Fr. Roberto Pasolini urges the Roman Curia to live the Gospel through humility, encounter, and witness during his third Lenten meditation.
Newsroom (20/03/2026 Gaudium Press ) Delivering his third Lenten meditation at the Vatican on Friday morning, the Preacher of the Papal Household, Fr. Roberto Pasolini, invited the Roman Curia to rediscover the heart of mission: proclaiming the Gospel not as conquest, but as encounter. Speaking in the Paul VI Hall in the presence of Pope Leo XIV, Fr. Pasolini explored how faith takes root in lived humility and genuine relationship.
“The Gospel is not proclaimed to win, but to encounter,” he affirmed, framing the Church’s mission as one of presence rather than persuasion. According to the Papal Preacher, proclaiming Christ begins with cultivating space—both within oneself and in others—for the Word to dwell, grow, and transform.
A Mission Grounded in Relationship
Fr. Pasolini reflected on how preparation for true encounter with Christ extends naturally to relationships with others. “Our authority,” he said, “does not come from a role, but from a life that accepts entering into this dynamic of love,” one marked by humility, sensitivity, and dialogue.
Recalling the example of St. Francis of Assisi, the Papal Preacher drew attention to the saint’s choice to call his followers “lesser brothers.” For Francis, Pasolini explained, this was “not a title, but a concrete way of being in the world.” This lived smallness, he noted, is what makes the proclamation of the Gospel authentic and fruitful.
Word That Takes Shape in Life
Speaking on the theme “The mission: Proclaiming the Gospel to every creature,” Fr. Pasolini emphasized that the Word of God must take root before it can bear fruit. “One cannot truly speak,” he said, “about what has not yet taken root in one’s own life.” Patience, prayer, and interior maturity are essential to protect what is most precious and allow it to be transformed into testimony.
He cautioned against using the things of God for personal recognition or approval. Instead, he called for a slow, reverent interior work—a process through which God’s presence can shape both the believer’s life and relationships.
God’s Presence Transforms from Within
Christ, Fr. Pasolini continued, “is not information to be transmitted, but a mystery dwelling within humanity.” God’s presence, he said, is a life that gradually takes form and transforms all it touches. To illustrate this, he compared faith to a mother’s experience: carrying the child within, giving it time to grow, and only later bringing it into the world.
“So it is with faith,” he reflected. “First Christ takes space within us—in silence, in prayer, in daily choices. Only afterward can He appear outwardly, in our gestures and relationships.”
Truth That Speaks From the Heart
Throughout his meditation, Fr. Pasolini returned to one unifying principle: sincerity. “When words remain abstract and impersonal,” he remarked, “they convince no one, not even those who speak them.” For the Gospel to be credible, it must emerge from life, not from abstraction.
Encountering others, he said, means both giving and receiving—a gesture of mutual respect and dialogue. Just as God made space for humanity rather than imposing Himself, so too must believers make space for others to receive and live God’s gift.
As Lent moves toward Easter, Fr. Pasolini’s meditation invited the Curia—and all Christians—to remember that authentic mission is not a performance of faith, but a participation in divine love that seeks encounter over victory, humility over assertion, and transformation over persuasion.
- Raju Hasmukh with Vatican News
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