Dechtice, 6-th of March, 2011: It is a little bit cold, sunny Sunday and some pilgrims gathered near the well situated over a spring on Dechtice Square.
Seer Jozef Danko welcomes them and the regular 1-st Sunday pilgrimage starts with the prayer of the Angelus and then follows a march by the pilgrims to the place of the apparation which is situated on Mount Boričky.
While walking to Boričky, seers and pilgrims prayed the holy rosaries. The first point on the way was at the cross. Jozef Danko said to the pilgrims that this pilgrimage and the Cross-Road would proceed in the sign of repentance for all sins committed against Jesus and Our Lady during the entertainment and balls. “We also will pray for God´s grace for our faults which were made against His love.“
He reminded all of the time of Lent which begins on Ash Wednesday. We should spend it in humility as well as in devoting ourselves to our sanctification through praying at the Stations of the Cross. The same is necessary for the sanctification of our families.
Then he reminded everyone of offer Our Lady for the devotion of first seven
Sundays to make repentance for sins committed against Jesus´and Mary´s Hearts. He thanked Our Lady for Her intercession at Her Son´s side as well as at the side of our Heavenly Father. Then he thanked our Heavenly Father for His grace, through which He allows Our Lady to visit us . This was followed by the prayers to 5 Wounds and the Stations of the Cross.
Seer Martin Gavenda prayed on Boričky:
“Dear Mary, Mother of Jesus! You want to give us your love and the love of your beloved Son here under the cross. That´s why we ask you, dear Mother, may our Heavenly Father, who loves us tremendously, to send the Holy Spirit for your intercession and in the name of His Son. O, Holy Spirit, your light that never extinguishes! Be in our hearts. Inflame us with the fire of your love. O, Holy Spirit, spirit of Knowledge, Wisdom, Strength and Faith. Come and fill us, change our lives. Our Lady invited us in her messages to pray and she said that prayer was like a sun which transformed the ground. May our prayer today, o Holy Spirit, through you and your power, change our lives. May it soften our hearts and strengthen in doing good. Amen.“
All pilgrims then prayed the holy rosary and among the rosary decades the following older messages were read:
The Way with Jesus means victory:
My children, those involved in prayer with so few from your heart! Children, you contemplated the Cross – The Road of my Son. Contemplate over every station, over every moment of His life. Learn from Him, how to put love into each of your deeds. He never forgot about love despite His suffering that pursued him with every step. Children, draw strength from Jesus´ journey for your life path which is accompanied by a cross too. Children, express your love and remember that every journey has its end. The journey with Jesus means victory over evil and death.
Prayers will saturate you with love:
My children, pay more attention to prayers in this time of Lent. Prayers are important for you. It is impossible to grow without prayer in your hearts. This same way you cannot live without bread and water . Children, prayer fills your hearts with love and you will understand things better which are incomprehensible to you. Children, remember that your work maybe considered like prayer too. Prayer will saturate you with tenderness and love, which you can give to your neighbors.
Have no fear of the trials:
My children, I am happy to see your desire in God . I am happy to see your open hearts today and I feel a great closeness to you. You have given me your yes and you also allow us to move closer to your heart and to fill it with love. Children, have no fear of the trials and some dark moments in your lives, because you have already given us your yes. Everytime you repeat it, we will be with you in your heart. We love you!
I want to encourage you:
My children, I want to encourage you to seek Jesus in your heart without fear especially in this period of Lent, this period of blessing. Look for Jesus in your children and you will recognize Him. He will give you this grace. Constantly look at the cross and follow Jesus. Despite that you often feel abandonment and emptiness in your lives, Jesus is with you and He is waiting for you to give Him your hearts. Ask Jesus so that you better recognize Him Ask the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Healing to make your hearts able to live with Jesus, who loves you very much.
