Vatican City: The Advent homilies will take place in the Paul VI Hall on the Fridays leading up to Christmas—December 6th, 13th, and 20th—delivered by the new Preacher of the Papal Household, Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini.
Titled “The Doors of Hope: Towards the Opening of the Holy Year through the Prophecy of Christmas,” the three homilies will be offered for the first time by Father Pasolini, aimed at cardinals, archbishops, bishops, prelates, members of the papal family, and laypeople, along with employees from the Roman Curia, the Governorate, and the Vicariate of Rome. The homilies will also be available to superior generals and procurators of the religious orders within the Pontifical Chapel.
In his invitation for the Friday reflections, Father Pasolini writes that this Advent not only prepares us for Christmas but also leads us toward the forthcoming Jubilee. He notes that this liturgical season offers a time of grace to renew “the intense experience of God's love, awakening in our hearts the certain hope of salvation in Christ,” as highlighted by the Pope in the 2025 Holy Year proclamation, Spes non confundit (“Hope does not disappoint”).
Father Pasolini emphasizes that the voices of the prophets, so prominent during Advent, strongly encourage us not to lose our way on the journey to the Kingdom of God. He invites us to listen attentively to these voices in order to “recognize the doors that lead us into the mystery of our humanity with renewed hope.” He explains these doors as the “door of wonder,” inviting us to marvel at the Gospel’s seeds in the world and history; the “door of trust,” encouraging us to approach others with openness and respect; and the “door of smallness,” urging us to embrace our true selves without fear.
As the Holy Year draws near, the Prefecture of the Papal Household recalls the words of Pope Paul VI from the opening of the 1975 Jubilee: "The Jubilee celebration, with its simple yet profound spiritual discipline, and the symbolic opening of its doors of mercy and forgiveness, intends to signify a step of inner transformation, the courageous step toward moral truth… the step of conversion of the heart.” These words invite reflection on the true meaning of the Year of Grace and how we can live it.