My very dear Magdala Family,

I begin writing this message from my “bunker” in Magdala, on Good Friday afternoon. Several alarms have gone off, and we are here taking shelter for safety.

In spite of everything, we have just celebrated the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our hearts remain filled with Christian hope. The waves of history have not been able to destroy the greatest certainty of our faith: Christ was crucified, died, was buried, and rose again for our salvation!

In the midst of these circumstances, I would like to pause from the very beginning to thank you. We have seen a very generous response to the “Refuge of Peace” campaign with over 430 friends, brothers, sisters joining, “drop by drop,” in this shared effort. Monthly donations, even if small, allow us to sustain this work with hope and to look to the future with confidence, even in uncertain times. Thank you for your closeness, your faith, and your affection. We value it deeply and ask God to reward you here on earth and, later on, in heaven.

I regret that this message reaches you a little after Easter, but I hope it still carries the full joy of the Resurrection. In our hearts resounds the cry of Mary Magdalene, our beloved patron: “I have seen the Lord!” This is a fact. She is a witness. There is no turning back in history. Jesus chose to be seen and touched by Mary Magdalene. Some may say that the testimony of women had no legal value at that time. But who cares about legal value? What matters to us is the real value: Jesus rose from the dead, met Mary Magdalene, and sent her to proclaim it.

This year we had planned to celebrate the Feast of Mary Magdalene here in Magdala (on the first Saturday of Easter) with Cardinal Pizzaballa and the Bishop of Nazareth. However, given the current security situation, we have had to postpone it. This is not a time for outward celebrations in the Holy Land; we celebrate it in our hearts.

We celebrate our patron: a courageous, generous leader, who followed Jesus and overcame the wounds of her past because He had healed her completely and forever.

And it is precisely from this that something very important arises for us. Mary Magdalene was not only a witness to the Resurrection; she was also sent. What she had seen, she could not keep to herself.

For this reason, I would like to focus today on one of the essential aspects of the Magdala Family: apostolate. Mary Magdalene has rightly been called the “apostle to the apostles.” I would even dare to say she is an apostle squared.

This has very concrete implications for us. The members of the Magdala Family, as our definition says, “commit themselves to collaborate in the extension of the Kingdom of God.” We do not do this as “lone rangers,” but as a family, as a community, each one from his or her own reality.

Today, perhaps more than ever, this apostolate is not so much about coming, but about remaining united. United in faith, in hope, in prayer… and in small, concrete actions wherever each one may be.

I would like to invite each one of you, personally, to ask yourselves simply, in the presence of God: if He has touched my life, if He has healed me in some way, what is He asking of me? How can I help others? Sometimes it will be something very small. But when done out of love for Jesus Christ, it is never insignificant.

This also applies to the “Touching the Hem” groups. May prayer give rise to action as well, even if in a modest way. It is enough to lift our gaze to realize that, everywhere, there are opportunities to do good. And when that good is done together, it multiplies strength, commitment, and joy.

Some may also feel called to become involved in a more direct way with Magdala, offering their time or their talents. Today, many of these forms of collaboration can also be carried out remotely, accompanying this project from your own homes. And when circumstances allow, we hope to welcome you again here in the Holy Land to live this experience more closely.

May Mary Magdalene, witness of the Resurrection, teach us to live with that same certainty: Christ lives. And may we, wherever we are, know how to proclaim it with our lives.

With hope and anticipation, we continue preparing this moment of encounter as a Magdala Family. It will be an opportunity to come together, to pray, and to deepen this path of discipleship that the Lord is giving us, step by step.

With much affection and prayers for each one of you,

Fr. Juan María Solana, LC

If you feel called to get involved in Magdala’s volunteer program, click here