Second day of the 37th Youth Festival – 'Let's go to the spring, the water is clean, there is silence, there is peace'

On the feast of Our Lady of the Angels or Portiuncula, on the second day of the 37th Youth Festival in Medjugorje, the evening Holy Mass was celebrated by the parish priest of Medjugorje, Fr. Zvonimir Pavičić, and the homily was given by Fr. Alojzije Slavko Anđelić.

''Dear brothers and sisters, dear young people, we have gathered here because Our Lady has called us to come to this holy place. On this feast, on the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels, she also calls us to be reconciled with God, to ask Him to forgive us our offenses, but also to forgive each other. And this is a condition for celebrating the Eucharist, because only a sincere and pure heart can encounter the Lord in this celebration," said Fr. Zvonimir, introducing the  Holy Mass celebration at the end of the second day of the 37th Youth Festival, which began with the recitation of the rosary right at the spring, by the statue of Our Lady on the Apparition Hill at six in the morning.

"Ad fontem! Let us go, brothers and sisters, to the spring. Only at the spring is the water clean and cold. There is no dirt there. There is no mud there at the spring. There is silence there. "There is peace there," said Fr. Alojzije at the beginning of his homily, speaking about the year dedicated to St. Francis, the beginnings of the Franciscan Order, today's feast day, the little church of the Portiuncula in Assisi, the relationship of St. Francis to that place...

"A brother, even before he entered our Order, had miraculous visions of that part of the earth's circle: "he saw how all the people of this world were blind and how they were kneeling around the little church of Saint Mary in the Portiuncula. Their hands were clasped, and their faces were turned towards heaven. They cried out in a loud voice and begged the Lord to graciously deign to restore their sight to everyone. While they were praying like this, a great brightness was seen descending from heaven, descending upon them and restoring their sight to everyone with a saving light."

The brothers later understood that this vision announced that this place would become a place of complete forgiveness, and this at a time when complete forgiveness was rarely obtained and only in great undertakings such as going to the Holy Land," said Fr. Alojzije, and later popes granted this privilege to other churches.

"Today, kneeling around this place of Mary's presence, we too have the opportunity to receive plenary indulgence and see. And we must do this. Let us accept the mercy that the Lord wants to show us through the hands of Mary," said Fr. Alojzije, emphasizing that the Portiuncula is not just something worthy of our attention today, August 2nd.

"When Francis told the brothers not to leave the  Portiuncula, as much as he spoke about the place, the humble chapel, the piece of land, he spoke even more about his Lady, about the Mother, about the Queen of Angels. Therefore, the vision of that brother calls us to kneel around our Immaculate Mother in this holy place, but also in every other place on earth - and receive from her the bright graces of spiritual vision. And Francis' words call us to never leave her presence, her embrace, the shadow of her mantle," said Fr. Aloysius, and as models for us to always remain with Mary and make a complete consecration to the Immaculate, he gave us St. Louis, St. Maximilian Kolbe, St. John Paul II...

''The biography of Saint Francis says that: "He showered the Mother of Jesus with inexpressible love (…). He prayed to her for special praise, addressed petitions, expressed feelings, to the extent and in a way that human language cannot even express." That is what it means to remain in the Portiuncula, that is what it means to remain in Medjugorje, that is what it means to remain under the mantle of Our Lady, no matter where in the world we are," said Fr. Alojzije, and invited us to go to the source today.

''Let us go to Saint Mary of the Angels. There she will give us the fresh water of heavenly graces that will open our eyes, and one day, when our hour comes, she, the Queen of Angels, will lead us into the abode of heavenly spirits so that there we can burn with the angels and all the saints with seraphic love before the face of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and praise Him forever and ever,'' concluded Fr. Alojzije Slavko Anđelić, who also gave a catechesis to the young people in which he spoke about the mission of the Franciscans throughout the world, the love of St. Francis for the Virgin Mary, Mary as the Ark of the Covenant...

After this catechesis, in the afternoon part of the program, Father Yuri Holotiuk from Ukraine gave a testimony to the young people, who spoke about his life, how he became a Catholic priest as the son of an Orthodox and a Greek Catholic, his appearance on a TV talent show, his conversion, his first visit to Medjugorje and his amazement at the Peace Walk, his regular visits to Medjugorje, and today he is a military chaplain in the Christian Rescue Service and brings difficult experiences from the Ukrainian battlefields…

''Today I stand here among you and sincerely rejoice in your youth, your openness. When I see so many of you praying, singing, laughing and opening your hearts to God, I would like to ask you all to pray a short prayer with me for the youth of my homeland and the whole world: Lord, I pray for the youth of my Ukraine and all the countries where war is raging. Please heal the wounds that the war has left in their hearts. Give them back the joy of youth that they are trying to steal from them. May they hear the church bells again instead of the sound of sirens. May they learn to dream, love, laugh and live again instead of fearing tomorrow. Bless every family that has lost their loved ones, comfort those who cry, strengthen those who no longer have the strength. And grant peace to every human heart. Amen.

Finally, I would like to say: thank you, Medjugorje. Thank you for every prayer and every fasting for peace, for the open hearts with which you receive each of us who come here. Thank you for lovingly embracing our wounded soldiers, their families, mothers and all who are here seeking strength to continue their lives. Medjugorje has become an oasis of light and hope for the whole world – a place where people leave their wounds and leave with a new heart, peace and desire for life," said Father Jurij Holotiuk in his testimony, and after the Holy Mass there was a procession with the statue of Our Lady and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar.