PHOTO: Prayerful Welcome to 2026 in Medjugorje – A Night of the New Beginnings

While fireworks marked the beginning of the new year and the beginning of celebrations for the entry into 2026 for much of the world, for thousands of pilgrims who welcomed the New Year in Medjugorje, the fireworks in their hearts were ignited by Our Lady, who has been doing this in this small but world-famous place for almost half a century.

Along with the parishioners of Medjugorje, far from the noise of the world, thousands of pilgrims from Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Ukraine, Hungary, the USA, Korea, Poland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomed the New Year by celebrating Holy Mass in Medjugorje...

The Holy Mass with which they entered the new year was presided over by the Provincial of the Herzegovina Franciscan Province, Fr. Jozo Grbeš, and before this Mass at 6 p.m., a Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated at the end of the civil year, presided over by the parish vicar in Medjugorje, Fr. Ivan Sesar. It was preceded by the Rosary, and after the Mass, a Live Nativity Scene was performed by members of the Cenacolo community. Adoration began at 10 p.m., followed by the Holy Mass celebration that ushered in the year 2026.

In his homily at this Mass, Fr. Jozo Grbeš said that this night invites us to reflect on time and ourselves, and that we are all pilgrims on a journey for which we must "prepare well, because tomorrow belongs to those who prepare today."

"A better way of life means a new way of thinking, and a new way of thinking is the fruit of the power of the Spirit, or as the wise man said: 'Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and may each new year find a better man in you.' As we reflect on time tonight, on the mystery and greatness of time, eternity, life and God, then we can understand that only with a humble, not arrogant, attitude do we understand all of this. Before the power of time, the speed of the passing, one must be humble, because departures speak of eternity, and arrivals speak of love," said Fr. Jozo, and asked himself, "What does life teach us?"

Answering this question, he said that he believes that life teaches us love, because love is the center of Christianity, but also the center of life in the universe, of past and future times, and that its opposite is selfishness, which is the source of all the evils of this world...

He also said that "through love, man comes to believe, to know the one God," and then, quoting Benedict XVI, he said: "To believe is nothing other than, in the darkness of the world, to touch the hand of God and in that way, in silence, to hear the Word, to see love."

He called on us not to remain the same, because "the status quo is not a friend of man's journey or his wisdom."

He also spoke about how much ''we spend our energy being distant from each other'', and we can become those ''who unlock doors, open, connect, share and make the world more beautiful, better, different, more perfect, a world with more love...

Fr. Jozo warned that we are too much in the past and that ''the past has only one mission; to be a teacher of the future'' and that the past, no matter what it is, must not become a burden to us.

In his reflection, he also called for gratitude, because ''people who are grateful make the world beautiful and pleasant, and those who are not grateful, they complain about everything and everyone and that ''they do not see the big picture of life but the small need for interest''.

''Tonight, on this night of the transition of time, we ask ourselves: What traces shall we leave behind us this new year? What is important and what is not important in our lives? What I am and who I am, and what I am not and who I am not? Am I a copy or an original? The difference between the original and the copy is the difference between the essential and the inessential, the good and the bad, the right and the wrong," said Fr. Jozo Grbeš, explaining that every attitude and opinion is a view from a certain point and that everyone has a point from which they see the world, and that the only question is: Who shapes our point?

"If we allow Christ to shape it, everything will change. Therefore, tonight is the night of the new beginnings. We know that believing means seeing and that seeing means believing! Mary, that ordinary, gentle, humble mother, Our Lady teaches us that this is so, simply so often in silence and without words. If we decide to travel with her tonight, we will be grateful to Christ and we will truly be people of love. We Christians desperately need this in this country. Also in every country on this continent, and on every continent. Let us start anew!", concluded Fr. Jozo Grbeš, and many in Medjugorje, for 45 years, have been starting anew. They will continue to set out. They set out on this New Year's Eve as well. Numerous pilgrims testify to this. Both those who are returning, as well as those who - on the recommendation of those who left Medjugorje again - were in Medjugorje for the first time.