Duc In Altum

Duc In Altum. These familiar Latin words greeted us and offered us a taste of home as we entered the Boat Chapel at Magdala Archaeological Park and Retreat Center.  This phrase is in big letters in the St. John Paul II Chapel at Mundelein Seminary.  It translates to "Put out into the deep," the command of Jesus to Simon Peter in Luke 5:4.  This is a fitting mantra of faith to us as followers of Christ as he commands us to "be not afraid."

Duc In Altum, the name of the center, is built on the first century ruins of the town of Magdala, the home of Mary Magdalene.  Houses, a marketplace, a road, synagogue and Jewish ceremonial baths were all found on the site.  It is a very important find because it gives us a preserved glimpse into what life would have looked like in the time of Jesus. 

Our morning at "Magdala: Crossroads of Jewish and Christian History" was a time of simultaneous emotional and intellectual growth.  We learned about how Jesus preached from Simon Peter's fishing boat to the people standing on the shore; we felt a taste of that scene as the boat shaped altar was placed on that very spot.

In the Women's Atrium looking at the prominent marble columns, we learned about the women who accompanied Jesus and the Apostles like Mary, Joanna, Susanna and "many others who provided for them out of their resources" (Luke 8:3); we felt the honor that Holy Mother Church places on these and all women who are transmitters of faith, tradition, values.  Mary Magdalene herself is often referred to as the "Apostle to the Apostles" as she was the first one to see the empty tomb and rush to tell the Apostles (John 20:2).

We learned about the synagogue and the houses built by the people of Magdala; and when we touched those stones, we could feel the love they had as they built homes for their families and a place of prayer to their God.

The days we have been near the Sea of Galilee have been transformative.  Seeing the towns, feeling the breeze, and seeing the sunrise and knowing that Jesus, Simon Peter, James, John and the others all looked at this same scenery with their own eyes, swam in the water with their own arms, and loved this place with their own hearts.

"A pilgrimage is an outward journey that triggers an inner one."  This guiding phrase has been used by our director ever since leaving Mundelein.  It has most definitely rung true as the outer information that comes in from the tours, the sites, and the scriptures sparks an interior conversion which leads us into deeper knowledge and relationship which Jesus Christ.