Banja Luka’s Catholics celebrate the most joyous Christian holiday – Christmas, peacefully and joyfully in their churches together with their priests, and in their homes.
Holy Mass celebrations are held – differently from parish to parish – at 8 and 10 p.m., and at midnight. A large number of parishioners gathered in all the churches, including a number of those who had to leave their homeland during the war. It was similar on Christmas itself at the morning Holy Mass. After the Holy Mass celebrations, the attendees stayed in the church space for some time in a joyful festive and singing mood with appropriate worship.
In the cathedral, the concelebrated Holy Masses, the Midnight Holy Mass and the Central Christmas Mass, were led by the Bishop of Banja Luka, Msgr. Franjo Komarica.
In an appropriate sermon at the Holy Mass in midnight, he spoke about the fruits of Christmas, a „fateful“ event for the human race: about light, peace, joy and love. At the daily Holy Mass, he interpreted the meaning of Christmas as a „crucial“ and „breakthrough“ event in the history of the human race for the destiny of humanity. He explained that not a single member of the human race can exclude themselves from taking their own position “for“ or „against“ Christmas, i.e. the definitive saviour entry of God into the river of humanity.
At both Holy Masses, he thanked the present believers – among whom there were also non-Catholics – for their commitment in life to Christ and His Gospel.
He mentioned the many congratulations sent by bishops, priests, monks, nuns, friends, benefactors, as well as domestic and international politicians and religious representatives of the Orthodox Church and the Islamic community, and he especially highlighted the congratulation of the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, which he read at the end of the Holy Mass celebration.
The daily Holy Mass was also attended by the mayor of Banja Luka Draško Stanivuković, the general consul of the Republic of Croatia in Banja Luka, prof. Zoran Piličić and the envoy of the Polish ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jarosław Lindenberg.
At the end of the Holy Mass, the bishop specially greeted them and thanked them for their presence, and then together with his colleagues, he stayed with the three of them in a long cordial conversation, and socialized with other believers.
KT
Banja Luka – December 26, 2022
