An invitation from Kathleen Nichols, director of the Magdala Institute and your host for a special Lenten virtual pilgrimage:
I have lived in Magdala for more than six years now, blessed by daily sunrises over the Sea of Galilee and a privileged view toward the Mount of Beatitudes from the shoreline where Jesus once taught the crowds. Describing one such moment, Matthew writes in his Gospel:
“That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. Such great crowds gathered around him… And he told them many things in parables…”
For many years, I thought I knew the parables well—especially those that describe the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew chapter 13. I had heard them preached, studied them, and prayed with them. But encountering these parables again while standing in on the slopes of Mt. Arbel brought them vividly to life. Seeing the rocky soil, the thorns and thistly growth, the mustard plants, and the fields where wheat and weeds grow side by side—and watching fishermen haul in their nets through the grand windows of Duc In Altum overlooking the water—gave the parables new weight and clarity. They were no longer just stories remembered from childhood, but urgent revelations capable of transforming everyday Christian life. I came to realize more fully that Jesus was not simply explaining the Kingdom—He was inviting His listeners, then and now, to step inside it.
As I prayed with these parables in their original settings in Galilee, I became more aware of how deeply they shape the way we see God, the world, and ourselves. The Kingdom Jesus describes is hidden yet active, small yet powerful, demanding everything and yet offered freely—characteristics we may know in theory, but which, when contemplated in the Holy Land, reveal unexpected nuances that the Lord communicates through His parables. In addition, standing in places associated with David, Judith, Daniel, and Gideon, it became even clearer to me how these biblical lives echo the same Kingdom dynamics revealed in the parables: faith tested, obedience chosen, patience learned, courage embodied and hope sustained.
Out of this prayerful experience grew the desire to share this journey with those who do not live in the Holy Land, leading to the creation of this year’s Lenten video series, A Virtual Pilgrimage of the Kingdom: Seven Parables, following the structure of Matthew chapter 13. Together with Magdala Media, we filmed across the Holy Land, weaving together weekly Lenten reflections grounded in Scripture and set within important archaeological and sacred sites. From Ash Wednesday through Easter, the series invites fellow virtual pilgrims to enter more deeply into the mystery of the Kingdom as it unfolds through real landscapes, biblical history, and ultimately through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ.
As the pilgrimage reaches Holy Week, the parables find their fulfillment: The Kingdom Jesus spoke of from boats and hillsides is revealed fully in Jerusalem—at Gethsemane, at Calvary, and at the empty tomb. On Easter morning, we return to the Sea of Galilee, where the risen Lord blesses His disciples with eyes that see and ears that hear, sending them forth as witnesses of the Kingdom yet to come.
I warmly invite you to join us on this virtual pilgrimage this Lent if you are looking for a unique source of prayer and compelling visuals from the Holy Land. This journey offers a way to see with your own eyes the images Jesus used to reveal the Kingdom of Heaven—images that can lead to a deeper relationship with the Lord and a stronger commitment to living and extending His Kingdom. You can find more information and sign up at https://www.magdala.org/
My hope is that The Virtual Pilgrimage of the Kingdom can help all of us listen more deeply to the Lord, encounter Him anew, and allow the mystery of the Kingdom to take root in our hearts and lives. Please know that all of you who follow and pray for our work here in the Holy Land are always in my prayers!
