Archbishop Vukšić delivers Christmas message in Sarajevo

(Patria) - The Archbishop Metropolitan of Vrhbosna and Apostolic Administrator of the Military Ordinariate, Mons. Tomo Vukšić, delivered a Christmas message today in Sarajevo on the occasion of the Christmas holiday.

- The word Advent refers to the period of joyful anticipation of the feast of Christmas, during which Christians gratefully remember the coming among people, that is, the birth of Jesus Christ, the Lord and Savior. It consists of four Sundays and the other days around them, and throughout this period, the religious life of Christians is essentially marked by two characteristics: God's coming, which is why this time is called Advent, and the expectation of Christians that the coming of God's Anointed One will occur, whose birth is spiritually experienced through the feast of Christmas - said Vukšić.

He noted that, besides being a time of joyful expectation of Jesus' coming, Advent has always also been for Christians a time and opportunity for personal preparation so that they may welcome the encounter with their Savior in the most beautiful possible "garment" of soul and life. Therefore, from the earliest times, Christians, in order to prepare for a worthy encounter, fasted during Advent, performed acts of penance, gave to those in need, and in recollection, both as individuals and as a community, prayed for conversion from evil, for a new spiritual beginning, and for perseverance in good.

- The sign of penance, to which individual believers and the entire Church are called, is in its own way also the violet color of the liturgical vestments, which priests wear during liturgical celebrations, when the solemn hymn "Glory to God in the highest" is also omitted, both similar to the time of penitential preparation for the feast of Easter. And besides the fact that every act of penance is an expression of the desire and call for personal conversion and renunciation of everything that is evil, Christian penance is always directed towards a new beginning, aimed at a different and better life, turned towards human action in accordance with God's rules in love for God and all people, and it is conceived with these purposes - he stated.

As he said, Advent, in addition to all that has been said, also symbolically marks the beginning of something new, different, and better, because with it a new time begins in the Church.

- Namely, with the first day of this period, the entire liturgical year begins in the Church, which lasts twelve months and ends on the evening before the first day of the following Advent. In this spiritual journey of conversion and sanctification, from the first day of the new way until the end of time, Jesus is always with us in various ways, especially through His Church, which, in His name, accompanies us, admonishes us, encourages us, advises us, and nourishes us by proclaiming the Word of God, the grace of the sacraments and other blessings, and the examples of saints and martyrs - explained Mons. Vukšić.

Vukšić notes that "to convert - as Pope Benedict XVI wrote - means to change the direction of one's life" and not just through some small corrections and changes, but literally by changing the direction of movement.

- Conversion is a walk against the current, where the 'current' is understood as a superficial way of life, inconsistent and deceptive, which often pulls us apart, dominates us, and makes us captives of evil or prisoners of moral mediocrity. In contrast, conversion aims towards the high standard of Christian life and entrusts oneself to the living and personal Gospel which is Jesus Christ - he said.

He said that conversion, that is, abandoning every form of the evil path, all evil intentions and deeds, is another name for man's path towards God.

- And at the same time, it is also the only door through which the Kingdom of God enters into man and the only path by which God approaches man. This was already taught by Jesus' forerunner John the Baptist, who, starting from the Judean desert, constantly repeated: 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him' - he stated.

Vukšić adds that, with the wish that, through our conversion, Jesus may be spiritually born in us, dwell forever, and remain, he wishes all priests, religious men and women, and other faithful of Christ in the Archdiocese of Vrhbosna and the Military Ordinariate a blessed Christmas and a happy entire year 2024.