Archbishop Cavalli: Thank you Lord and the Virgin Mary for sending me here through the Holy Father

date: 13.02.2022.

"It is a great joy to greet you, Most Reverend Father Archbishop Aldo, as the new Apostolic Visitor for the parish of Medjugorje. Welcome! We receive you with all our hearts in the parish, where Our Lady's special closeness is felt. We look forward to working with you. Thank you for accepting the invitation of Pope Francis to be the Apostolic Visitor for the Parish of Medjugorje after the service of the Nuncio in the Netherlands. Thank you'', Fr. Marinko Šakota, the parish priest of Medjugorje, expressed the at the beginning of the Holy Mass the words of welcome to the new apostolic visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, Archbishop Aldi Cavalli.

Solemn Eucharistic celebration was presided over by Archbishop Cavalli with the concelebration of Fr. Marinko Šakota, Provincial of the Herzegovina Franciscan Province Fr. Miljenko Šteko and many other priests today (February 13, 2022) in the Medjugorje Church of St. James.

At the beginning of his sermon at his first Mass with parishioners and pilgrims in Medjugorje, Archbishop Cavalli also expressed his gratitude.

''Thank you all. Thank you for coming. Thanks to the choir for preparing this celebration. Thank you, Father Provincial, Father Parish Priest… to all those who prepared this, thank you very much, but above all thank you the Lord and the Virgin Mary who wanted to send me here through the Holy Father. When I saw the Holy Father a few weeks ago, he told me: 'You are going to Medjugorje, be there and that's it!' I am sure that the Lord Jesus will follow me in these last years of mine, as he has done all of my life", said Msgr. Cavalli, who then referred to the Mass readings, the word of God.

''In the first reading we see a prophet speaking. Prophets have always been, but always, people like us. They were buying, selling, got married, had children, but they were always God's people. They had two fundamental points in their lives. They loved God and served him! They loved the people and served them! Those two things. The prophets talked to God and God spoke to them. He spoke to them, not as I speak, but inspired them from within.

They lived with their people in their time. The prophets lived in their people within their way of life, culture and time, it all changed, but they lived within their people.  They were prophets because they spoke to the people about their God and to God about his people", said Archbishop Cavalli, explaining that if we want to be like prophets, we should live like prophets, we should have the same way of life, meaning the same attitude - to live among people.''

Referring to the second reading in which St. Paul tells us about the eternal life, Archbishop Cavalli also touched on his predecessor in the service of the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje.

"For example, where is my predecessor Msgr. Hoser? We say he lives, but how does he live? Where does he live? His body is in the grave and disappearing.  In two or three generations we will forget him, as well as all the dead, but in him and in us we have two answers given to us by the Lord Jesus.

The first thing when someone dies and Msgr. Hoser died, Jesus says that before God he becomes like the angels of heaven, and we know little about angels, but we know one thing. They are constantly standing before God who is Love and they are constantly living love. My predecessor who died lives in God who is Love, but another reading also tells us about the body.

Jesus has a clear answer: As I was resurrected, so will you be resurrected. The Corinthians asked St. Paul: How will we be resurrected? St. Paul, who had in mind how Jesus was resurrected with his body, answers: The material body goes to the grave and resurrects the spiritual body. Therefore, my predecessor lives in God like the angels and his body will be resurrected on the last day. Mary is already ascended in heaven in body and soul, together with Jesus. She was the first to achieve that, and we will achieve that later", explained Msgr. Cavalli, who in his sermon also spoke about the beatitudes of which today's Gospel speaks.

''In the gospel we hear about the beatitudes. Who is this human person who accomplishes all that the Lord has told us in the Gospel? The human person who accomplishes all - this is the Lord Jesus! Do you know why? Because in everything he achieved the mission he had. Mary did the same. She had fully accomplished the mission entrusted to her. She remained in the house serving Jesus and St. Joseph, throughout her life. And that's all. Faithful to the mission she had. One hundred percent faithful. So, if we want to achieve bliss in our lives, we need to fulfil our mission one hundred percent", said Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, the Apostolic Visitor with a special role for the parish of Medjugorje, and then at the end of his homily he repeated:  we prophets must love and serve God and love the people and serve them. The great security we have is that we will be resurrected and live after death before God who is love, and at the end of time our body will also be resurrected into a spiritual body. If I want to live like Jesus and Mary, I have to fulfil my mission completely."