The Archbishop of Vrhbosna, cardinal Vinko Puljić concelebrated together with about 15 priests, among whom were the Vicar General Msgr. Slađan Ćosić and the canon and rector of the cathedral, Msgr. Ante Meštrović. The Archbishop Coadjutor first greeted cardinal Puljić, present priests and believers and pointed out that the basic message of Christmas time is the birth of second divine person who comes to save humanity.

A peace-loving prince who has all the power

In his sermon, Msgr. Vukšić pointed out that Christmas is “a holiday that commemorates the event when the Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, was born as a man” and added that we celebrate this holiday especially as a time when God is especially close to man and man to God. “And not only in the person of Jesus of Nazareth but, in a spiritual way, also in every man until the end of the world. For us and for our salvation! For man's deification (theosis). This is the basic truth about Christmas”, said the coadjutor archbishop pointing out that a child whose birthday we celebrate, a mighty God, is a Prince of Peace who has all authority.

Family as sanctity

He further explained that one of the thoughts that, in celebrating this closeness of God and man, is regularly repeated on Christmas days, and which is taken from the prophet Isaiah, is: “A child has been born to us, we have a son” (Isa. 9:5). “This prophetic thought - as a lasting lesson, warning and reminder - is becoming especially relevant in our time. The Christian truth about the child, birth and marriage, as a union of man and woman, is very sublime. It is in accordance with the will of God the Creator and is completely natural”, he said and added that a man and a woman, united by mutual love, in marriage are gifted to each other for their personal good and growth, but also for the birth of new human lives. He then reminded us that we live in a time when the sublime Christian truth about the marital union of a man and a woman is being questioned on several sides.

At the end of the sermon, he wished everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed 2021: “May you be healthy and happy! By Christ our Lord. Amen.”

The celebration of the Holy Mass in the Cathedral was animated by the Cathedral Choir under the direction of rev. Marko Stanušić. Midnight Mass was celebrated at 8 pm due to epidemiological measures in the capital, which include a ban on movement after 11 pm. The Holy Mass was broadcasted by the Radio and Television of Bosnia and Herzegovina.