November is a time when we celebrate the memories of our loved ones who have gone to the Lord before us. At the start of the month many cultures and religions round the world have rituals and ceremonies to remember the deceased. In Mexico, there is Dia de Los Muertos, the Mexican holiday of remembrance; in Sumpango, Guatemala – the Giant kite festival to honour the dead; in the Catholic tradition All Souls Day, all of them weaving a thread of connectedness with the souls who have lived among us. I have vivid and endearing memories of many village communities, that have been a part of my missionary landscape, clean up the cemeteries, decorate graves of loved ones, ask pardon from each other, cook and share food in the burial ground, and above all consciously create spaces to honour the dead, communicate with them and give new life to their living memoirs. Memories are refreshing because through those reminiscences love lives on in us and flows out through us. Our Eucharistic celebration is one such space that we create every day to remember, to celebrate and to commune with a divine love that transforms us into channels of gratitude and compassion.
Magnet is yet another space of remembrance where we bring together our success stories and the live anecdotes of people who suffer, who are wronged, threatened and bereft of a space. In these pages we see how women and men religious and other committed people make of their lives a continual offering in love. The features in this edition are both thought provoking and heartening. On one side is the celebration of communion and on the other the human instinct for immediate solutions leading even to mass provocations as we see in the first article on Sumpango; the feeling for prisoners who are often locked inside unjustly, the sunshine emanating from a pastor who decided to live happily and spread joy, meaningful tips for living authentic friendships, the touching life of the military officer who excelled as a fine human being, the story of a young sister’s call, Canon Law for a meaningful religious life, self-care practices for all, basic financial procedures for safeguarding religious, people who made a difference because of their goodness and review of two movies and books that touch one’s soul.
This issue has the NEP 2020 as its cover story. The NEP created a stir in the hearts of people both for the right and the wrong reasons. We have our brother Bosco, hailing from a rural setting in Karnataka, presenting to us in the main Cover Story article an appraisal of the New National Education Policy 2020 highlighting its pros and cons. Three responses from different perspectives – Higher Education, School Education, Minorities; and The Way Forward gives us a glimpse of the multifaceted consequences of this new proposal.
The soul of a magazine is its writers. They give life to it and create its identity. The Magnet community expresses its gratitude to Fr Jose Parappully, SDB who has been part of its august group of columnists from almost its inception. Fr Jose, who will not be continuing to write in Magnet due to time and health constraints, took care of the psychology wing, and has written 60 episodes. This means he has been writing with unstinted commitment for the past six years. He covered topics which were very useful, practical and meaningful. Good researchers make good writers. All his writings came from his continuous study and exploration of themes that matter to each of us. Many in the early years of their religious commitment would thank Fr Jose for his clear perspectives on many aspects of life that raised queries in them. Thank you Fr Jose and we wish you continued inspiration as a writer and a psychologist.
Let’s celebrate life through the words of humans who have felt passionately about the topics that you are about to read. Wishing each of you enjoyable reading.
Pushpa Joseph
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