The Preacher of the Papal Household, Father Roberto Pasolini, offered the second Lenten meditation this morning in the Paul VI Audience Hall, with Pope Leo XIV attentively present. Under the general theme “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Conversion to the Gospel according to Saint Francis,” the Capuchin friar focused his reflection on grace and the demands of fraternal communion as a concrete path to personal and collective transformation.

Father Pasolini emphasized that fraternity is not an abstract ideal or a spiritual embellishment, but rather the privileged space where authentic evangelical conversion takes place. “We are not alone, and we are not everything,” he affirmed, reminding us that rejecting this reality of interdependence breeds resentment and can make the presence of others unbearable. Drawing inspiration from the intuition of Saint Francis of Assisi, he presented interpersonal relationships as a testing ground for learning the merciful logic of the Gospel, far removed from the dynamics of power or superiority that characterized both the early Christian and Franciscan communities.

A key moment in the meditation was the rereading of the biblical story of Cain and Abel. The preacher explained that God rejects Cain’s offering not to condemn him, but to provoke him to offer his own life as a true gift: “It is not so much the quality of the offering that makes the difference, but the fact that what is offered truly represents one’s own life.” Thus, he invited participants to identify “who Cain is within us,” that resentment that fractures relationships and leads to violence and distance.

In a world marked by divisions, wars, and conflicts, Pasolini insisted that fraternity becomes a serious and urgent responsibility: “We Christians cannot limit ourselves to speaking of fraternity as an ideal to be achieved. We are called to receive it as a gift and, at the same time, to assume it as a very serious and urgent responsibility.” He emphasized that Christ’s Easter frees us from the suspicion that relational efforts are futile, allowing us to welcome the other even when they hurt, disappoint, or behave as an adversary.

The meditation is part of a series of four talks that will continue on Fridays, March 20 and 27. In the first talk, given on March 6, the same preacher addressed conversion as the humble following of Jesus, from a Franciscan perspective. The continued presence of Pope Leo XIV at these sessions underscores the importance the Pontiff attaches to this time of Easter preparation, aimed at rekindling in the Church the call to a humanity renewed through the encounter with Christ.