In the concelebration were: the apostolic nuncio in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, the Vicar General of the Vrhbosna Archdiocese, Msgr. Slađan Ćosić, provost of the Table Chapter of the Vrhbosna msgr. Pavo Jurišić, secretary of the apostolic nunciature in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Msgr. Javier Camañes-Forés and about 10 other priests.

The way to God

After the biblical readings and the announced Gospel, at the beginning of the appropriate sermon, Msgr. Vukšić reminded that Christians believe that the whole of human history reaches its peak in the child Jesus, who by his birth is a manifestation and witness of God's love for man. He referred to the past season of Advent, during which the entire church community was spiritually preparing for the celebration of Christmas, and pointed out that the life of a Christian during that time was essentially marked by the expectation of people, that the coming of Jesus the saviour, God and man, would happen, but that period was also marked by the expectation and hope of the dear God, that the arrival of man in God's company should happen.

"Conversion, i.e. abandoning every form of the evil path, evil intentions and deeds, is another name for man's path towards God. At the same time, conversion is also the only door through which the kingdom of God enters man and the only path through which God approaches man. It is the only right way to prepare for Christmas, which is a spiritual celebration of converted hearts, peace-making souls and clear consciences. And I believe that we are all in such a state at this Eucharistic celebration, which is called the Vigil Mass", said Archbishop Tomo, emphasizing that this is "the moment of our gratitude to the Lord God for his coming, for his love and closeness".

To experience conversion

He further explained that the purpose of Jesus' birth was to offer salvation to all people. "And the purpose of our Christmas celebration is for a person to be born in Jesus. For me to be reborn. For a person to experience conversion after preparation. For a converted person to think, act and live in a new way. To be on the path of God and to be in his life, after rebirth, the rules of the kingdom of heaven rule. To return to the spiritual state of a harmless child of God and to be recognized by his intentions and behaviour as an image and sign of the presence of God", explained Msgr. Vukšić adding that "against God's will, however, the general atmosphere on the world horizon, in which the world welcomes Christmas this year, is against God's will and is by no means harmless. This is visible to everyone and many reasons call for urgent action and stopping tragedies, especially those of war. Some of them have been forgotten by the media and thus remain almost unknown, but this oblivion does not diminish the suffering of people and the destruction of property." He therefore highlighted the most important message of Christmas, "which is also our prayer": "Peace and joy to everyone on earth!"

On the other hand, as the archbishop of Vrhbosna stated, where there are no such sufferings, there is a phenomenon that different interests and ideologies, as well as the weaknesses of Christians, reduce and turn Christmas into a custom, and "Christianity is not a custom but life" and on those sides it is also for such the most important message of Christmas to people: "God and man was born!"

In the end, he prompted the question: "Besides sending Christmas messages, what can we as Christian believers do concretely and thus really contribute to making this world a better place?" and said that the answer is very simple: "We can be Christians".

"Jesus called his disciples, according to a parable (Mt 5:13-14), to always, and especially in difficult situations, be the salt of the earth and to never be lazy, and to be the light of the world with their behaviour and preaching. The role of salt is to give a better taste to the food, and the role of light is to reveal and illuminate the correct direction of movement for every traveller in the dark, and not to be hidden. That is, we can show the right way with our examples. We can always be a good example. That is our mission and our Christmas wish," concluded Msgr. Vukšić.

God's presence

At the end of the Holy Mass vigil, Archbishop Tomo wished the faithful present, invoking God's blessing, a Merry Christmas and a happy and successful New Year, and then Nuncio Chullikatt also sent his congratulations.

"In the mystery of Christmas we see that saving harmony of heaven and earth, and in the Son of God born on earth - the elevation of every man and woman towards the blessed gates of Heaven. Therefore, Jesus, born in Bethlehem, is a great blessing from the God of Love who gives everything to humanity. May God's Love, which became flesh in the event of Christmas, and which we are already anticipating as it fills us with hope, encourage us to announce to everyone God's consoling presence among us, the light of the Saviour’s star on our path and the heavenly gift of benevolent peace to all people. With best wishes again for a blessed and joyous Christmas season. May little Jesus bless you all abundantly", Archbishop Francis said, among other things.

The Holy Mass celebration in the cathedral was animated by harmonious singing by the Josip Stadler Cathedral Choir under the direction of rev. Marko Stanušić, and the Holy Mass was broadcast live by BHT1.