Allow Jesus to heal you:
My children, today I am coming too because I love you tremendously. I see your wounds and pain. That is why you must allow Jesus to heal your wounds and the wounds of your ancestors through the love of His Wounds. Allow Jesus to wash you in His precious blood in order to let the victory of the cross shine in you. I constantly thank my Son that you are, through His love, my children During the apparation of Our Lady (at the beginning of 3-rd decade of the holy rosary) seers prayed with Our Lady for the different intentions. Seer
Martin Gavenda said then to the pilgrims:
Our Lady came among us and she hailed all of us. I prayed with Her, Our Father and the Glory Be for the strong and living faith of all nations and for all of us. Then I handed over to Our Lady all sick people as well as those who asked me for prayers. I handed over all your difficulties and everything you have brought in your hearts, also the prayers we wi ll realise since Ash Wednesday. I prayed to Our Lady for healing, but this prayer was rather the strengthening for those who believe in Jesus. We were admitted to the heart of Our Lady though this prayer. She wishes for us to live our life with Jesus everywhere we are. We should preserve our living faith in our heart and have no fear to dedicate ourselves to Jesus. Our Lady like our Mother prayed for each of us and invoked the graces necessary for us. At the end Our Lady blessed all of us.
We were healed by Jesus´ Wounds
At the end of the pilgrimage F. Marek Torok, OFM said: Listening to the messages from Our Lady, we are at the beginning of Lent. What are the points, in which Our Lady together with Jesus would like to move us forward to live this Lent with dignity? It is a life of prayer.
May the fountain of living water come into a pure heart, may you be still in the state of God ´s grace and being reconciled with all your neighbours. If you are not reconciled with your neighbour, your prayers are empty.
The second such an idea is to live healthy prayer and to act everything with love. This can be simple things, everyday life that we live with our family.
The third idea is such a message that we should think more about the cross, that we should accept the healing power of Jesus ´wounds which continually heal us when we look at the cross.
Thence comes mercy. I, you – we all – carrying our daily crosses are joined with Jesus´ cross. And this will be the wonderful performance in this Lenten season.
I impart to you this blessing in order to get closer to Jesus´ and Mary´s Hearts during this time of grace.
We asked some pilgrims for the reason of their pilgrimage and their relationship to Our Lady:
To walk in God´s truth
Zuzana Pecúšová, Dubnica nad Váhom, 31 years
MROSA: What is meaning of the Marian pilgrimage for you? What does this gathering give to you?
Zuzana: “To be on such as pilgrimage and at the appointment with Our Lady is a great encouragement in my faith. I find peace and joy here. True value loses its meaning in today ´s busy way of life. We live in a terrible time. People look for love and peace, but they don ´t seek it in God, who is the Spring of living water. They would surely be drawn to it there, but they look for in TV, mammon, eating, and dressing . They put all this in the first place instead of God. There is no place for Him. It is also possible to see all this in the behaviour of people. They don´t pray and they have turned away from God. They are arrogant, rude, they steal, don´t honour laws – neither secular nor God ´s. They are not afraid of anything.”
MROSA: Is it possible to help them?
Zuzana: “Our Lady says that it is necessary to come to God and ask Him for light in order to walk in this light of the divine truth. But people think that they can do everything their way. They don ´t care about God and Our Lady. If they lived with God , there would be much more love among them. There are many non believers in my family and this is reason for all my pilgrimages – praying for the grace of conversion for my family and the stronger embedding of the love of Jesus for me.”
Heart in Bloom
Viera Hlouchová, (Brno), 47 years
MROSA: Pilgrims from Brno always bring flowers for Our Lady. So did they do that today too. What is the intention of your pilgrimage?
Viera: Each pilgrim from Brno brought a flower for Our Lady. This is a manifestation of our love and gratitude. Flowers remind us that the heart of Jesus – is in flame and in bloom. I brought so many pleas in my heart, but I know, that Our Lady has prepared everything I need for me and that I really get it. I devote myself fully to her and with love and She together with Jesus will proceed.
M ROSA: Do you have any message for the pilgrims?
Viera: “ People should have absolute trust in Jesus and Our Lady and they should be under Her protection. They should behave like a children, because She is simply their Mother. All reverence to Our Lady they can get through respect for the Prague Infant Jesus.“
The pilgrimage in Dechtice became literally international. Pilgrims came from the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Poland and Croatia.
Text a photo: Mária Víziková
Apparations of Our Lady of Help in Dechtice are examined by ecclesiastical authority of Archbishop´s Office in Trnava (estabilished 28.10.1998 ).
http://www.avemaria.sk/dechtice/
Join to a fasting prayer chain:
http://www.avemaria.sk/dechtice/?page=mrfa
e-mail (seers) : dechtice@avemaria.sk
