Easter message from Archbishop Josip Bozanić of Zagreb

Zagreb, April 7, 1998 (IKA) – The Public Relations Office of the Archbishop of Zagreb published Archbishop Josip Bozanic#!s Easter message on April 7, which we present in its entirety:

1. “Christ, my hope, has risen” sings the Church on Easter. The resurrection of Our Lord is the foundation of our faith. Had Christ not risen from the dead, our faith would have been in vain (cf 1 Cor 15, 14). The resurrection is also the foundation of our hope, because “as Christ was raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (cf Cor 15, 20-22), thus shall we be resurrected. “Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Rom 5, 5).
He who was resurrected has made a promise and he remains faithful. His promise, and not reliance on our own abilities, is the reason for our hope. A person is not capable of saving himself, i.e. our future is never entirely in our own hands. The catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us that “man cannot fully respond to divine love by his own powers” (No. 2090). In God#!s promise and Christ#!s resurrection, a Christian finds the source and foundation of his hope.
Hope is a gift from the Holy Spirit offered to every person who opens himself in faith to Christ, the Son of God. This gift requires particular attention, especially at the present time when many people, including not a small number of Christians, wander among delusions of their limitless ability to redeem and fulfill themselves, and temptations that lead them to pessimism based on experiences of frequent disappointment and failure. A person must liberate himself from the illusion that ultimate salvation can occur in time. This is neither possible in historical nor cosmic time, but in eternity.
2. The Holy Spirit is a gift that showers us with genuine hope. Hope, together with faith and love, has a fundamental role in Christian life. Christian hope is a virtue typical of the pilgrim who, although he knows God through faith and the call to eternal life, has still not reached the blessed vision. Hope helps him to pass in a sense “behind the veil” during this life, as expressed in the letter to the Hebrews (cf. Heb 6, 19). An important aspect of these virtues is the eschatologic dimension. For those who have faith in the Word of God that resounds in Christ, eternity has already begun. For them, the foundations of eternity have already been created, i.e. the presence of the Holy Spirit in human history.
The Holy Spirit is a guarantee of our future inheritance. The beginning of eternal life is in earthly Christian life. Christian hope is not only certainty but an advancement of future reality. In other words, eternity is present during every moment of our life. A Christian must live and do that which will not only withstand the judgment of the future but the judgment of eternity. To hope in the Christian sense does not mean to aspire toward something that one still does not have but to live in that which is already here, i.e. to desire in fullness to become what we already are according to the plan and promise of God, the Creator and Redeemer.
This can be expressed as follows: not to aspire merely to have more but to aspire to be more.
Christian hope does not separate us from ourselves in the pursuit of happiness and salvation, but returns us to ourselves, helping us to grow through grace toward the fullness of God#!s promise.
3. The hope awakened in the Christian soul by the Holy Spirit also has a cosmic dimension. It includes the earth and heaven, the known and unknown, because – as St. Paul writes – “For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God” (Rom, 8, 19). The Christian is aware of the calling of man and the universe. Therefore, it is with solemn hope that he views the purpose of people and the world that pass through the tribulation of time. In the helplessness and difficulties of daily life, the Holy Spirit “comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings” (Rom 8, 26).
The Holy Spirit liberates us from illusions and false paths of salvation. The Holy Spirit directs our heart toward the genuine goal of life, liberating us from pessimism, nihilism and surreptitious attacks, especially those that do not arise from the precept of faith or at least from a serious pursuit of God.
Christian hope helps the believer keep the final goal in sight that imparts purpose and meaning to his whole life. Christian hope reveals the profound reasons for daily steadfastness in transforming the reality of this world to conform as far as possible with God#!s plan.
The Holy Spirit, who is a gift from the Resurrected Christ, is a guarantee of our hope, and also of our heritage. This is the foundation of Christian optimism about the purpose of the world, the person who can save himself at all times, even in the most difficult circumstances, about the progression of mankind and the universe toward the full glorification of Christ the Lord and the day of the final Redemption, the participation of the faithful in history, and the glory of God#!s sons and daughters. 4. The faithful in Croatia need
a new proclamation of Christian hope. In the Croatian society, we are witnesses to a growing atmosphere of hopelessness. Behind us are the difficult period of communist totalitarianism, the period of the awakening of the new hopes that brought us liberation from a hegemonistic regime and the creation of our own country, followed by the period of the sufferings, victims and wounds from the Homeland War. Now it seems that many are falling into a spiritual emptiness. Dissatisfaction with the present conditions is evident in the behavior, opinions and outcries of our young people. In this manner, they are sending an urgent message for change and renewal to us older persons and the authorities.
We are aware, from a global point of view, that great things have occurred in Croatia.
A country has been established with the necessary constitutional agenda that requires time, people, knowledge and experience. However, this should not lull us into complacency and cause us to look backward. We must look toward the future. The Church feels that it may not remain silent. The Church is aware that in obedience to the Gospels and out of its love for the Croatian nation and all the citizens of our homeland, it must be the conscience in the society in which it operates.
It seems to us that the spiritual emptiness is a consequence of attempts to attribute a religious dimension to some earthly realities, irresponsible promises and unjustified trust. We are concerned about a loss of confidence in the state and local institutions and in the administrative-legal system, with increasing reliance upon go-betweens, recommendations and personal connections. We note that among the population there is a feeling of distrust toward foreign institutions and attempts. The causes and reasons for such a situation are not analyzed openly. Such a public life can lead the nation into a state of unwellness. At the same time, we note with sorrow that the moral vices of the West are taking hold among us, e.g., drugs. Many of our cities and villages are without suitable legislatures or effective agencies to control disturbances of the peace, the serving of alcohol to minors etc.
These and other reasons are behind the spiritual emptiness and hopelessness evident in countries emerging from communist regimes, of which Pope John Paul II frequently speaks. Without passing judgment against anyone, all are urged, especially those in positions of authority, to awareness, change and renewal. The Church speaks on behalf of those whose words are not heard or ignored. Here I am primarily referring to parents with fears for the future of their children. 5. We are all called upon to open ourselves as greatly as possible to Christian hope, this excellent and unmerited gift from the Resurrected Christ. Our hope is often lacking. Our impatient expectations imprison us in the selfishness of our desires. By expecting of a person what is impossible for him, i.e. what he cannot achieve or give by himself, many are disappointed. They fail to remember that what is impossible for man is possible for God.
The living and true God comes down to us. His eternity enters our time. Man#!s time is the time of God#!s mercy and salvation. In man#!s lost time, the time of Christ#!s forgiveness and peace is opened. The time of the Holy Spirit is full of effective patience in which God#!s mercy renews all creation and awakens new hopes for man, in the words of the Holy Father, to “cross the threshold of hope.”
May the gift of the Holy Spirit strengthen our hope for eternal good and germinate the seeds of ultimate salvation for us in our present life.

To all, I wish the abundant peace of the Resurrection of Christ.

Msgr. Josip Bozanic
Archbishop of Zagreb