Magda Bennásar

Maria Magdalena Bennásar (Magda) of the Sisters for Christian Community is from Spain. Studies in theology gave her a foundation for the charism of prayer and ministry of the word with an emphasis on spirituality and Scripture: teaching, conducting retreats and workshops, creating community and training lay leaders in Australia, the U.S. and Spain. Currently, she is working on eco-spirituality and searching for a space to create a center or collaborate with others.

María Magdalena Bennásar (Magda), de las Hermanas para la Comunidad Cristiana, es española. Sus estudios de teología le dieron una base para el carisma de la oración y el ministerio de la palabra con un énfasis en la espiritualidad y las Escrituras: enseñando, dirigiendo retiros y talleres, creando comunidad y formando líderes laicos en Australia, EEUU y España. Actualmente, trabaja en la eco-espiritualidad y busca un espacio para crear un centro o colaborar con otros.

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Mary Magdalene washes Jesus' feet in this detail from a fresco in the Carmelite church in Vienna, Austria.

Mary of Magdala, the lighthouse who guides us

Mary Magdalene, whose feast day is July 22, is "the source of our prayer and celebrations," writes Sr. Magda Bennásar. 

The 6th day: One voice, one community

On the "sixth day, the day before the Sabbath," writes Sr. Magda Bennásar, "we are invited to 'ascend' the mountain with fellow community members, mirroring Jesus' journey with his disciples."

Ana's Cathedral

"I like Ana's cathedral. It is close to the majestic Catholic and Episcopalian cathedrals of New York; but like Jesus, it breaks away from the temple and its rigidities to become the embrace of Abba in the street, in the snow, amidst alcoholism and illness," writes Sr. Magda Bennásar. 

Magda Bennásar, second from the right, with members of the the Community of Magdala (Courtesy of Magda Bennásar)

My experience with Global Sisters Report

It was through Global Sisters Report and its columnists that I discovered an alternative path, for which I am deeply grateful.

A new paradigm knocks at our door

In today's reality, the traditional model of consecrated life tied to an institution is obsolete," writes Sr. Magda Bennásar. "The ministry model of the past is in urgent need of updating." 

What does Yahweh-Jesus-Allah say about conflicts among God's people?

Given the situation in Palestine and Israel, Sr. Magda Bennásar argues that the God of one religion is not different from that of the other. The Spirit of God is "one" and makes us "one." The three religions present in the place of conflict (Judaism, Christianity, Islam) are the religions of the "book," she argues.

Tent of refuge (Pexels/Taryn Elliott)

Looking for a tent of refuge in the desert of our times

"Tent of refuge" is a powerful biblical image of God Amma that indicates protection, welcome, shelter and training. Faced with our difficult reality, I propose to rediscover the tent of refuge called Christian community.

Last night, I went for a meditative walk along the shore of the Cantabrian Sea, where I live, and I could see how the surface of the calm sea — which on the horizon was joined with the sky, with many stars — was like an immense beauty that could not help but speak to me of the face of God, the face of my sisters.  And as my prayerful walk continued, my heart was drawn to Ukraine, to the horror of an unjust and cruel war, as all wars are. And I could see, with the eyes of my soul, the frozen skin of our sis

'She, on the other hand' remains a groundbreaking gesture

Let us provide the warmth that consecrated life invites and requires. It is the difference that Jesus indicates to us in Luke's Gospel, between Simon's fidelity to the law and the defiance of the woman's kisses.

Some members of the Community of Magdala after our summer retreat (Courtesy of Magda Bennásar)

We thank you, Miriam of Magdala, as our community flourishes

It's been more than one year since 19 people — laywomen, former religious, religious women and a couple of men — began an adventure. Since then, the Community of Magdala has been growing in depth and in number.

Let's synchronize our hearts for inner and world peace

Mindfulness and conscious living can help us find calm. If all hearts beat together, we could find peace everywhere.

Community (Dreamstime/Iofoto)

A new movement: Sharing ministries in the Community of Magdala

Mary Magdalene offered us the gift of a community: a space of welcoming and support, of healing and inspiration, of rest and prayer, and a place to learn and experience discipleship, where women are the leaders.

The trace of the perfume: from the table to the garden

We do not know how the Resurrection happened; the speculative questions do not fit. Their goal is not the news itself, but to inform and to feed the faith of the community.

The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, created by artist Miquel Barceló, in the Cathedral of Santa Maria de Palma in Palma de Mallorca, Spain (Wikimedia Commons/ Friedrich Haag)

Nature in our lives, in the cathedral, in the house of human rights

How much we missed Mother Nature these past months, when most of us couldn't go out of our flats except for emergencies. Perhaps — now that we have missed her so much — we'll treat her in a loving and gentle way.

(Unsplash / Tory Morrison)

Baptism works slowly and spirally

After having been touched by a new comprehension, my call to be prophetic takes a turn in the spiral of life, a turn from which there is no return. And that means a change of attitude about who I am and what I do.