The Archbishop was joined by about 10 priests in the packed cathedral, including the Provincial of the Franciscan Province of Bosna Srebrena, OFM Zdravko Dadić, as well as the rector of the cathedral, Canon Rev. Marko Zubak.

The Holy Mass celebration, which was broadcast live by BHRT, gathered a large number of local and foreign faithful, as well as nuns from several congregations operating in the city of Sarajevo, led by their provincial superiors.

At the beginning of the Holy Mass, greeting the assembled people, the archbishop said that during this Holy Mass celebration, "we ask the Risen Lord to bless us already in this earthly life so that through it we may prepare for the eternal one."

Then, after passing through the cathedral, he sprinkled the faithful with Holy water blessed during the Easter Vigil mass.

The Victory of Life

In the introductory part of the sermon entitled Jesus is Risen That People May Have Life, and Have It Abundantly, he recalled that the feast of Easter is “a feast on which the Christian community remembers with gratitude the long-ago Sunday morning when Mary Magdalene came to Jesus’ tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark” (…) “According to Matthew’s report, the empty tomb was a great surprise for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who were frightened when they saw the stone rolled away from the place where Jesus’ body had been laid, but they were comforted by the angel’s words: ‘Do not be afraid! For I know that you seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here! He has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay, and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead.’

The stone placed at the entrance to the tomb, in the tradition of that time, had the meaning of the final victory over death and the powerlessness of the deceased to come out. However, the stone moved early in the morning on the first day of the week had a completely different meaning: it showed the empty tomb of Jesus, which became open so that others could see that it was empty, which also indicated the victory of life over death announced to all people", said the Archbishop of Vrhbosna.

Attacks on human life

He continued by reminding the faithful that eternal life begins on earth, as a kind of introduction, and that man is called to make this life a gateway to heaven. "For himself and for others, and all in the service of life, temporal and eternal, and its protection. That everyone may have a happy life", he said, continuing: "When Jesus appeared to his disciples after his resurrection, he greeted them with the words: 'Peace be with you!' (Jn 20:19). He wished them peace, which is always first and foremost at the service of life, and then also at the service of every person's progress, security, satisfaction and joy. Peace is even the basic premise of all this.

Immediately before his passion and resurrection, in his last speech to his disciples, Jesus told them that he gives them his peace and leaves it with them (Jn 14:27), and now in his first apparition he blesses and greets them with this peace. He gave it to them and left it as a blessing for themselves and as a task in their relationship with other people and the world (…) The peace of Christ is not just the mere absence of conflict or a temporary balance of power between people. It is the profound peace of a heart reconciled with God, a peace that heals wounds, overcomes fear and opens man to his brother (…) According to some data, at this time there are between 50 and 60 different wars being fought in the world, depending on how the conflict or hostility is defined between states, peoples and tribes within individual states, and between various organizations. Among them The most famous are those in Ukraine, Iran and Israel because they are the most media-present. However, according to the same sources, there are currently numerous so-called 'forgotten' wars that are often more violent and tragic than those mentioned. He also emphasized that direct military conflicts are not the only assault on human life, because there are many others, and among them the most common is the murder of unborn children.

The most powerful are those who preserve and build peace

Finally, he made a point: "There will come a time in the life of every person, regardless of their class and regardless of the service they perform, when they will have to answer to God for how they use their days and work, their power and the service they perform. It is true that many have the power to start conflicts, but Jesus tells us today that the most powerful are those who are ready to end them. It is also true that many have the power to incite violence, but, in contrast, Jesus' teaching is that those who preserve and build peace and protect life are much more powerful than them."

The liturgical singing was animated by the Cathedral Mixed Choir Josip Stadler, led by the regens chori of the Sarajevo Cathedral, Rev. Marko Stanušić, while the master of ceremonies was the rector of the Vrhbosna Theological Seminary, Rev. Ivan Rako, and assisted by the theologians of the VBS.

At the end of the Holy Mass, Archbishop Tomo distributed the blessing with a plenary indulgence and congratulated Easter with the wish that life be lived and all violence cease.