“Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” (Matthew 6:28-29)

If she wasn’t working or with her mother, she could almost always be found with a book in hand, sitting in the shade of the large trees near the plain or along the cliffs at Fűzfő-Kenese. Reading in the shade of the bushes felt wonderful, taking time to ponder the words. She would then gaze out over the smooth surface of Lake Balaton towards the hills of Tihany. “I’d love to go there someday… Look how beautifully God created the world! What a beautiful homeland He’s given us! And such a magnificent body of water!” she said to her younger brother, her faithful companion.

Magdi found great inspiration in Jesuit spirituality. She preferred silent contemplation over spoken prayers, often in the quiet of a church or nature. For her, prayer was always an encounter with the Creator Father or with Christ present in the Eucharist. A meaningful encounter deserves preparation, so we suggest the following steps:

✢ Find a place conducive to meeting with God.
✢ Then, settle into silence, bringing yourself into God’s presence. Take a few moments to bring your whole being into this time of prayer. Focusing on your breath can help; without controlling it, simply let the air flow in and out naturally. Your inhalation can express your desire for God, while your exhalation conveys your surrender to Him.
✢ Acknowledge that God is here, now, and looking upon you with love. Ask to focus fully on Him: “Lord, let me give this prayer time to You, with all that I am and have. May it be for Your glory, honor, and service.”
✢ Then simply be present before Jesus (this is contemplation) or share with Him what you are grateful for and what you ask of Him.

One of Magdi’s favorite prayers was the loving attentiveness prayer rooted in Jesuit spirituality. In the evening, we quiet ourselves and review our day with the following steps:

✢ Arrive with your whole self, letting God’s loving presence find you. Ask to view yourself and your day through His loving gaze.
✢ Invite the Holy Spirit to be your living memory. Allow God’s Spirit to bring the day’s events and encounters to life within you, focusing less on remembering everything and more on allowing God to direct your inner awareness toward what He wants you to see—experiences, encounters, feelings.
✢ Give thanks for everything that brought life and love today. For moments that connected you with God, others, yourself, and the created world. Linger where the Lord touched you, paying attention to what He reveals through events and encounters.
✢ Bring to the Lord all that was difficult or painful, anything that weighs on you. Ask for His loving, healing touch for whatever in you needs healing or reconciliation. Seek forgiveness for what you may have done wrong.
✢ Allow the Lord to reveal how He desires to be with you tomorrow, how He hopes to be present with you. Ask to live with Him and in Him. To conclude, offer all your gratitude, requests, and praises in union with Jesus’ prayer, ending with the Our Father.

Let us pray for the beatification ceremony, for favorable weather, and for all who will attend the beatification, that they may discover more of the beauty of creation and thus bear witness to God’s beauty.

For Children

Magdi always marveled at the beauty of the created world around her. On a foggy, rainy November day, this can be challenging, but try to find something special in nature—a dewy spider web glistening in the morning light, for example. Thank God for these wonders.

For Youth

When we see something beautiful, we often want to capture it, like taking a photo. However, beauty loses its value when we try to possess it. When we surrender to wonder, beauty imprints itself on our hearts and lives on there. When you see something beautiful (especially in nature), take a few moments to marvel at it! Let God’s beautiful gift fill your heart with joy.

For Families

Magdi was able to see people as beautiful, made in God’s image. Look at each other through Jesus’ eyes and delight in each other’s presence. Give thanks for each other to the Creator Father.

For the Elderly

You don’t even need to leave your room to discover the works of the Creator Father. What are the things in your surroundings—in your room or through the window looking at nature—that you can marvel at? Take a moment each day to appreciate the beauty of creation.