date: 04.08.2019.
Archbishop Henryk Hoser, the Apostolic Visitor for the parish of Medjugorje celebrated on the third day of the Youth Festival the evening Holy Mass with 689 priests concelebrating. There were 2.258.400 live-stream followers through the providers of Information Centre Mir Medjugorje from all over the world.
After the Holy Mass, dozens of thousands of youth took part in the procession with the statue of Our Lady and adored Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Fr. Marinko Sakota read the greetings given by Vienna Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.
At the beginning of his homily, Archbishop Hoser said that another day of the Youth Festival is confirming what Medjugorje is. Medjugorje is the place of the encounters where we get to know not just other participants, but also this unusual place. At the first sight, nothing special about this Croatian, peasant parish, surrounded with vineyards and green hills.
However, Medjugorje is also something that one needs to encounter. Medjugorje is a time and a place, something that proves us there is more than everyday experience in our working places. The youth that lives here has that ordinary life too, this is where they learn about the world. You can see them dressed in the special t-shirts for volunteers. We all have the experience of what is the secret of Medjugorje.
It is that invisible reality, yet intensive and very much present. This is the world of the spirit, the world where man encounters God and this encounter takes place inside each of us, it takes place in our hearts. Poor human hearts that jumps for joy or is devastated with pain, the same human heart youth has and their hearts too are very sensitive to good and to evil, particularly when it comes to injustice. He said that all people, especially the youth are very much sensitive to the lack of justice and suffer greatly for all the hurts and injustice they get.
This is not right! This cannot be happening! This is so painful! This is such a shame! Young people shout this and recipients of these statements can often be their own parents and educators. Young people fight for their freedom, it is something that marks their young age. Yet, youth do not know the boundaries of the personal freedom and such boundaries exist and need to exist. This is also the freedom of other person, the social freedom, religious freedom and freedom in educating their children for parents. Such freedom ought to be respected. Just like we have traffic prohibitions, we also have certain prohibitions in the spirit of righteousness and love that God gave us.
He gave us ten “Words of Life” - Ten Commandments that teach us what is good and bad for us. Often we are chained with sins sometimes we contribute to their multiplication, but God breaks those chains and brings freedom to us.
Battle of good and evil takes place in our hearts and God knows perfectly our human hearts. Jesus reads our hearts and knows our weaknesses, but above all he knows we are capable of doing good and wishes to help us, to support us and to be with us, to dwell with the Most Holy Trinity in our hearts! This is where our Mother of God and our Mother is leading us to, the same Mother from Czestochowa, from Vilnus, Lourdes, Fatima, Kibeho and from Medjugorje, the Queen of Peace. Let us allow her to lead us!, said Archbishop Hoser in the end of his homily he gave in the Polish language and thrilled many of his co-citizens.
Bishop of Sisak, Vlado Kosic will be the main celebrant of Holy Mass on Sunday, at 11 am for Croatian pilgrims, and Cardinal of Vrhbosna, Vinko Puljic will be the main celebrant at the evening Holy Mass. (PHOTO)
