Behold, I am sending you like sheep among wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues. You will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved.” (Matthew 10:16–20, 22)

Magdi spent most of the day at the shelter, silently sewing children’s clothes for the poor while reading a spiritual book.
Around 4 PM, she was supposed to go feed animals with a neighbor girl, but the girl was too afraid. Magdi suggested they pray first. After reciting a decade of the rosary, they went up and completed their tasks without harm.
Shortly after they returned, two armed soldiers arrived on motorcycles—one with a submachine gun and the other with a pistol. They headed toward the shelter entrance where the women were gathered to avoid spending all day in the dark bunker.
The soldier with the pistol descended the stairs. Magdi had tied a headscarf tightly around her head, pulling it forward to obscure her face. The soldier pointed inside and ordered her:
“Hajde, hajde…”
Without a word, Magdi obeyed. She slipped her hands into her jacket pockets—holding a rosary in one and a small pair of scissors she had used for sewing in the other. Her mother noticed and tried to pull her hands out, but Magdi resisted:
“Let me be, Mother. I am going now.”
She stepped into the dark, zigzagging interior of the bunker with the soldier following.
There was a tense silence for a few seconds. Witnesses later described events they had glimpsed, though no one observed everything precisely. Some recalled hearing a shot from inside the bunker, others did not.
Soon Magdi reappeared at the exit. Her scarf had slipped back, and her face showed signs of distress, though her voice remained calm:
“Annuska, run! You are next,” she told the neighbor girl. “I am going to die… Mother, go away, I am going to die.”
Magdi fled but did not run fast. Perhaps she could not anymore. Her words confirmed that death was near.
She emerged into the courtyard. Meanwhile, the soldier appeared at the other entrance, bleeding from a wound under his eye—Magdi must have defended herself. Enraged, the soldier immediately shot at her.
At the second shot, Magdi raised her arms toward the sky and then folded them in prayer, as priests do during Mass, saying:
“Lord, my King! Take me to Yourself!”
These were her last words.
She was hit by at least six more bullets. Though she staggered, she remained standing, without screaming or flailing, clutching her rosary in her pocket.
The final shot pierced her heart. Magdi fell forward onto her face.
The women scattered in fear. To make her body less conspicuous, the soldiers laid her on the shelter steps, possibly searching her for weapons.
Magdi’s father recounts:
“As soon as I heard what happened, I rushed over. The soldiers were still standing there.
I shouted at them in Russian: ‘You killed my daughter!’
They seemed startled and gruffly ordered me: ‘Take her away.’
I bent over my daughter. Her body was still warm, but life was gone.
I carried her home in sorrow. The soldiers shot at me twice more.
The bullets whistled past my ears.”

During Easter and in times of loss, it is good to experience the journey of the disciples to Emmaus (Luke 24) and encounter the Risen Christ through their story. This can be done on an actual pilgrimage or at home with appropriate preparation.
• The disciples left the site of Christ’s death in disappointment when the Risen One joined them. They did not recognize Him and poured out their grief to Him. Jesus listened.
We, too, can bring our disappointments, grief, and burdens to Jesus, freely and thoroughly.
• Then Jesus retells the same story from His perspective—as a story of salvation and victory. It is good to listen in silence, to hear His response, or simply to feel the peace of Christ in our hearts even if we hear no words.
• The disciples invited Jesus to stay with them.
We can make the same decision: ask Jesus to remain with you, and you stay with Him. Let Him show you everything through His eyes, and lift your heart to Him throughout the day.

Let us pray for Pope Francis, who, after much suffering and struggle, completed his earthly journey and returned to the House of the Heavenly Father on Easter Monday morning. May the Lord receive him among the saints in heaven, so that he may intercede for us and guide us along the path of mercy and hope.
Let us pray for the cardinal electors, that the Holy Spirit may fill them with wisdom to choose a leader for the visible Church who will guide God’s people faithfully and lovingly with the Spirit’s help. May the new pope have the wisdom to lead us toward the kingdom of eternal happiness.
Let us also pray for those who worked hard to prepare for the beatification celebration and for the pilgrims who wished to participate, especially for those who feel discouraged because the ceremony could not take place as planned.
May the Spirit of creativity and joy strengthen them so that, drawing strength from Magdi’s example, they may continue to grow in Christ’s friendship in the time ahead.