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KEVIN

Before sitting down to write this article, I would have said that I have never had a problem with jealousy. However, as I have pondered this topic over the last week, I had to ask myself whether or not it was really true that I have never been a jealous person.  After all, we live in a hyper competitive and comparative culture. How can one avoid not being jealous or covetous of others from time to time?  I guess I was blessed to grow up in humble beginnings, coming from a large family and living in a small town in farm country. Our family was neither well-to-do nor poor. As far as I can remember, we were just like the rest of the families in town.  We didn’t have a lot, but we had enough.  Even though there were nine of us kids, our parents left us with the impression that there was always enough love to go around.  I was also fortunate to grow up in Catholic schools staffed by priests and nuns who taught us not to look at those who had more but to look for ways to reach out to those who had less. By the time I was old enough to recognize that there were others who had a lot more than we did, I had already come to realize it didn’t really make any difference in the grand scheme of things.

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Crystal and Kevin Sullivan

If you don’t live in this southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu, it is very likely you haven’t heard about this heart-rending and at the same touching incident that took place in a village in Tamil Nadu.

This column, as you know, is called, ‘Candles in the Dark.’ There is darkness in this incident as well as a candle—a humble but shining candle.

Nearly two months ago, on 2 December 2019, in a village called Nadur near Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu, a compound wall, 80 feet long and 20 feet high, fell on four houses, killing seventeen people. It was raining the whole night and the rain was heavy at times, but what led to the death of seventeen poor Dalits?

The wall had been built by a wealthy man behind his house. But have you heard of a wall 8o feet long and 20 feet high? Why would a man think of such a wall, higher than probably most prison walls? He belonged to what he thought was a high caste and, they say, he did not want Dalits anywhere near the area where he and those of his caste lived in the village.

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Fr M A Joe Antony SJ

What Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela of South Africa, Helder Camara and Pedro Casaldaliga of Brazil, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Jean Vanier of l’Arche, Dorothy Day of The Catholic Worker, Frére Roger of Taizé, Gustavo Gutierrez (the Father of the Theology of Liberation), Vivekananda and Gandhi had in common is that they were all prophets of their time—the twentieth century.

“Shoot us first!”

A few years ago I was talking with Giovanni Franzoni—an Italian theologian and ex-Abbot of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, who was laicized by Paul VI because of his involvement in activism and “Communist” politics—about whether there are still prophets in our time, because I could not recall any. He narrated a story of a bus being stopped by the ISIS somewhere in a Middle Eastern country where the ISIS was very active. When they separated the Christians from the Moslems, the Moslem women stood in front of the Christians and courageously told the ISIS fighters that, if they thought of shooting the Christians, they would have to go through them first. Franzoni told me, “These are today’s prophets. They are hidden.”

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Brother Carmel Duca MC

We e-mailed a few questions to Bishop George Palliparambil SDB of Miao Diocese in Arunachal Pradesh. We had heard good things about him—his simplicity, approachability, closeness to the people, vision for the Church in India and for the Religious of India. We were not disappointed. He replied at once, with answers that both inspire and challenge.–Editor

Here below are our questions and the good bishop’s straightforward answers:

Bishop George, what are your greatest joys as a bishop, as a missionary, as a religious?

I would not like to separate my role as a Missionary, a Religious and a Bishop, since I believe that all these three are leading to the same reason and explanation of our Christian faith. My greatest joy is what we read in Isaiah 41: 9-10. “I have taken you from the ends of the earth, and called you from its remotest corners, saying to you, ‘You are my servant, I have chosen you and have not rejected you.’ Have no fear, for I am with you.”

For me, life has been just an uninterrupted experience of this. The example and inspiration of my parents and those in charge of my early formation, as well as some early missionaries, especially Fr Emmanuel Albizzuri and Archbishop Hubert Rosario, added flavour and meaning to the promise or the call.

In my life as a missionary, the number of people who accepted Jesus—not because of my preaching or skills, but just because we were able to be connected through the name of Jesus—and the number of young men and women who have shaped up into “responsible citizens and Christians” is surely my greatest joy. I cannot forget those who stood in my way. Instead of discouraging me, they taught me to trust the Lord more. The people who come for prayer when they are in need are another of my joys.

What are the main challenges you see facing the Church in India today?

