perspectives, should also be a Holy Year, a year of grace that renews hope.
The Jubilee of disability
During this Jubilee, the most vulnerable people are welcomed and embraced with particular care: the days of April 28 and 29, 2025 are dedicated entirely to disability. This extraordinary event stands as a celebration of inclusion, spirituality, and the intrinsic value of every person, especially those who bear the burden of disability.
Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro: a beacon of hope
Against this backdrop, the memory of a radiant figure emerges with particular force: Blessed Benedetta Bianchi Porro. Born in Dovadola in 1936, her young life was marked by a progressive and inexorable illness, neurofibromatosis, which led from the loss of hearing and sight to complete paralysis, depriving her of almost every sensory faculty. Yet, in the heart of this darkness, Benedetta became a beacon of unwavering faith and hope.
Her life, initially marked by rebellion and even thoughts of suicide, was transformed into a journey of deep spiritual friendship with the Lord, which enabled Benedetta to discover grace in her own condition: “I have become more aware than ever of the richness of my state, and I desire nothing more than to preserve it,” she wrote upon returning from a pilgrimage to Lourdes.
“Jesus is with me, in my suffering”
Like the pilgrims of hope of the Jubilee, Benedetta undertook an inner journey through suffering, a pilgrimage animated by a faith that never faltered.
Her own words, taken from her letters, resonate with a powerful echo in the context of the Jubilee of Disability: «My days are not easy: they are hard, but sweet, because Jesus is with me, with my suffering, and gives me sweetness in solitude and light in the darkness. He smiles at me and accepts my cooperation with Him». This awareness of the divine presence at the heart of trial is the focus of the hope that the Jubilee seeks to rekindle in every pilgrim, especially those facing significant challenges in their lives.
«At the end of the road, Jesus is waiting for me»
The 2025 Jubilee includes workshops and round tables dedicated to crucial topics such as social inclusion, support for caregivers, and the importance of assistive technologies. These themes are deeply intertwined with Benedetta’s experience: her ability to communicate with the world was reduced to the sensitivity of a single hand, through which conventional signs were interpreted. Her life bears witness to the need to break down communication barriers and offer every possible support to those living with disabilities.
Benedetta’s faith was not an escape from reality, but a way of finding a deeper meaning in suffering, a perspective that the Jubilee invites us to rediscover. As she wrote to Natalino in her spiritual testament: «I know that, at the end of the road, Jesus is waiting for me. First in the armchair, now in the bed that is my home, I have found a wisdom greater than that of men. I have found that God exists and is Love, Faithfulness, Joy, Strength, until the end of the ages».
The 2025 Jubilee reminds us that every life is precious and that disability in no way diminishes a person’s dignity and worth. Benedetta’s example encourages us to look beyond appearances and discover the inner richness and spiritual strength that can flourish even in the most difficult circumstances. Her “yes” to God’s will, spoken in the heart of suffering, is an invitation for all of us to become authentic “Pilgrims of Hope,” capable of finding light even in the deepest darkness.
