date: 09.08.2025.
''We are at the end of our gathering, this spiritual retreat we had in Medjugorje. We began it on the Apparition Hill, and we end it here on Cross Mountain.
This is a place of faith. A place where parishioners raised a cross, in order to receive a blessing from God, so that God would protect them from trouble, and so that this cross would help them to keep faith strong among the people. The cross is always a sign. It is a sign of a victory, a sign of hope. The cross of Christ always wins,'' said the Medjugorje parish priest Fr. Zvonimir Pavičić at the beginning of his homily, who led the Holy Mass this morning at five o'clock on Cross Mountain.
This concluded the 36th International Youth Prayer Festival, which was held under the theme 'Let us go to the house of the Lord!'' (Ps 122:1), which gathered tens of thousands of young people from 71 countries from all continents in Medjugorje throughout this week.
Hundreds of young people climbed Cross Mountain all night to celebrate Holy Mass this morning and some went to this hill above Medjugorje immediately after the evening program and spent the night there.
And at this Holy Mass, the last at this year's Youth Festival, there were many pilgrims, and 84 priests concelebrated with Fr. Zvonimir. The theme of his homily at Cross Mountain was, of course, the cross, and referring to the Gospel passage, he said that Jesus tells us that we too must take up our cross.
''We must not reject the cross that brings us life. Instead, we must readily accept and carry it. Just as he carried his cross. Although it is difficult and demanding, it is nevertheless bringing us salvation. Whoever is ready to carry his cross is ready to follow Jesus. For the one who follows Jesus, he always goes towards salvation, towards heaven and towards eternity.
Here we are at the foot of this great cross. And this cross gives us shade from the sun. It gives us shelter. This cross is great. It is great because it is the cross of Jesus. My cross and yours are much smaller, certainly smaller. That is why we need to remember this: when our life's cross becomes too heavy for us, all we need to do is stand in the shadow of the cross of Jesus. Then all weakness, all pain and all anxiety disappears.
The cross of Jesus brings us salvation, gives us strength so that we too can carry our cross. Dear young people, let the cross be our sign, a sign that we are alive, a sign that we have strength, a sign that Jesus is with us and that with him we always win," said Fr. Zvonimir, and looking back on the week that had passed, he said that these "were beautiful days in which we experienced God's closeness, but also the closeness of people, our brothers and sisters," and he invited them: "May these days give us the strength to continue living our faith when we return to our countries, our families, our workplaces. Be Our Lady's children. Live according to her messages and you will be well! God bless you!"
Thousands of young people from 71 countries, who celebrated Holy Mass in Medjugorje, listened to catechesis and lectures, as well as numerous testimonies, prayed on the Apparition Hill and on Cross Mountain, and confessed, early this morning after Holy Mass, at the beginning of a new day, set out on a new life, and many of them will return to Medjugorje next year, they will again return "to the source!" (PHOTO)
