Zagreb, December 20, 2000 (IKA) — The archbishop of Zagreb, Josip Bozanić, issued a Christmas message in which he noted that Christmas invites all to return to the cardinal virtues and fidelity “when we give our word on all levels: in politics, work, friendship and marriage.” The archbishop particularly cautioned against the evil of indifference which jeopardizes a person’s dignity. He urged those in authority “to seek constantly and find righteous and optimal solutions that will provide the necessary conditions for the development of all parts of society … Regardless of the circumstances, in abundance and in want, in peace and in war, in hope and in hardship, and in acceptance and in jeopardy, Christmas finds forgotten paths, opens forgotten doors and directs us to the news of life. A person’s heart responds to God’s heart, His wisdom and guilelessness, and a person recognizes that much good is possible, which is often overlooked in the superficiality of daily life,” noted Archbishop Bozanić at the beginning of his message.
In the same way that God encountered indifference “from that person for whom He was born as a tiny, vulnerable child,” many today “stand before closed and indifferent doors: in families, before authorities, inaccessible homes, before factories, enterprises and various institutions.
“Despair and discouragement easily enter people, disfiguring their souls, destroying relationships, and spreading doubt and mistrust. Individuals give up. They lose their joy and hope. Then visions of future, engagement in new undertakings and courage in undertaking risks become weaker. It is as if the inner motivation for initiative is extinguished, while indifference and fatigue increase. Many justifiably seek a reason for hope, a purpose for courage, but they do not find them,” wrote Archbishop Bozanić. An exit from this state is in the Gospel of hope, the joyful news that God became Man and made us children of God, in order to elevate mankind. “By Christmas, God places man in the center. Therefore, Christmas is an invitation to all for human and Christian solidarity,” stressed Archbishop Bozanić, adding that everyone who works on behalf of others fulfills Christ’s law and creates a new spiritual atmosphere that is the only one suitable for human life.
“The first step God invites us to take is a return to the so-called cardinal virtues which are solidarity with the poor, honor that refuses all bribery, and the respect and love of life from conception to a natural death,” wrote Archbishop Bozanić. “We need, furthermore, to be people who keep our word, even when conditions change and it becomes difficult. There are so many times that we reveal our falseness in small and insignificant things. No society can live or advance except on the foundation of the keeping of one’s word on all levels: in politics, work, friendship and marriage. It is in this area that the nobility and majesty of the human soul is revealed,” added the archbishop.
Observing further that “confidence has been eroded within Croatian society,” Archbishop Bozanić points out that “without confidence, without a readiness to recognize and support the well-being of the other, individual or group, there is no progress” because “the general good requires the broadest possible coordination of the common interests that must not subordinate those of individuals and groups. … For the recovery of the serious economic situation,” continued the archbishop, “effort and renunciation are needed which should be equally distributed. Nevertheless, the poorest should be protected. Indeed, excessive effort and the absence of genuine opportunities to secure the basic necessities for one’s family can break a person. It is then that the exclamation rises from a man’s heart: ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ (Lk 27, 46). However, in this exclamation the words
reverberate: ‘My Man, my man, why have you forsaken me?’ No one should have to experience such weakness, such indifference, as to be stripped of fundamental human dignity … Man jeopardized his dignity when he did not open the door to God in Bethlehem. Man has jeopardized his dignity throughout history when he has been indifferent toward his own, toward those who are in need, toward those to whom he is responsible according to his position, abilities and gifts. After Christmas, no one can call himself of God if he does not work for mankind. No one can call himself of mankind if he fails to fulfill his responsibility toward mankind in the best possible manner. There is no human dignity outside of God,” cautioned Archbishop Bozanić.
“To rule does not mean to raise oneself above the people and exhaust oneself in rivalry. Either authority is to serve the people or it goes astray. Those to whom authority is entrusted carry great responsibility. It is up to them constantly to seek and find just and optimal solutions that will assure the necessary conditions for the development of all the parts of society, especially solutions that can be implemented without delay. It is not permitted to underestimate the misfortune of anyone. It is not permitted to withhold concern for any age or social group. It is particularly unacceptable to blur the actual reasons for particular acts or their omission and turn public attention toward that which does not contribute to building of genuine values. It is the common responsibility of all to guard and develop a fundamental moral culture. This is one of the important missions of the Church but also one of the essential tasks of the secular authorities. Various attempts at making fundamental human and national values relative are unacceptable.
“Christmas urges us to solidarity. Indeed, in the absence of compassion, in the absence of an encompassing engagement for individual and common wellbeing, aching poverty has brought much of value into question. We are all equally responsible before God and before men, before our ancestors and our descendents, and no less so before ourselves, to cultivate and develop the preciousness of the life that entered the world through Christmas. Under conditions where misfortune and doubts have become especially acute, the Christmas light is strong enough to illuminate the paths of peace, good and happiness for every person,” wrote Archbishop Josip Bozanić in his Christmas message.