(The 300th anniversary of the pilgrimage site in Kostelní Vydří as an impetus for our spiritual life)
P. Gorazd Cetkovský, O.Carm.
Important moments of pilgrimage
In history, pilgrimages were accompanied by notable external expressions (flags, singing long pilgrim songs, prayers at crosses and shrines, etc.). Today we are generally more modest and sober in these expressions. But we do not want to be mere tourists. I repeatedly remind myself and others: there is a great difference between a tourist and a pilgrim. Primarily in the internal attitude: a tourist casually looks around, judges, many of them talk and comment on everything – even in churches. With such an approach, we often do not realize how full we are of ourselves, how hard it is for us to be truly approachable and transformable. Conversely, a pilgrimage involves an effort to quiet oneself, a certain consistent reverence, and perceptiveness that reaches deep into the soul, a willingness and a genuine desire to be transformed. All of this results from the effort to focus on God and to encounter Him. To that end, the words of John the Baptist about Jesus are very fitting: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Whether our pilgrimage is accompanied by more or fewer external expressions, it is certainly very important not to squander the key moments of the pilgrimage. A few have proven themselves in the pilgrimage tradition. It is generally true that the focus of the pilgrimage, and therefore of each of its stages and every key moment, is prayer. If we are able to draw appropriately from the treasure of Scripture during it, that is excellent. We can meditate on the heard Word of God afterward, each one personally during the journey. Alongside prayer, good ongoing provision of everything related to the pilgrimage from an organizational and technical standpoint must also go hand in hand. Prayer finds it hard to penetrate our hearts if, for instance, we choose a place for it right next to a busy road, where others cannot hear it due to the noise, or even feel unsafe.
After a longer or shorter period during which we contemplate, decide on, and then prepare for the pilgrimage, it is very appropriate to perform some formal opening of the pilgrimage with a prayer, for example, in the parish church or at another suitable place. If a priest or deacon is present, they can bless the pilgrims for the journey. From that moment on, it is clear to everyone that “we have already begun,” and we rely on the fact that God has taken our opening prayer seriously.
The extent, methods, and content of prayer during the pilgrimage depend on the interest and resourcefulness of the pilgrims (especially the leaders) and on the circumstances. Special care should be given to having a good experience during the last phase of the journey, the conclusion of the pilgrimage, just before arriving at the pilgrimage site. Pilgrim booklets, which help ensure a good pilgrimage, traditionally contained a prayer "upon sighting the pilgrimage site." If possible, it is good to walk this part of the journey truly on foot and in prayer. At various pilgrimage sites, we can connect to a chain of chapels or other stations close to the pilgrimage sanctuary that lead us to the goal. In earlier days, spiritual caretakers of the pilgrimage site would go out in procession to meet the pilgrims and accompany them on the last part of the journey. According to the memories of eyewitnesses, priests welcomed the pilgrims arriving from Dačice at the crossroad, where the road to Studená branches off to the right into the village.
The culmination of the pilgrimage is the prayer in the pilgrimage church. This is the time and place to present to God the intention with which we set out on the pilgrimage. The awareness that we have reached the destination of the pilgrimage and the fatigue reminding us that it was not easy are personal circumstances of this prayer of ours. It is up to us how we shape it. Whether we are satisfied with common prayer (if our pilgrim community is praying it), whether we can be at the Holy Mass (which is also the culmination of the church's prayer in this situation), whether there is an opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation and we take advantage of it, and last but not least – how much space we give to our personal prayer. Surely we all have the experience: how good it is to avoid haste! And how unpleasant it is when we do not have enough peace for this prayer. Old hymnals include the prayer “upon arrival at the pilgrimage site before the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary” and the prayer “before the image of the Virgin Mary at farewell.” They thus perceived the time spent in the Marian pilgrimage church as a meeting with the Virgin Mary “face to face.”
Similarly, corresponding to the beginning of the pilgrimage, it suits our nature to close the pilgrimage in some way as well. Such conclusion of the pilgrimage can take place still at the pilgrimage site, or back at home in the parish church or wherever we started the pilgrimage. Our prayer naturally includes gratitude for God’s protection during the pilgrimage, for all the graces received, and usually also expresses a decision to persevere in the experienced conversion of heart and asks for God’s help with that.
When speaking of a reminder from a pilgrimage, many of us probably think of the cheap tastelessness that has been associated with souvenir items for generations and seems to be rooted in them with unshakeable tenacity. On the other hand, many of us tend to take a small stone, a twig, a pine cone, or another object from the pilgrimage site as a memento, which would then remind us at home of our journey, its guiding idea, and course. We are well aware of our superficiality and forgetfulness, and we would like to heed God’s word, which urges us not to forget the works of God (Psalm 78:7). That reminder, placed on our desk or arranged somewhere in our home, will serve as a challenge to renew in us the spirit of the completed pilgrimage and not return to old paths. Similarly, our grandmothers might have spoken of the pilgrimage images they kept behind glass in their sideboards, while we saw only mere trifles in them...
