Vatican Advent Homilies to Focus on Theme of Hope Ahead of Holy Year

Vatican City, December 3, 2024: The Advent homilies at the Vatican this year will focus on the theme of hope and preparation for the upcoming Holy Year. Themed “The Doors of Hope. Towards the Opening of the Holy Year through the Prophecy of Christmas,” the homilies will be delivered by the new Preacher of the Papal Household, Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini. These meditations will take place on three consecutive Fridays - December 6th, 13th, and 20th at 9:00 a.m. in the Paul VI Hall. 

The homilies will be addressed to a broad audience, including cardinals, archbishops, bishops, prelates, and members of the laity within the papal household. Employees of the Roman Curia, the Governorate, and the Vicariate of Rome, along with superior generals or procurators of religious orders in the Pontifical Chapel, have also been invited to attend the homily events.

In his invitation letter for the homilies, Father Pasolini highlighted Advent as a "time of grace" to renew an "intense experience of the love of God and foster hope in Christ, as echoed in Pope Francis’ proclamation of the 2025 Holy Year, Spes non confundit ("Hope does not disappoint"). He encouraged the faithful to listen to the voices of the prophets during this liturgical season in order to recognise the three “doors” that lead us into the mystery of our renewed hope in humanity. These doors, he says, are “the door of wonder, to admire the seeds of the Gospel present in the world and in history”, “the door of trust, to walk towards others with a respectful and open heart”, and “the door of smallness, to not be afraid to finally become ourselves”.

With the Jubilee Year approaching, Father Pasolini recalls the words spoken by Paul VI at the opening of the 1975 Jubilee: "The celebration of the Jubilee, with its simple yet profound spiritual discipline, and with the symbolic opening of its doors of mercy and forgiveness, intends to signify the step of inner metamorphosis, the courageous step of moral truth. the step of conversion of the heart." These words urge the faithful to reflect on the meaning of the Year of Grace and how to live it.

Courtesy: Vatican News