The three-day spiritual retreat, titled 'Listening to the Cry of Christ's Blood in One's Fellow', took place from Friday 18 September to Sunday 20 September at the parish of the Most Holy Saviour in Mokošić. The programme was led by a priest from the Congregation of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood and moderator of the Precious Blood Community in South-East Europe, Fr Stjepan Horvat.
Believers from this parish, as well as from other parish communities, participated in the retreat. The programme consisted of praying the rosary, homilies, Mass celebrations and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
In a homiletic address following the Mass on the first day of the retreat, Fr Horvat called on those present to be open and surrender to God, emphasising the human search for happiness. 'If I had this or that, I would be happier… This is how we think and for that reason we often look for happiness in the wrong places,' he said. He stated that it is extremely important to realise that every person is unique. 'We must say: Here I am, Lord! I am unique. I surrender to you, I am ready to listen to your commandments. Your commandments are my path,' he said.
He urged the assembly to reflect on the God to whom they pray, pointing out that God hears everyone's prayers, although He already knows everything. He highlighted a common occurrence where people are initially willing to do everything for God, yet often fail, with fear of being mocked and ridiculed. He recounted the daily lives of people with limited mobility in apartment buildings. 'We often encounter elderly and less mobile people in our buildings and see them walking through the building without anyone's help, and we wonder why no one helps them, while on the other hand we think that the other residents are all believers.' He stated that the right response to the cry of Christ's blood is to help that person in any way, perhaps even simply by talking and spending time with them. He pointed out that helping others is one form of 'cooperation with God'.
The believers were reminded of the Gospel passage 'They left everything and followed him' and were told that before God, one should leave behind everything that exhausts them and simply surrender to God's will. The address was preceded by a Mass celebrated by Fr Horvat, who preached in conjunction with the parish priest, Fr Davor Lukačević, and the parish vicar, Fr Marijan Zubak.
The retreat concluded with Sunday Masses at the parish, presided over by Fr Horvat. In his Sunday homily, he reflected on human salvation as a gift from God, stating that there is no person on this earth so far from God that He has not drawn near. 'God's hand of mercy is always extended to every person,' he said. He highlighted that human salvation and personal sanctity are long-term processes that do not involve instant solutions, but rather patience and the understanding that God calls everyone to salvation and conversion. 'Love for God and neighbour is the pinnacle of human life. Action for others is the distinctive mark of a Christian. God asks for little, He asks that we show we wish to come to heaven. Therefore, we pray that He helps us in our daily lives to recognise that which brings us closer to Him and to our neighbour, that which leads us to heaven!'
