Third day of the 37th Youth Festival – Fr. Jozo Grbeš: 'Choose freedom and love, you will always be happy'

''Dear young people, dear brothers and sisters, we are here because we want to fill our souls, gather strength and embark anew on the life of witnesses to Christ. We are here because we do not want to look back, but forward, we do not want to live a life of regret and remorse, but a life of forgiveness and joy'', said Fr. Jozo Grbeš, the Provicial of the Herzegovina Franciscan Province, introducing the Holy Mass celebration on the third day of the 37th Youth Prayer Festival, inviting them to make a decision that will give birth to a life in which nothing will be regretted tomorrow.

Fr. Jozo Grbeš, who was in concelebration with 672 priests, at the beginning of his homily said that everything that exists has its foundations and that without these foundations nothing can stand and nothing can survive. He continued that from the Gospel we see that Jesus spoke the most and spent the most time on two realities, which are love and freedom.

''God created human beings free and love is impossible without freedom! Freedom is the most beautiful and most dangerous part of the human existence. True freedom is not just the ability to do whatever you want; it is the ability to choose truth and love. To always choose the truer and better in life. I believe that the depth of human happiness depends on these realities. Jesus freed people from everything and told them that there is only one commandment, and that is love.

Freedom is a gift from God and without it life has no meaning! Without it nothing has meaning. Man is constantly tempted to give up freedom. Christ says: "The truth will set you free" (Jn 8:32). This is always true. It is also true for us today. That is why truth is forever the very essence of freedom. I believe that true freedom follows truth. The two are part of the same circle, the same life," said Fr. Jozo and called on the young people in Medjugorje not to sell their lives to anyone.

''Be yourselves, originals of God's love. In the world, in the civilization we live in, there are many sold, imprisoned, addicted people. Our time has become a time of addiction. Addiction to everything that "promises", but only "promises" freedom, and because of such "promises" man is less and less free", said Fr. Jozo Grbeš, and reminded us of some addictions of today's world: addiction to the digital world, addiction to oneself, addiction to other people's approval, addiction to pleasure, addiction to consumption, addiction to entertainment and distraction, addiction to power, corruption and control, addiction to pornography...

''So freedom has been drowned, bought by addiction, power, politics, money, fame, promises... I just want to express my wish with you: May it not be so for you. May it not be so for you! Dare to be different'', said Fr. Jozo and added that ''human evil comes from misused freedom, not from freedom itself'' and continued about ''another reality and the only commandment of our Lord - love''.

''We remember the great jubilee this year: 800 years of St. Francis, 800 years of repeating the homework that says: Love takes precedence over everything! It opens the doors of heaven and earth! 800 years of calling for simplicity in a complicated Church and a confused world. 800 years of the Rule of the Franciscan Order, in which the first and most important sentence reads: "The Rule and life of the Friars Minor is this: to observe the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ...", said Fr. Jozo Grbeš, emphasizing that "Saint Francis only reminded us of what is important".

"You don't have to be a Franciscan to understand, accept and live this simplicity that speaks of love when he says: "In giving, a man receives most." If only we understand this sentence well, we will live well! Francis takes us back to the beginning, to the foundations, to what is the theme of this Pentecost: knowing our foundations, getting to know Christ again! Francis was a free man, free in renunciation, free in closeness to Christ the Lord, free in himself, and that is why he was able to summarize this freedom and simplicity in a few words. I believe that love creates freedom, that people who live love, those indeed shape freedom", said Fr. Jozo Grbeš, emphasizing that a captive, unfree man cannot create anything new and anything better, because only love creates.

He also spoke about our civilization, which has experienced the rise and triumph of the modern self, and that because of this ego, modern man is lost.

"We see this in culture, music, sports, political correctness, politics, which is often another name for prostitution, trafficking in people and values," said Fr. Jozo, and told the young people not to be afraid to stand tall and dignified and to be the leaven of a new and better world.

"Be better than the generation before you. Choose freedom and love, you will always be happy. Choose the truth, it is divine. Choose the Gospel, it gives you meaning," said Fr. Jozo Grbeš, the provincial, to the young people in his homily.

After the Holy Mass, there was a Prayer before the Cross and a Meditation with candles, which thousands of young people lit from each other, all from the Easter candle, symbolizing the spread of Jesus' light over all of us. The entire day was filled with a rich program that began with a morning prayer led by the parish priest, Fr. Zvonimir Pavičić, and then a catechesis on fasting for young people was held by Fr. Ljubo Kurtović, followed by a testimony from the Ubi Caritas youth prayer group from South Korea, and volunteers from Mary's Hands and Mary's Meals presented their work. In the afternoon, Michal Libant from Slovakia gave a testimony, who brought Jesus and his mercy to numerous prisoners, while the actress from Brazil Lenita Medianeira Medina Schimitt, better known by her stage name Lenita Medina, spoke about her conversion, life traumas, leaving the life of a star and bringing pilgrims to Medjugorje...