Day 1 of the Youth Festival, 2021 – From the Air!!
Day 2 of the Youth Festival 2021
Dear Family of Mary!
The Youth Festival began yesterday evening, with the prayer of the Rosary, and then the Solemn welcoming of all the nations represented at the festival. As always it was an inspiring moment to see all those flags presented to us. So many countries gathered together!!
Then Archbishop Luigi Pezzuto, the Apostolic Nuncio for Bosnia/Hercegovina, delivered a letter from Pope Francis, blessing the gathering and encouraging us to prayer and holiness. It was inspiring!
Then Holy Mass was celebrated by Cardinal Sarah! The Cardinal spoke much about our call as Catholics, and the plight of our world today, with paganism growing and so little strength left in the Church. He called on us to run to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, our only hope and our source of life. He concluded with these moving words:
“We remember from the Gospels the words that Jesus spoke at the Institution of the Eucharist on Holy Thursday, “This is my Body, this is my Blood.” And we priests, who are the other Christs, we repeat these words, ‘This is my body, this is my blood.’
“And we adopt the teachings of the Church Fathers, especially St. Cyril of Alexandria, who expressed this about the true presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. ‘The Body of the Lord is life-giving. It is the Body of the Word of God the Father. It comes to purify me. it comes to edify me. I become that which I have received.’
“And now we know what was the great trial of the dark night of faith that St. Teresa of Calcutta underwent for 50 years. She always believed, but she was completely deprived of any consolation. Before the exposed Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, it was difficult for her to pray. She experienced dryness like so many saints before her, i.e. St. Theresa of Avila, St. Theresa of the Child Jesus, to name just a few.
“Some would ask Mother Teresa, ‘How can you love these excluded and abandoned people whose bodies are so disfigured?’ And her answer was, ‘Thanks to the Holy Eucharist, namely daily Holy Communion and Adoration.’
“Dear brothers and sisters, with the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mediatrix of all graces, who gave her Son to the world, when on the day of the Annunciation she gave her fiat, ‘Let it be done to me…’ let us work courageously for God’s work, seeking first of all and most of all for His Kingdom. Let us trust in Him. Let us be assured that everything else, namely His grace and eternal happiness will be granted to us besides.
“I humbly implore you, let us approach the Sacred Eucharist, let us receive the Sacred Eucharist, and let us love Him in silence in Adoration. May Our Lady of Medjugorje convert us, and help us to do God’s work, and may she bless us all, Amen!”
Cardinal Sarah rightly focused on our relationship to Jesus, present among us in the Eucharist, as our only hope of winning the battle for souls in our day. Only Jesus can give us the wisdom and strength to live a holy life full of joy and hope, like Mother Teresa did. And he called on Our Lady of Medjugorje to help us!!! This was a moment of intense joy for us all. Yes, Our Lady of Medjugorje! She will help us to know, love and serve her Son in the Blessed Sacrament!
You can watch all the sessions of the Festival in the Archive “Youth Festival 2021” at this link:
MONDAY, 2. 8. 2021
06.00 – 06.40 – Rosary on Apparition Hill at Our Lady’s statue (Recorded)
10.00 – Prayer Catechesis Testimonies
12.00 – The Angelus
RECESS
16.00 – Daily Rosary (Denis & Cathy)
17.00 – Testimonies
18.00 – Parish Rosary
19.00 – Evening Holy Mass
20.30 – 21.30 – Meditation with candles Prayer before the Cross
In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
Mary TV 2021
PS. Pray for our team! They are working day and night to provide the most spectacular coverage of the Festival!! Thank you, Mary TV Team in Medjugorje!!!
