date: 28.07.2023.
The Holy Mass on the second day of the 34th Youth Festival in Medjugorje was celebrated by Fr. Jozo Grbeš, the Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, with the concelebration of 569 priests.
In his homily, he told young people that the state of the world is always chaotic, and so is the time in which we live.
Quoting the winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics last year, John Clauser, he said that "the world we live in today is full of misinformation. It is up to each of you to serve as judges, distinguishing truth from falsehood.''
"Yes, it is the stage of the world where we spend our days and ask ourselves: what about us Christians? What about us who profess faith in Christ the Savior, the Christ of love, the Christ of truth?'' asked Fr. Jozo Grbeš, who through his homily explained to the young people gathered at this spiritual renewal in Medjugorje how to follow Christ, emphasizing how Jesus sent his mother many times. to help us follow Jesus.
''He sent his mother so many times to help us? From Bethlehem and Cana of Galilee, to this place here between these two hills. If we get to know Her, we will get to know Him. As the Mother of love, She persistently asks and annoys, but not for herself but for Him, from Cana of Galilee until today, not for herself, but for Him", said Fr. Jozo, adding that we only have one life and that the question of all questions is, of all philosophies, of all spiritualities: How to live that one and only life?
He told the young people to choose Christ as their teacher, and that way they will find the meaning of life, and that "love will become the way and the life".
"When you go home these days, you will return to the chaos of this world. They don't like you because you're Catholic, or because you're Christian, they don't like you because you're pro-family or pro-marriage, for the values that remain and are valid, they don't like you because of a million things, but be grateful for that. When you are trampled, stand up, when you are attacked, say: Christ, I would like to be with you again. The choice is clear. If we choose him, we will choose what always remains, in this world and the next. We will choose the only thing that makes sense. We will choose that which alone gives happiness to the human heart without ceasing, we will choose that which is his only command, we will choose Love. No one can do anything against her. Choose him,'' concluded Fr. Jozo Grbeš.
In the morning part of the program on the second day of the 34th Youth Festival, the assistant parish priest of Medjugorje, Fr. Jure Barišić, gave a catechesis to the young people, who also said that in Medjugorje, with the help of the Queen of Peace, we can find hope and the meaning of our lives, which is Jesus Christ.
"That's why Our Lady always leads us to Christ. In this search for the Lord, following Mary, we must be careful like Mary, attentive like Mary, we must be concrete like Mary,'' said Fr. Jure, explaining that the entire spirituality of Medjugorje and Marian spirituality is Christocentric.
"In the center is Her son Jesus Christ. By praying to Mary, we take a safe path to Jesus Christ,'' said Fr. Jure Barišić, and concluding his catechesis, he recommended that in difficult moments of life, we turn to Mary, who will see our suffering and intercede with her son to save us.
After the catechesis of Fr. Jure Barišić, Father Davide Costalunga, religious, Passionist priest, gave his testimony to the young people, whose conversion took place in Međugorje, at the 2010 Youth Festival during the confession on Apparition Hill. Therefore, he asked all participants of the Youth Festival to confess.
"After many years, I was heard for the first time, and I was not convicted. And despite the fact that I spoke for two hours about wickedness, sins, weaknesses... After confession, I got a hug from that Franciscan and we cried together. It's forgiveness, it's love, it's not condemnation... It means having faith and hope because we're all on the same boat and we all have a place in heaven that was given to us by the blood of Jesus, not because of our merits,'' said Fr. Davide Costalunga.
After that, the participants of the Youth Festival were presented testimonies of Mary’s Meals. Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the founder and manager of this organization and the residents and volunteers of Maria's Meals, spoke about the association that feeds four million children. In the afternoon part of the program, Daniele Maria Rinaldi and nun Julija Prisjažnaj testified, and Msgr. Jan Sobilo, bishop of the Zaporizhzhya-Kharkiv diocese in Ukraine, could not come to the Youth Festival this year, but he sent his message to the youth of Ukraine.
"The war does not allow me to be with you in these days of grace in Medjugorje. I want to thank the Mother of God for taking care of the Ukrainian people, who last year were gifted with rosaries from our Mother through you young people, which you collected during last year's youth festival and then we took them all to Ukraine,'' said Jan Sobilo, among other things, inviting all to continue collecting rosaries for Ukrainians this year.
The second day of the 34th International Youth Festival ended with a procession with the statue of Our Lady and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. (PHOTO)