Today the whole church is very perturbed because of external elements. I feel that, more than any external threat, the hollowness of Christian life, especially of priests and religious—which naturally spills over to the families and to individual Christians—is the greatest threat. We have become so much a part of the “plastic flower culture” that our life too become like that. No roots, no life, no fragrance and no flavour.

As a church, we are still talking about “the role of the laity” and trying to teach them that. According to me, it should be the other way. The clergy and religious should be trying to learn their role to animate the “people of God,” which is the church. This, according to me, is a great weakness.

 What are our main strengths and main weaknesses?

The main strength is the involvement of so many good lay people in the various ministries and the emergence of so many ecclesial movements that make faith real to the people. The life and example of many good and holy priests and religious surely add to the plus points. But I feel that it must be so by default, as we are cut out for that, while the lay people living in the world—to which we use so many negative adjectives, such as, corrupt, sinful, secularised, materialistic, etc.—survive this world and pursue holiness for themselves and draw others to it. I remember an IT professional telling a group of priests and religious “These days, you are trying to be professionals and we to be preachers.”

 What is the role of religious in this setting?

I joined Savio Juniorate, the Salesian Seminary, half a century ago, in 1970. It was around that time that the CRI coined the phrase, “fundamental option for the poor.” I have been hearing this from then any way. Many experiments to enjoy the romance of it were conducted in various places and in many ways, but I wonder how much we did as the vowed, professed followers of Jesus, who was born in a stable, lived the life of a migrant family, lived without a home, yet always found shelter, was available to people always, had enough time to pray, after the people had left. Being like this Jesus is the role of the religious today. We can justify everything. We can argue any amount, but the example of Francis Assisi, Mother Teresa and many others should guide us. In the words of Pope Francis, we should have “the smell of the sheep.”

Anything you would like to tell the religious of India?

I think that the religious have forgotten or intentionally removed or are ashamed of the words like Evangelization, mortification, reparation, penance and so on, which are essential to religious life. As a whole, we have forgotten or neglected the basic meaning of religious life, namely, “sanctity”—one’s own and of the world. We have to return to it.  Seeing the growing persecution of the Church in India some time back, one of my friends prayed, asking the Lord to convert certain people as He did with Saul of Tarsus. The Lord spoke to him and told him, “When Saul persecuted, I had Ananias to whom I could send Saul. If I strike down some persecutors, to whom can I send them?” My friend had no answer. I hope this will explain what I am trying to say.

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Recently, a person in Thane, Maharashtra lost over Rupees One lakh in an online fraud involving popular payment gateways like PayTM and Google Pay.  The reports of bank frauds and online payment frauds have been rising in recent times. Even a small lapse on part of the customer can cause a big loss to him/her.

Punjab National Bank Fraud Alert: The public sector lender has warned its customers to beware of fraud calls.  They had also provided some tips to its customers in order to avoid them.  The bank confirmed in a tweet that these days fraudsters are making fake calls to lure customers while representing themselves as bank officials.  The bank has also suggested its customers not to search for its contact information online through Google or any other search engine. Instead, they can directly visit PNB official website. (https://in.finance.yahoo.com/news/pnb-customer-never-google-other-162202579.html)

Avoid searching for your bank’s online banking websites on Google: It is highly advisable not to do a Google search to find your bank’s online banking website unless you know the exact official URL. To stay safe, always enter the official URL of your bank’s online banking portal to access the site. This is because chances of phishing increase drastically in which you might enter your bank’s login ID and password on a website that may just look like the bank’s official website and could be a phishing site instead(https://www.gadgetsnow.com/slideshows/10-things-you-should-not-search-ongoogle/Dont-search-these-10-things-on-Google-to-stay-safe/amp_photolist/71143671.cms).

Things you must know about Online Banking Frauds: Banks, being a vital element in a nation’s economy, deal with monetary transactions and services to the public. The personal and financial information of the bank’s customer are under the threat of being misused by fraudsters. Phishing, Spoofing, Vishing, Skimming, and Money Mules are some of the types of frauds that are prevailing. (https://www.bankexamstoday.com/2016/11/online-banking-frauds-things-you-must.html)

