On January 6, 2026, Pope Leo XIV sealed the Holy Door of Saint Peter’s Basilica, marking the conclusion of the Church’s Jubilee Year. This significant event serves as an invitation for Christians to reflect on themselves after a year of grace, focusing on the themes of recognition and accompaniment.
The word "recognition" carries a range of meanings. It can refer to "special notice or attention," a "knowledge or feeling that someone or something present has been encountered before," or, in a more specialized context, a "formal acknowledgment of the political existence of a government or nation"(1). As a result, people often interpret recognition merely as observation and stop at these familiar definitions.
However, according to Ryan Gerard, S.J., in Engaging Werner G. Jeanrond’s Theological Thinking, Christians are called to understand the intrinsic meanings of "recognition" in two ways: as a continual process and as a mutual effort. (2) Recognition really emphasizes a process that unfolds continuously, while people are easily limited in a concrete context of cultural characteristics, social standards, historical circumstances... Therefore, these contexts challenge Christians to open themselves to and accept others. Furthermore, this is also a commitment or engagement that comes from two sides, as recognition asks everyone "to be open to and strive to understand the other person."(3) Obviously, all of these efforts belong to the "accompaniment" in their closest relationships.
Furthermore, the meaning of accompaniment in a simple way is "something which goes with another thing" (4). However, in relation to recognition, this word carries a broad meaning that underscores the relationship between mutual recognition behaviors. We can understand accompaniment in a broader context of the Church - "synodality" - but this scope is not appropriate for this narrow writing. Nevertheless, an emphasized point that we want to notice is that both "accompaniment" and "synodality" remind to the participation as the way of "the whole People of God in the life and mission of the Church"(5) and, in smaller scope, this participation is like to "a way to positively redefine participation through human limitations, and the development of memory that transforms how we recall vocation and biography."(6)
Why do we want to notice "recognition" and "accompaniment"? How do they relate to the event of the Jubilee ending? We are invited to think about Cardinal Archpriest Rolandas Makrickas's statement: "As we close this Holy Door, we believe that the heart of the Risen One, an inexhaustible source of new life, remains always open to those who hope in Him."(7) The opening a new hopefully life is a special invitation that, in my own opinion, we need "recognition" and "accompaniment". Asking for engaging into relationships with the others requires humility, openness, and taking the risks; but tending to a "transformation" (8) and a vision of "the whole People of God in the life and mission of the Church", we can see God through others - accept them as welcome God - accompany with them as God go with us - transform, not my own life or only Christians, but all people around the world.
Author & Photo: Little Stream
Photo: Our Lady and Jesus statue - St. Michael's Cathedral (Toronto)
Toronto, 18/01/2026
1. Merriam-Webster Dictionary, s.v. “recognition,” accessed January 18, 2026, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recognition (merriam-webster.com in Bing).
2. Gerard Ryan, “Exploring Theology, Spirituality, and Praxis: A Journey of Critical and Self-critical Reflection,” in Engaging Werner G. Jeanrond’s Theological Thinking: Starting Points, ed. Ulrich Schmiedel, Ola Sigurdson, and Jayne Svenungsson (Bloomsbury, 2026).
3. Engaging Werner G. Jeanrond’s Theological Thinking: Starting Points, 44.
4. Collins English Dictionary, s.v. “accompaniment,” accessed January 18, 2026, https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/accompaniment.
5. International Theological Commission, Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church, accessed January 18, 2026, https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_20180302_sinodalita_en.html.
6. Engaging Werner G. Jeanrond’s Theological Thinking: Starting Points, 44.
7. Vatican News, “‘God’s heart remains open,’ says Cardinal at closing of Holy Door,” accessed January 18, 2026, https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-12/god-s-heart-remains-open-says-cardinal-at-closing-of-holy-door.html.
8. Engaging Werner G. Jeanrond’s Theological Thinking: Starting Points, 44.
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