Six inches under. That was the distance between where we had been walking and where we found the 2,200 year old bronze shovel under our feet in February. It is also the figurative distance that marks the beginning of the “Magdala experience” and where the Holy Spirit touches the hearts of the thousands of pilgrims that have been coming to Magdala.
Dear Friends of the Magdala family, as you know I was in Mexico for a couple of months. When I came back to Magdala I was eager to ask the staff and volunteers about their experiences and to see the progress of the construction.
Six inches under. Yes!
They spoke to me about so many people being moved by the first century experience in the synagogue and knowing they were touching the grounds where Jesus walked and taught. They shared strong inner healing and prayer experiences that took place in the Encounter Chapel in front of the painting portraying the Hemorraghing Woman (Lk 8). They invited me to participate in the weekly prayer hour where the Magdala staff and volunteers intercede for the hundreds of requests that fill up the prayer intention box each day. The volunteers invited me to lunch and supper and I marveled at God’s work in the hearts of these generous souls. It’s true that the Magdala project is a big undertaking; but I am witnessing God’s action “just under the surface” and I understand that Magdala is just a vehicle for the wonders of God’s grace.
I ask you to pray.
Take time at home to go six inches under in your own hearts and pray. God is at work and we are in awe at the disproportion between what we give and what God does in the eager hearts of those who visit us here.
Please pray for a special intention: The Magdala Prayer Family. We dream of having thousands of members who are praying constantly for the intentions of the pilgrims and of so many people who come to Magdala and the Holy Land seeking hope, healing and transformation.
Allow me close off with a phrase from Mother Angelica, whom God recently called to his Glory: “Your plans, your projects, your dreams have to always be bigger than you so God has room to operate.” This has been, is, and will continue being our experience here in Magdala.
God bless you all and thank you for sharing this journey with us.
Fr. Juan María Solana, LC
