Tens of thousands of young people from 73 countries around the world came to the International Youth Prayer Festival this year, which is being held in Medjugorje from August 1st to 6th under the motto “Ad fontem! To the Source!”
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Ivory Coast, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, England, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Ghana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Holy Land, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Reunion, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao, Martinique, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saint Lucia, Scotland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Uganda, Ukraine, USA, Vatican, Venezuela, Wales, these are the countries from which young people came "to the source" to celebrate Holy Masses, listen to catechesis and lectures, as well as numerous testimonies, pray on the Apparition Hill and on Cross Mountain, confess ...
They were all welcomed by the parish priest of Medjugorje, Br. Zvonimir Pavičić, and then the message of the Holy Father Leo XIV was conveyed to them by the Apostolic Visitor for the parish of Medjugorje, Archbishop Aldo Cavalli.
''His Holiness encourages young people to sincerely seek the Truth that sets them free, without being seduced by the deceptions of fleeting happiness. Thus, in following Jesus, everyone can accept even the most difficult questions and restlessness of the heart as an opportunity for discernment and growth in faith.
The Holy Father further encourages young people to let themselves be guided by the Holy Spirit and to entrust themselves to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, in order to become bright witnesses of the Good News, promoters of fraternity and builders of peace in society'', reads the message of Pope Leo XIV.
''I extend a special expression of closeness and affection to you, dear young people, who have come from all over the world to encounter Christ under the maternal gaze of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Queen of Peace. Your presence is a bright sign of hope for the Church: you represent her young face, her vitality and her future. With your enthusiasm, your faith and your generous desire to follow the Lord, you bear witness that the Gospel continues to speak to the hearts of new generations and that the Church is constantly renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit", said the Apostolic Nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, at the beginning of the Mass, concelebrated by the parish priest of Medjugorje, Br. Zvonimir Pavičić, Archbishop Aldo Cavalli, the Apostolic Nuncio in Croatia, Archbishop Leopoldo Girelli and 518 other bishops and priests.
In his homily, Archbishop Chullikatt said that today's liturgy places before us three great witnesses of faith: the prophet Jeremiah, Saint John the Baptist and Saint Alphonsus Maria de' Liguori, who "belong to different periods of history, but are united by the same conviction: to put God first means to become truly free and deeply happy".
He then told the young people that "the word of God therefore poses a decisive question to us today: what truly makes our life free? Success? Acceptance? Prosperity? The image that others have of us? Or fidelity to the Gospel?"
"This is a particularly significant question for you, dear young people, gathered at this Festival. In the message that Pope Leo XIV sent you on this occasion, he recalls the motto that accompanies this year's Festival: Ad fontem - Return to the source. And that source is Christ. The Holy Father therefore invites you to rediscover the joy of a personal encounter with Jesus, the only one who can quench the thirst of the human heart and always give strength for a new beginning, through prayer, listening to the word of God and the sacraments," said Archbishop Chullikatt, who, commenting on the culture in which we live, which offers many apparent sources of happiness such as quick success, media visibility, possessions, and fleeting pleasures, said that these are "seductive promises, but they often leave the heart even thirstier."
"That is why the Pope urges you not to settle for fleeting happiness, but to sincerely strive for the truth that alone liberates," said the nuncio, encouraging the young people to leave everything behind and follow Christ, following the example of Saint Alphonsus.
"I am convinced that many of you, as has happened to so many before you, will hear the voice of the Lord during this pilgrimage to Medjugorje, calling you to the priesthood, to consecrated life, or to a generous Christian witness in the world," said Archbishop Chullikatt.
"Perhaps none of us will be called to martyrdom like St. John the Baptist or to persecution like Jeremiah. But every day a small martyrdom of consistency is asked of us: to speak the truth with love, to keep a clear conscience, to be honest when it would be easier to compromise, to forgive when it would be easier to remain in bitterness, and to choose Christ even when the Gospel seems contrary to the spirit of this world. Such fidelity becomes even more necessary when faith is mocked, when religious symbols are desecrated, and when places of worship are the object of acts of violence and sacrilege. Such actions not only offend the feelings of believers, but also wound universal human values such as religious freedom, respect for the sacred and the dignity of the human person. We have painfully experienced this in the recent acts of destruction and desecration committed here, in Medjugorje," said Archbishop Chullikatt, and for a few moments with tens of thousands of young people on the outer altar of the Church of St. James remained in silence, and then continued: "It is precisely in such circumstances that a Christian is called not to respond with hatred or revenge, but with the meek power of the Gospel, bearing witness to truth in love, forgiveness in justice and hope in peace."
The Holy Mass was followed by the Adoration of Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Text: Velimir Begic/ Radio Mir Medjugorje
Photo: Mir Medjugorje Information Center
