As the final chord of the Church year, on the Feast of Christ the King the heart of every believer turns to the Lord of all creation — to the King who conquers not through earthly power, but through the reign of love.
This feast calls us to place our lives once more into His hands — with fidelity, trust, and wholehearted devotion.
The Feast of Christ the King holds a special place in the life of Blessed Mária Magdolna Bódi.
This day was not only the closing of the Church’s liturgical year, but also the summit of Magdi’s personal life — the deepest expression of her belonging to Christ.
In his book published by VELAR, Father Péter Szakács writes:
“Magdi was a sensitive, kind-hearted, industrious, and graceful young woman who loved children and was an excellent cook.
She would have made a wonderful mother, and it is no surprise that she had many admirers.
Yet she felt that God was calling her to a different path. She discovered this calling more deeply during Ignatian retreats held at Pécel, in the women’s retreat house of the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Caroleanum.
Her first retreat (August 13–22, 1940) was led by Father Ernő Strecke, who a few years earlier had served as the organizing secretary of the International Eucharistic Congress and editor of the Eucharistic triduum materials.
On the train home, her friend Margitka remarked how Magdi’s face was radiant with joy.
They resolved to follow Saint Ignatius’ counsel and do all things for the greater glory of God.
Magdi had long felt God’s call within her heart. After the retreat at Pécel, the desire to give her entire life to God welled up within her with renewed strength. She thought of entering religious life, but her family circumstances did not permit it. Her mother was ill, and as the only daughter at home she was responsible for running the household.
The family could not afford the financial contribution required for admission into a religious order. Moreover, since her parents were not sacramentally married, she could not be accepted into the Daughters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
The trees of the little clearing at Mámapuszta drank her tears.
Yet, despite all the obstacles, the divine longing to dedicate herself entirely to God remained alive within her.
After the retreat, on October 26, 1941, the Feast of Christ the King, she made a private vow of perpetual virginity.
From then on, she belonged to Christ the King forever!”
This moment was not merely the decision of a young girl, but an eternal covenant with Christ.
Magdi’s deepest choice was to receive the reign of Christ — not on thrones, but in the silence of her heart.
She chose not a crown, but a cross.
Not power, but service.
Not wealth, but the kingdom of pure love.
When on Sunday, November 23, during the Feast of Christ the King, the Church resounds with the words of the Lord’s Prayer — “For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever” — let us remember Magdi, who spoke these words with her life.
In a world that often forgets the meaning of purity and faithfulness, Magdi’s witness allows us to hear anew the words of Christ:
“My kingdom is not of this world.”
Blessed Mária Magdolna Bódi remains today a messenger and faithful daughter of Christ the King.
Through her purity, faith, and love she reminds us that the true kingdom begins where Christ reigns — in the heart.