Fr. Pasolini delivers third Lenten meditation in the Vatican
By Benedetta Capelli and Deborah Castellano Lubov
"The Gospel is not proclaimed to win, but to encounter."
The Preacher of the Papal Household, Fr. Roberto Pasolini, made this point during his third Lenten Meditation delivered Friday morning in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on the theme, “The mission: Proclaiming the Gospel to every creature.”
Addressing the Roman Curia with Pope Leo XIV in attendance, the Papal Preacher spoke about preparing the ground for an encounter with Jesus, and how this ties into our relationships with others.
St. Francis of Assisi as a model
“Our authority,” Fr. Pasolini said, “does not come from a role, but from a life that accepts entering into this dynamic of love,” where we are humble, sensitive to others and their needs, and ready to dialogue with them and welcome their gifts.
Throughout the meditation, Fr. Pasolini turned to St. Francis of Assisi as an example and model. "This is what Francis intuited when he called his friars ‘lesser,’ giving them not a title, but a concrete way of being in the world," he said, observing, "It is precisely this smallness, this lived humility, that makes the proclamation of the Gospel fruitful.”
The Gospel takes shape in life
Mission, the fulfillment of conversion and fraternity, is born “from the desire to share with others the experience and proclamation of the Gospel,” but everything comes from the Word.
“One cannot truly speak,” Father Pasolini says, “about what has not yet taken root in one’s own life.”
He stressed that patience is needed to guard what we have seen and heard, to let it mature in prayer, and also warned against the temptation to “use the things of God to seek approval or recognition.”
"What is precious must be protected, allowed to mature, and transformed into witness," he said.
God's presence transforms
The Papal Preacher emphasized that Christ is not information to be transmitted, but a mystery dwelling within humanity that asks to be recognized so that it may emerge in life. He also explained how the Gospel is not communicated as a simple piece of news, but is given as a life that gradually takes form.
Father Pasolini made a comparison to explain how God’s presence in the human heart transforms life and relationships, namely that of the experience of a mother, who first carries the child within her, gives the child time to grow, and only afterward brings it to birth.
"So it is with faith," he suggested. "First Christ takes space within us, in silence, in prayer, in daily choices. Only afterward can He appear outwardly, in gestures and in the way we relate to others.”
Abstract words convince no one
Fr. Pasolini emphasized the need to recognize God’s presence in others and to show respect. To reach others, he suggested, and have dialogue, words must be heartfelt.
"When words remain abstract and impersonal, they convince no one, not even those who speak them," Fr. Pasolini explained, noting this is pertinent to transmitting the Gospel.
The mystery of God
The Papal Preacher reminded that encountering the other means not only giving, but also receiving, and is a free choice of respect and dialogue.
“God did not impose Himself on humanity,” Fr. Pasolini concluded, “but made space for it. He did not jealously guard His greatness; He gave it, so that the other might receive it and live.”
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