How all this is stimulating for our lives in general
When we have acknowledged various spiritual dimensions of the Christian pilgrimage in our reflection, we emphasize again that a pilgrimage is not a “greenhouse” in which we create an artificial environment, disconnected from the rest of our lives. All the aspects of pilgrimage that we have mentioned should be present – even if not so clearly – in our entire Christian life. Not only during the pilgrimage, but our life is always a drawing closer to eternity, to the fullness of God’s kingdom. The effort toward conversion is also our lifelong task, because throughout our lives, our fickleness, laziness, and various temptations dull and blur our focus on God. Likewise, throughout our lives, through self-discipline and modesty, we seek to maintain the freedom of God’s children that we have received through faith and baptism. And just as pilgrimage is a celebration, so too in everyday life, on various occasions – despite today’s tendency toward individualism and a consumer lifestyle, despite the usual preference for performance – by celebrating festive moments and days, we renew in ourselves a sense of the value of relationships, mutual belonging, and openness to spiritual values. And thus we could think about other aspects of pilgrimage.
A few observations specifically from the pilgrimage site in Kostelní Vydří
Thanks to the careful historical research of P. Jindřich Charouze1, this year I was able to reflect again and more carefully on the history of the pilgrimage site in Vydří. Throughout those three hundred years, it has always been a simple, rural, small pilgrimage site. But what our ancestors experienced here and the form they gave to the pilgrimage site is an inspiration for us.
The baldachin above the image of the Virgin Mary and the gestures of angels at the main altar clearly want to show: here heaven opened, the dazzling light poured down from above. Mary drew near to us, she herself chose this place. She carries her Son in her arms. She does not only draw us to herself but mainly to Christ. This we can read well from the pilgrimage image. Mary also opens her arms to us. She offers herself to us as a compassionate Mother. And another gift that her hand gives us is the scapular – a symbolic garment, a sign of her maternal care for Carmel.
This episode from the early history of the pilgrimage site is also interesting. When the Olomouc Consistory hesitated in 1735 to grant permission for the construction of a new, larger chapel and suggested instead to move the image of the Virgin Mary to the parish church, the people of Vydří were not willing to give up the Marian site on the hill. They did not relent, and after several years, they achieved their goal. They were convinced: on this site, God performed a miracle, meaning He addresses us and encourages us to live faith actively. Such divine calling is unmistakable, and we should not handle it lightly, manipulate it, or be indifferent to it... This provides us an opportunity to contemplate that it is also important in our lives not to succumb to laziness or cowardice. If we feel that God is addressing us and calling us to something, we should indeed pursue it and not be frightened by the obstacles that arise.
In the lower corners of the miraculous image, a pair of coats of arms is depicted, belonging to the founder and his wife. Above the side entrance of the church hangs a stone-carved double coat of arms of their son and his wife, also benefactors of the pilgrimage site. This expresses the bond of those couples – in life together, in piety, and in generosity. If you agree with me, we can see this as a symbol of something important: no one comes to the Virgin Mary in Vydří only for themselves. We are all in some way connected with others (in varying degrees of blood relation, friendship, etc.), and we carry those others in our hearts. Even if we forget about it, we are gently reminded here. And we should remember them in our prayers. Whether our relationships with them are beautiful or very difficult, the more reason to do so.
The unusual metal doors between the sacristy and the church (and similarly in the oratory) signal that once this church was open day and night. Only the sacristy was locked and protected from thieves. Thus, the church was available for prayer continuously. This encourages us toward personal prayer, to be able to remain alone with God. It is important that we surrender to God in the most personal dimension of our lives during the pilgrimage.
In constructing a new, larger chapel in the 1730s, there was also an effort to allow pilgrims at this site to participate in the sacraments: to be at Holy Mass, to receive Holy Communion, and also to confess. With that, the possibility of obtaining indulgences opened up. Let us understand: the desire for the sacraments and their grateful and attentive reception will always be a great opportunity for deep communion with God in our lives.
Only gradually did the pilgrimage site in Vydří develop throughout the 18th century through the efforts of the Butz family from Rolsberg. If it had not been for them, it would have likely long fallen into oblivion. Only because of their faithfulness and perseverance did new buildings, planted trees, and landscape modifications increase. Personal piety here was combined with family tradition (the effort to continue the work of the ancestors) and care for the piety of their subjects. When we consider this, it challenges us in the circumstances of today’s world to reflect: how can we create and maintain beautiful, valuable traditions in our families? Such endeavors might benefit us as well. To have some noble “project” that transcends our own personal or family interests, a work in which we do not exhaust ourselves with petty disputes but together commit ourselves to it. Thus, the Butz family dedicated their attention to this pilgrimage site for generations. And we all continue to benefit from it: thanks to them, there is now a church, a residence (monastery), and an arcade. All of this has grown through simple effort and labor.
The three-hundredth anniversary of the existence of the pilgrimage site in Kostelní Vydří is thus an impetus for us to ensure that Vydří remains truly a pilgrimage site for us. When we, as (regular or occasional) pilgrims, deepen our relationship with this pilgrimage site, we will also know how to fare at every other pilgrimage site. (Even if Kostelní Vydří is, of course, irreplaceable for us.) Let us never be merely the curious or the tourists; let us be pilgrims who are heading towards the heavenly Jerusalem, who remind themselves through pilgrimage that the goal of our life is to rest in God’s embrace. Who consider the difficulties of their lives as challenges on the journey, and encourage each other with the awareness that the goal is worth it. Who well know that the time given to God is not wasted time, even if that means work must wait for a while. Who are aware that meeting God during the pilgrimage is somehow a celebration and gives strength to continue. Let us be pilgrims who love this pilgrimage site precisely as a pilgrimage site.
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