Grant that I may see You in every person, grant that I may love everyone for Your sake.

I know that if I do not love, I do nothing; I know that if I lack love, I lack everything.

                                                                          Miroslav Bulešić

Resolution from the Spiritual Diary of Miroslav Bulešić: "to enter whole, to remain alone, to come out different".

A leader is not born, a leader is made. Throughout his whole spiritual preparation for the priesthood, Miroslav Bulešić examined himself, his fitness, his mission, his goal, his virtues, and even his loftiest longings, with a scrupulousness that might seem almost excessive by today's standards. He was ready to call all of this into question, and it was reason enough for him if something was not in keeping with God's will: "But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ.  Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3, 7-8, cf. 1 Cor 13,3-13).

Prayer

God, our heavenly Father,

In the priest Miroslav Bulešić you

gave your people a zealous shepherd

and a fearless martyr.

Through his intercession, strengthen our faith

and steadfast patience in the trials of life,

and grant that we may readily commit ourselves

to the growth and unity of the Church.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer from the Spiritual Diary

of Blessed Miroslav Bulešić, Poreč, 2020.

 
Looking at the life of this modest Istrian priest from the hardest period of world history, at first glance one might see nothing of leadership in it, and there is even a risk of belittling the martyrdom of this witness to faith in Christ, given the difficult circumstances of Miroslav's life. However, if we look more closely into the life of this "giant of littleness", we will find numerous elements that even the greatest leaders in the world, and indeed as human role models, would not be ashamed of, as can also be read from the prayer given above. Bearing in mind his modest life in his native Čabrunići, he showed the mark of leadership even as an exemplary young man who, from his earliest years, felt God's call   to the priesthood and nurtured it as best he knew how.

Indeed, he resembled the Shepherd himself from his earliest years, or at least we know of no evidence to the contrary, and we may reasonably believe in his following of Christ already within his family home: "And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them... And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man." (Lk 2,51-52). Someone might say: what kind of leadership is it to be obedient? Yet, looking at the example our Saviour left us, precisely this kind of leadership was needed at that age, bearing in mind the brothers to whom an example needed to be given.

Here is a true model for today's generation! Without in any way wishing to reduce his life to mere submission and conformity to God's will, which would in itself be wonderful, I want to stress that at every moment of his life, and not only at the moment of his martyrdom, as many suppose, he was realising the fullness of his own personality and originality by presenting himself to God, as he himself notes: "Resolution: intrare toti, manere soli, exire alii. [to enter whole, to remain alone, to come out different]." In the firm conviction that no one can serve two masters (Mt 6,24), our Miro shows us that his only leader is Jesus Christ, God, King of Kings and Lord of Lords (cf. Rev 17,14), and thus the only Lord. And who would not want to follow one who follows Christ so decisively?

A good leader, moreover, knows his duties before God very well, aware that he bears responsibility before people, even if he does not yet have actual people under his charge, which can serve as a good encouragement in the fight against evil for young people who are considering a spiritual vocation but fall into the trap of the evil one, who manages to convince them that they are alone. Let us not be alarmed by the intensity of the words of the following prayer of the Blessed: "I must be pure. O God, forgive me if I have offended You. Do not let me offend You in the future, even by a small sin. Give me a clean heart. Grant that I may become holy, that I may offer You the sacrifice of Your Only Son as worthily as possible, that I may bring many, many souls to the faith. Grant that I may see You in every person, grant that I may love everyone for Your sake. I know that if I do not love, I do nothing; I know that if I lack love, I lack everything; I am convinced that without love I will at first become an inadequate priest, and in time a weak one. So, O God, give me love, love, love. Give me a clean heart, that I may faithfully sing Your praise.

Having become a priest, Bulešić did not tire of showing tangible love, now in a far more visible way than before, in hiddenness. This love perhaps did not please everyone on an emotional level: "Desolation and sorrow! People are drawing away from God. I sense no enthusiasm today for tomorrow's feast of Corpus Christi. People love parties, dances. They neglect their Christian duties. Young people seek only pleasures, breaking God's commandments. - Father, may Your will be done. Christ, living Bread, rule with Your laws of honesty, justice, love, brotherly harmony. They accused me of being too strict. I am not. I want my parishioners to serve You, God, in everything. Others made fun of me. May it be to Your honour, God. Others hated me, had the will and desire to do away with me. I am in Your hands. May Your will be done. Give me the strength to persevere. If You want my life, do not spare me!"[1] We could see for ourselves that Miro truly was one of us, thinking in a completely normal, healthily human way, but at the end of the quotation we glimpse his crown, the virtue poured into him by God that led him to the imminent, complete fulfilment of his dream and mission at that particular moment of hopelessness for so many. He was not afraid to be set upon a lampstand (cf. Mt 5,13-16).

On the other hand, he never set himself above the people, shrinking from every form of clericalism; rather, like a true leader, he rowed at the head of the same boat together with the flock entrusted to him: "It is fitting that in the Church there should be such a pastor who will - as St Paul says - be all things to all, so that in him the sick may find healing, the sorrowful may find joy, the despairing confidence, the inexperienced instruction, the doubter counsel, the penitent forgiveness and comfort, and finally everyone whatever they need for salvation. […] Among a sorrowful, grieving people soaked in blood, we must be good Samaritans, who comfort, heal, raise up, and bind every wound in the white dressing of love, for hatred causes bleeding, while love heals wounds. Love, love is needed in us today, that we may spread it by word, and especially by deed. I am nearing the end. Let us pray and let us work. Thank God we have so much to do.

His longing for martyrdom ("Grant me, God, to die sooner rather than fall into a single sin of impurity. - I wish, if it is Your will, to come to You as soon as possible. Otherwise punish me, tame me, humble me!"[1]) would soon be granted. In fact, exactly two months after putting that wish into ink on paper, God granted him the grace to join the bright army of martyrs, thereby illuminating to the end the path of the struggle against evil. Although he was not his superior on this earth, I am convinced that Bl. Alojzije Stepinac, the Cardinal of Zagreb and another giant in the history of the Church among Croats, also saw in the Istrian martyr a leader such as he himself needed to be, even to the shedding of blood. The final question arises: what kind of champion is it who dies and after whom nothing remains? The answer, paradoxically, lies in the second half of the question: a very great deal indeed remains after him; everything he longed for is fulfilled in the paschal promise of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Miroslav Bulešić proves that he fully understood and embraced the Word in his heart: "Why so much blood in the suffering of Jesus - Jesus shed all his blood - and why so much economising with the blood of priests? The answer is the same: Propter nimiam charitatem. Ama et fac quod vis. Non omnes capiunt istud. [Because of great love. Love and do what you will. Not everyone understands this]. […] To the first rebellion of blood, Christ opposes the last drop of his own blood as the supreme act of the gift of his sinless life. As the first faint joys awaken, the Son of God says: 'It is finished' [Jn 19,30]."