The second day of the 35th Youth Festival in Medjugorje, which is held under the motto “Mary truly chose the better part…” (Luke 10:42), began already at six o’clock when young people from all over the world gathered on Apparition Hill next to the statue of the Queen of Peace and prayed the rosary.
After the prayer, the descent from the Apparition Hill and some rest, the program continued with the morning prayer at the White Dome of St. James’ church in Medjugorje, which was led by Medjugorje parish priest Br. Zvonimir Pavičić, and then the catechesis was held by Br. Jure Barišić, the parish vicar of Medjugorje.
Today, on August 2nd, on the feast of Our Lady of the Angels, when you can get a plenary indulgence in all Franciscan basilicas, shrines and parish churches, including in Medjugorje, the topic of Br. Jure’s catechesis was confession. This date of August 2, as well as the feast of Our Lady of the Angels has traditionally been for years the day on which the most people go to confession in Medjugorje, and hundreds of priests are at their disposal in ministering this sacrament.
Br. Jure Barišić said that we are often aware of the importance of some things only when we lose them, so he cited as an example with the sense of sight or hearing, the importance of which we are not aware of while we have them.
“Similarly, we are not aware of the gift of life and health until we are faced with an illness, but only then do we become aware of how nice it was to be healthy. The same thing happens with the sin. When we sin, we never say it’s a sin, we don’t call a sin a sin, but we deceive ourselves that it’s a human weakness, as everyone does it, God won’t blame me… Man deceives himself and at one point man can no longer hide the sin, he can no longer survive in the face of sin, because he has come to a wall, he has come to something where he can no longer navigate and he has to tell this to someone. At the time when he sinned, he was not aware of it. Only later, when the sin of his whole body engulfed him, when the sin began to affect his behavior, he became aware of his own sinfulness and felt the need to tell someone about it in one place,” said Friar Jure Barišić, who also brought about the New Testament images in which Jesus speaks of confessions in which Jesus most often uses images of lost and found.
He spoke about the need for people to confide in someone because they cannot keep everything to themselves, he spoke about the very act of the sacrament of confession, where people burdened with sin and shame need God’s mercy, and he said about the confessional that it is the only place on earth where everything can be said, and what is said is forgotten, forgiven, erased… In the end, he invited everyone to confess and not to run away from the sacrament of confession because, as he said, “if the sacrament of confession disappears, faith will disappear, and we, too, believers will no longer exist”.
Members of the Mary’s Meals organization, including Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the founder of Mary’s Meals, who delivered the first delivery of humanitarian aid during the 1990s to the refugee camp near Medjugorje, gave their testimonies also this year. They presented their work over the past year. Also this presentation, Sr. Medhin Tesfay from Tigray, Ethiopia, spoke of the dire situation in the region, where an estimated 600,000 people have died and many are deeply traumatized by the recent civil war.
Emmet Dooley also gave a testimony, who spoke about what a great gift it is to be human. He is an Irishman living in Scotland who promotes the dignity of every human being from conception to natural death. He spoke about the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, where he is the head of education and assistance. It is, as he said, the oldest pro-life organization in the world, founded in 1967.
In the afternoon part of the program, Simona Mijoković gave a testimony about her conversion, and Michael Russel O’Brien gave a testimony to the young people along with his songs.
The evening Holy Mass was celebrated by the Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Herzegovina, Br. Jozo Grbeš, with the concelebration of 702 priests. At the beginning of his sermon, he spoke about the importance of women in world history.
“Women are winners and victims. The Bible tells us about them, how they changed the course of important events in history, they influenced everything that is important: both people and events. Most women in the Bible are anonymous, without names. Their mission was more important than their recognition and name. Throughout the history, women have been healers and nurturers, playing multiple roles as counselors to the important people, they were nurses, doctors to the helpless, wise women in difficult times. Through them came health and grace. The world depends on good women, and on their strength and love. They see better. They are ladies of light and peace. Because strength is in tenderness, in purity and in love. They can clean this world because they understand love. Our world wants to make women into men, make the female body half-masculine so that they are neither. The world seems to want to be between nothing and everything,” Br. Jozo Grbeš said about the problems of today’s world, against which one woman stands out – Mary.
“The history of salvation begins with one angel and one woman. He says to her: “Hail full of grace! The Lord is with you”. She gets confused by the event and the greeting. To this confusion, the angel speaks those strong words that every man needs: do not be afraid! They echo for centuries in every soul. Yes, don’t be afraid!
Don’t be afraid of love. Don’t be afraid of uncertainty. Don’t be afraid of suffering. Don’t be afraid of loneliness. Don’t be afraid of the truth. Don’t be afraid of the new. Don’t be afraid of public opinion. Don’t be afraid of what Instagram, Tik Tok will say today… Don’t be afraid, the angel of the Lord is with you,” said Br. Jozo, then put before the young people the answer of this young woman from Nazareth, which is a pure heart that says: ‘Let it be with me’. He then touched on current topics in such a world.
“Europe showed all its emptiness both at the Eurovision Song Contest and at the Olympics. They tell us that it is in the name of tolerance, inclusiveness… Obviously, the evil has also become naive, without hiding because it has always been arrogant, selfish and empty. Where there is arrogance and selfishness there is always emptiness!
It is evidently clear that all new agendas base their existence on attacking others, especially anything that has divine authority. This is how the people of our time become superficial in everything when it comes to character, morality, belief and family, and they accept what does not make sense and call it tolerance,” said Br. Jozo and asked the young people to be different and not to be part of this agenda that demolishes everything, destroys everything and makes everything sacred unclean”.
Despite all these problems of today’s times, he told the young people who came to Medjugorje these days to preserve a pure heart, pure eyes, pure intentions, pure desires, pure longings… And despite everything, he clearly told them: Do not be afraid!
“May these days, this Youth Festival give you enough strength so that you can go to your homelands and be witnesses. Therefore, please spread the circles of kindness, gather young people more and more each day so that the circle of love is always bigger than any evil. Today more than yesterday we need witnesses who live what they say and say what they believe.
Today it is best to be a Christian. So don’t be afraid. We all need places and times where we gather strength for tomorrow. For our new day and new step. Let your place and time be here. We all need space and time for strength, let Medjugorje be yours, the place of grace, the Queen of Peace and Our Lady of Angels. With Our Lady and the angels, you will always have friends and guardians. Man doesn’t need anymore. Count on them. They go ahead of you and they count on you. Don’t forget them,” concluded Br. Jozo Grbeš.
