The Holy Mass was led by the director of Radio Marija BiH, father Mato Anić, with the concelebration of eight priests, including the administrator of the shrine, the secretary of the Franciscan Province of Bosnia and Herzegovina, OFM Damir Pavić.

At the beginning of the Holy Mass, father Mato greeted the Franciscan brothers and the faithful present, thanking OFM Damir for the invitation. He spoke briefly about his journey of becoming acquainted with the life of St. Nikola Tavelić and noted that such memorial celebrations revive the saints and make the faithful aware of their permanent presence.

Denying oneself

In his homily on the occasion, he spoke about the saint's life, the condition for discipleship, about missions and missionary work, and about martyrdom. Speaking about the life of St. Nikola he told how he spent 12 years in Bosnia, and then agreed to go to Israel because he had a “restless and open spirit”.

“He went where it was most difficult and on Eid al-Adha he proclaimed Jesus Christ to the kadija. For this he was tortured and executed, and we do not have his remains today. You see how nothing was needed for the Church to declare him a saint and for us to honour him today. His martyrdom did that”, said father Mato.

He then spoke about the conditions of discipleship, which are to renounce ourselves, to free ourselves from everything that prevents us from being Jesus’s and following him. “And, we cannot follow him until we have renounced everything and freed ourselves from everything within. Man today goes after something else, follows the multitude, and then there is the multitude of ideas and he walks lost. We need to return to that condition – to free ourselves from everything and make ourselves available and only in that state can I listen to what God wants from me. Interior freedom is a condition for almost everything – good prayer, living a good life, and Jesus emphasizes this. It would be good if we returned to this condition of all conditions”, the preacher urged.

Missions and martyrdom

He continued to speak about missions and missionary work, noting that missions seem to have been replaced by the word dialogue today. He emphasized that dialogue should be conducted – in marriage, in the family, with neighbours, others and those who are different, but that dialogue should not replace the need for believers to go on missions and preach.

“I will mention Pope Ratzinger’s words about why we no longer go on missions today – cowardice and convenience. People do not want to fight, they are not courageous. Another thing is our sluggishness and the thought that missions can be carried out here too. And Jesus speaks of it as a buried treasure. The second thing is truth. No man is exempt from seeking the truth, no people and no faith is exempt from it. We are lulled into habit and tradition. This is good but not enough, we cannot remain closed in tradition. We must seek and proclaim the truth, especially if we have experienced that this truth has freed us from chains, then I have the desire and need to bear witness”, said father Mato.

In conclusion, he encouraged reflection on martyrdom and how Jesus wants to conform himself to the one he loves. “If you love, you want to be more and more like the one you love. Love is not guided only by prudence, the one who loves has different criteria. He does not want to talk about dialogue and peace, he wants to conform himself to Jesus. Martyrdom is a seed, it is eternal and never dies”, he emphasized at the end, invoking the intercession of St. Nikola to enlighten the faithful to let themselves be guided by truth, love and the one in whom they have believed.

At the end of the Holy Mass celebration, OFM Damir gave thanks and greetings, inviting the faithful to socialize after the Holy Mass.

The liturgical celebration was animated by the Franciscan seminarians with their singing and playing.

It is worth mentioning that before the Holy Mass, a devotion to St. Nikola Tavelić was performed, and there was also an opportunity for Holy Confession. Also, the day before, a vigil mass was celebrated, led by the director of the shrine, OFM Damir.

Let us recall that in 1939, the Franciscans decided to build a new Seminary in Sarajevo and a large votive shrine of the then Blessed Nikola Tavelić in the Kovačići – Grbavica settlement. For this purpose, they purchased the SAŠK football field. They blessed the cornerstone in August 1940. Two years later, they moved into the unfinished building. It served as a seminary for only one academic year (1944/'45). After World War II, the new authorities confiscated the building. More about this, as well as the problems of returning the building and its renovation, can be read in our report.