Archbishop Vukšić officiated the Christmas Eve Mass at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

(Patria) - The Metropolitan Archbishop of Vrhbosna, Monsignor Tomo Vukšić, officiated the Christmas Eve Mass tonight at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Sarajevo, concelebrating with the Apostolic Nuncio to BiH Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, the newly appointed Bishop of the Military Ordinariate in BiH fra Miro Relota, and about ten other priests, with numerous faithful in attendance.

In his sermon, Archbishop Vukšić reminded that on the feast of Christmas, the Church traditionally celebrates four holy Masses - the vigil Mass, midnight Mass, dawn Mass, and the daytime Mass.



Vukšić stated that on the eve of the Lord's birth, Christians gather late at night for prayer and vigil in "joyful anticipation of the most important guest possible: the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the savior of the world, the witness of love, the preacher and teacher of the most beautiful rules of life that a person can know, follow, and be guided by".

Referring to the passage from the Gospel of Matthew read during this Holy Mass, which is read and proclaimed to the faithful gathered in the entire Catholic Church, about Jesus' name, Archbishop Vukšić explained that by listing the important names of Jesus' ancestors, the evangelist Matthew wants to show that "Jesus' birth is not an isolated instance of God's presence and action, but the culmination of salvation history that had been ongoing through all ages before it".

Noting that in the entire scene of Jesus' conception described in the Gospel passage, it is crucial to recognize the presence and action of the Holy Trinity, he said that the name Jesus means: "The Lord saves", and thus this name - the Archbishop emphasizes - besides being his personal name, is simultaneously the name of Jesus' purpose and mission in the world.



- In addition, Jesus was also given the name Emmanuel, which means: 'God with us!' This second name is the designation of his identity, which is manifested in his constant presence among people - Vukšić explained.

He added that the name Jesus means that the Name of God itself is present in the person of his Son, incarnated for the general and final redemption from sin: "Indeed, only the divine name brings salvation from sin, and from now on all can invoke it because, through the Incarnation, he has united himself with all people (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 432)".

Further explaining that the name Christ has the same meaning as the name Messiah, meaning Anointed, he added that it becomes proper to Jesus "because he perfectly fulfills the divine mission that this title denotes".



- Since in Israel, people consecrated for the mission entrusted to them by God were anointed in God's name, the same must have been true for the Messiah whom God sent to finally establish his kingdom, and the Messiah had to be anointed by the Spirit of the Lord, simultaneously as king and priest, but also as prophet - Archbishop Vukšić said in his sermon.

He shared with those present the writing of a priest according to whom God on Christmas does what parents do when they want to be very close to their child - they become "small" like the child.



- The child cannot yet be as big as they are, but they can be as small as the child. Thus, on Christmas, God descends into the dust of our Earth, comes down to us, his children, to be as close as possible, tenderly close, to embrace us and draw us to himself - Vukšić pointed out, urging the gathered faithful to reflect on what they do on Christmas and how they receive Jesus.

At the end of the Mass, Archbishop Vukšić congratulated everyone present on Christmas.

Theologians from the Vrhbosna Theological Seminary (VBS) attended the Mass, and the ceremony was led by the rector of VBS, Rev. Ivan Rako.



The liturgical singing was animated by the Cathedral Mixed Choir "Josip Stadler" under the direction of Rev. Marko Stanušić.

The Christmas Eve Mass from the Sarajevo Cathedral was broadcast live by the Public Broadcasting Service BHRT and Radio Marija BiH.