date: 05.08.2021.
The fourth day of the Youth Festival began at 10 am with the morning prayer led by Medjugorje parish priest Fr. Marinko Sakota and prayer to the Holy Spirit, then catechesis was given by Fr. Bojan Rizvan, a young priest from Zadar, who said in the beginning that exactly on this day, seven years who, he was celebrating his first Holy Mass as a newly ordained priest here in Medjugorje and he said that Medjugorje is a place where the providence is taking place, while the youth is the time of making choices and time in which we choose direction of our lives.
“All the directions are possible…The youth is the time of choosing and it is normal that in that time our questions are arising. If you have questions and you are young, this means you are healthy. Life is not only about the questions, life is reality, we should not think too much, we need to live. Often I say to young people: Stop thinking that much! Make a decision finally! The worst for the young people is to fall in doubts during these periods of thinking something over and over again. Life in doubts is the most dangerous area, for that is fertile ground for devil. We need to move on, not hesitate all the time. Hesitation is a sign of tepidity, and this reveals our immaturity”, said Fr. Bojan and at the end he said we should ask ourselves: What are we like when we leave after having met with Christ? He said we are all called to be heralds of the Good news and then concluded that youth is not about the age, but it is the awareness of the freshness of the hearts.
Rap singer Gullerom Esteban – Grillex gave his testimony afterwards and the programme started again at 5 pm with testimonies of Cenacolo community, who after Holy Mass showed their movie. The evening prayer programme began with the Rosary and Holy Mass was celebrated by bishop of Diocese Alessandria della Paglia in Italy, Msgr. Guido Gallese. The Provincial Fr. Miljenko Steko was concelebrating along with 332 priests.
In his homily he spoke of the reading from the Book of Numbers when Moses sent reconnaissance to the Promised land to see what it was like, what were the conditions for coming in it. When they returned they preached about what their eyes have seen and they said: 'We can go and conquer this land: we are well able to do it’, and the others said: ‘No, that is a country that devours its inhabitants. Every man we saw there was of enormous size. We felt like grasshoppers and so we seemed to them.’
“Naturally, there were no giants in this land, but when we are afraid, this fear makes the problems bigger, but they were afraid. That is why they described the things they did”, said bishop Gallese, and then he said and thrilled all the present: ‘Dear youth, do not be afraid!’
‘This is what St. John Paul II said at the beginning of his pontificate. Do not be afraid! Open the doors to Christ! When we are afraid, we lose the goal in our lives and that is how people lost the Promised land. If we wish to go somewhere, we should not be afraid. Never!”, said Msgr. Gallese and he explained – why it is so important not to be afraid?
“It is because the fear is opposite to the faith, or in the other words, the faith is opposite to the fear”, he said and referred to the excerpt from the Gospel when Jesus was asleep in a boat during the storm, that he stopped after frightened disciples awoke him.
Jesus is asking of us a great faith. When we are afraid, and we consequently make a mistake and we do not have faith, we need to say that we have sinned. We need to recall the works of God. The Psalm says: ''They forgot the God who was their saviour, they did not trust in his will''. We need to recall that God is with us and He wants us to have trust in Him, even when it seems that our boat is sinking. For us, it may seem as if God is not here, as if He is asleep, that He does not care at all, but He is always prepared to save us, we only need to have faith”, said bishop Guido Gallese, and invited all to give their lives to Jesus, knowing He would grant us healing and salvation.
The message of the Cardinal Christoph Schönborn
After Holy Mass, Fr. Marinko Sakota read the message sent also this year by Vienna Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.
“Dear young participants of the 32nd Mladifest in Medjugorje! In gratitude, united with you, also this year I am sending you greetings and blessings! After last year's break due to Covid, you were able to come to Medjugorje in large numbers again. What is inspiring you to do this, for some of you – a really long journey? Nobody ordered you to do that. You are doing this because something is drawing you, more precisely: Someone is drawing you.
Since Our Lady appeared to the young visionaries for the first time 40 years ago, many people, old and young, have felt this attraction. In Mary's presence they found consolation and strength, joy and hope, and many received the gift of forgiveness through Confession. In this way also you came to find Mary, and that always means to find her Son, Jesus. It is my desire that you return home from Medjugorje strengthened, with the joy of communion that you experienced here.
There are many worries and troubles, but strengthen the hope that is in you and transmit it to others. Many are waiting for witnesses of hope! You can be those witnesses”, the message says. (PHOTO)
