The Franciscan shrine of Màgdala, on the western shore of Lake Tiberias, welcomed the Franciscan community of the Custody of the Holy Land for the second time in honour of the feast-day of St Mary Magdalene, the first to meet the Risen in front of the empty tomb, thus becoming the first witness of the victory of Jesus over death.
The liturgical memory of the “Apostle to the Apostles” falls on 22 July, the day that Pope Francis - with a decree of 3 June 2016 - elevated to the same degree of solemnities that are celebrated for the apostles.
The Eucharistic celebration, presided over by the Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton, took place in the presence of the friars of Galilee, religious and some local faithful. His Excellence Mons. Mariano Manzana, from Trento, for 20 years Bishop of Mossoro, in the state of Rio Grande do Norte (Brazil), a pilgrim in the Holy Land at the moment, also took part in the Solemn Mass.
Being “possessed” by the love of Christ
“Mary Magdalene is the most beautiful and fullest example that it is love that mobilizes our energies and that love is the strongest motivation that we can feel in our life,” fr. Francesco Patton emphasized in his homily (you can read the homily in full here). “The apostle Paul in the second reading recalled that “the love of Christ possesses us.” Mary Magdalene experienced the liberation that comes from being possessed by love for him from her very first encounter with Jesus.”
Magdalene will follow Jesus to under the cross, free of the fear of following a man condemned to death, together with the Mother of God, the sister of Mary and John. “All these people,” the Custos continued, “were deeply possessed by love for Christ, which frees us from every fear, even from the fear of losing our life and dying. Here where Mary of Magdala made the decisive meeting of her life, let us ask simply for this, through her intercession: that the love of Christ – and nobody else – possesses us entirely and totally forever.”
The Franciscan archaeological site of Màgdala
The shrine of Magdala stands in the area owned by the Custos of the Holy Land from 1889: since the 1930s, excavation campaigns (1971/1977 and 2006/2012), led by the Studium Biblicum Franciscanum in Jerusalem, have enabled archaeologists to study in greater detail the Byzantine monastery next to which the sanctuary dedicated to Mary Magdalene must have stood. The excavations have also brought to light the cardo and decumanus of the ancient city of Madgala (from 'Migdal', meaning tower), the gymnasium, the remains of the aqueduct and probably also the so-called 'little synagogue'.
The site is not open to the public at present, but Fra Timoteo Marszalek, superior of the community, hopes that for next year there can be the official opening of this historic place, which has the merit of having contributed to understanding the life around the lake in the times of Jesus.
The procession and the gift of oil
At the end of the celebration, there was a picturesque procession of the community and of the faithful along a route that crossed the whole of the archaeological area of the ancient city: lastly, after the solemn blessing, the Custos of the Holy Land gave to those present the oil of St Mary Magdalene, which recalls the jar full of perfumed oil which the Saint had taken with her to the Sepulchre to anoint the body of her master, whom she was then to meet after he had risen.
Silvia Giuliano
