My very dear Magdala Family,

Receive a warm greeting from Mexico. During these weeks I have been traveling through different cities preaching the Touching the Cloak retreat, inspired by that moving Gospel passage of the woman who, in the midst of the crowd, approached Jesus confident that simply touching his cloak would be enough for her to be healed.

This journey has left me deeply grateful.

I would like to begin by thanking, from the bottom of my heart, all those who have made possible the different stages of this trip in Puebla, Hermosillo, Ciudad Obregón, Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico City, and Guadalajara. Behind every gathering there are many hours of preparation, generosity, hospitality, and service that so often remain unseen.

But perhaps what has moved me most has been seeing how those seeds we began sowing from Magdala during the pandemic years have been quietly taking root in so many hearts.

I have met people who feel a deep affection for the Holy Land and for Magdala. People who have followed our broadcasts, taken part in our programs, or traveled with us on pilgrimage, and for whom all of this has also become a path of growth in faith, in love for God, and in love for the Church.

I could share countless encounters, comments, testimonies, and conversations from these weeks, the list would be endless. To all of you, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude and affection for allowing yourselves to be touched by the grace of God, and for letting what you have received bear fruit.

One of those fruits is, without a doubt, Touching the Cloak.

It has been deeply consoling to see how these groups continue to multiply. Inspired by that woman in the Gospel, men and women are beginning to gather with great freedom and simplicity: to pray, to deepen their faith, to support one another as a community, and, little by little, to reach out to others through some charitable or apostolic work.

The wind of the Spirit is blowing, and I have seen many hearts allow themselves to be moved by Him.

These past few days, we have also celebrated the feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, who has accompanied us in a special way this year through the Sunday Gospel readings.

Matthew was a tax collector. He was probably not the man many would have chosen to become an apostle and evangelist. But Jesus looked at him and simply said: "Follow me."

Let us ask Saint Matthew to help especially those who have ever felt unworthy, distant, or unprepared to approach God. May He teach us to allow ourselves to be looked upon by Jesus, to trust Him, and to surrender ourselves into His hands. And let us not forget those words of Jesus that Matthew passes on to us in his Gospel: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice."

And speaking of hope, I have some wonderful news to share with you.

Since the middle of August, it seems that something has begun to change in the Holy Land.

A few more pilgrims have started to arrive and, above all, we have begun to receive new reservations for the coming months. It is still early, of course, but after such a long and difficult period, every group that makes an inquiry, every reservation, and every pilgrim who once again walks through these holy places is a small light for us.

It gives us hope that the Holy Land may begin, gradually, to recover, and that we may once again see pilgrims filling the roads of Galilee, Jerusalem, and so many places connected with the life of Jesus.

How much we need this!

And perhaps here, too, we can sense another wind beginning to blow.

With that hope, the Magdala Family is launching Go Deeper pilgrimages, designed especially for young professionals between the ages of 25 and 35. The first will take place from January 17 to 24.

I have great hopes for this initiative. I would love for many young people to discover the Holy Land not simply as a destination to visit, but as a place where the Gospel takes on geography, faces, and depth; a place where one can stop, ask the important questions, and, above all, encounter Jesus Christ.

We are also relaunching with renewed energy New Gate Tours, our pilgrimage agency. We want to be able to accompany those who wish to visit the Holy Land, the great Marian and Eucharistic shrines, and other places of deep spirituality.

Next year, I will have the joy of personally accompanying several pilgrimages and, God willing, we also hope to celebrate Rabbuní once again in the Holy Land.

Very soon we will share the dates, itineraries, and contact information for those who are interested.

All of this makes me think once again of those seeds.

Some take years to germinate. Others appear where we least expect them. Some need to pass through difficult seasons before they begin to bear fruit. But God is at work even when we do not see it.

Today, from Mexico, seeing the Touching the Cloak groups grow and, at the same time, receiving from Magdala these small signs that pilgrims are beginning to return, I cannot help but give thanks.

Let us keep sowing.

Let us keep allowing the Spirit to blow where He wills.

And let us continue to pray in a very special way for peace in the Holy Land, so that very soon we may once again open wide its roads to pilgrims from all over the world.

To all of you who are also beginning a new academic, school, or work year, I wish you a fruitful season, full of opportunities to grow, to serve, and to do much good.

May God pour out abundant blessings upon each of you and your families.

‍

Fraternally, Fr. Juan María Solana, LC and the Magdala team

‍