RBI says no loss to customer if fraudulent transaction reported in three days: (Jul 07, 2017) In a bid to step up customer protection in the era of digitalization push by the government, the Reserve Bank of India has came out with a new set of rules limiting the customer liability in case of unauthorized electronic banking transactions.  Customers will not suffer any loss if unauthorized electronic banking transactions are reported within three days and the amount involved will be credited in the accounts concerned within ten days, the RBI said. (https://www.firstpost.com/business/online-banking-frauds-rbi-says-no-loss-to-customer-if-fraudulent-transaction-reported-in-3-days-3783491.html)

CAUTION: Online Transactions

• Never blindly trust the display number if you get a call from a person claiming to be from the bank or bank’s call centre.
• In case you receive any call from the bank or bank’s call centre, always be alert and think twice before acting on any instruction you are provided by the person on the other side.
• Avoid using online transactions for your bank account.
• Do not use mobile apps for your bank account/transactions, as the OTP is sent to the same mobile, which is auto detected and the transaction proceeds.  If the lost mobile is in the hands of a someone else, that person could commence and complete a online banking transaction through the mobile app.

CAUTION: ATM

• Clarify with your bank for every debit—even if it is very little, like, 50 paisa or One Rupee.
• Always use the same bank’s ATM.
• Never forget to change your ATM PIN periodically.
• Ensure ONE person inside the ATM while operating.  You may request the others to move out even if it is the ATM Security personal, till you complete your work.

CAUTION: Others

• Do not disclose your account details, OTP, Password, Card Number or PIN to anyone.  If it is given to anyone, who is very close to you – please change the PIN & Password immediately
• Do not fall prey for any offers or easy loan, even from your own bank, as the communication may include your name, phone number and account number.
• Do not proceed with further step, when you get an email saying that you had WON a big prize money, especially by asking your bank account information for the money to be credited in your bank account.

Good Practices

• Online payment for ticket or purchase: do not save the card information or account information and log-out fully.
• Receipt of Bank account statement or Fixed Deposit information through email, WhatsApp, sms, or so: please download and delete it from the source, that is, do not leave it there.

Rocky

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A Man for All Seasons (2006, 120 minutes)
Director: Fred Zinneman, Cast: Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Orson Welles, Susannah York.

This highly acclaimed movie, based on Robert Bolt’s play of the same title, won several Oscars. It dramatizes the momentous events leading to the martyrdom of St Thomas More (1529-1535). More, a scholar, loving family man, friend of King Henry VIII and Chancellor of England, chose to lose everything rather than betray his conscience.

King Henry, wanted to divorce his wife and marry his maid, Anny Boleyn. When the Pope would not give permission, Henry declared himself head of the Church in England. Anyone who would not swear an oath accepting Henry as head of the Church would be accused of treason.

The movie deals with palace intrigue, the role of Cardinal Wolsey, who was Chancellor before More, and his protégé, Cromwell.

More was condemned on false charges, and despite the protests of the people, who loved this good and honest man, condemned to death by beheading. Before his executioner, More forgave his executioner. His last words were, “I die His Majesty’s good servant, but God’s first.”

Some consider this film one of the greatest movies of all time.

The Two Popes (2019, 126 minutes)
Director: Fernando Meirelles. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce, Juan Minujin, Sidney Cole.

The screen adaptation of Anthony McCarten’s  The Pope, has been among the most celebrated movies  recently. It tells the story of two of the contemporary world’s most famous Popes still living with heartwarming honesty, humour, humanity and insight.  In a series of  close interactions and  flashbacks  into the public and private lives of the two Popes, it demystifies the  mystical aura around the papacy and gives  a glimpse into contrasting styles of  spiritual leadership as well as personal temperament, presented  convincingly by two of the world’s most consummate actors.

It begins with the Argentine Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio seeking out an interview with Pope Benedict soon after Benedict’s rise to papacy to procure permission to retire. Pope Benedict refuses. He questions Bergoglio about some of his views which he considers unorthodox. Both of them have had great trials to go through in their offices. Bergoglio has a history of controversy haunting him as head of the Argentinean Church during the dark decade of totalitarian brutality in his country, despite his heroic efforts to protect the Church against the regime. Benedict on the other has to contend with his failing health as well as the financial and sexual scandals besieging the Church.

The contrasting temperaments and styles of the two men come through clearly—one scholarly and ascetic, the other informal and friendly. Both share love of music and football—and deep commitment to God. Bergoglio speaks of the way the Church has made itself irrelevant to many, concerned about secondary matters, when it should be breaking walls, and facing the larger problems of humankind. “We built walls around us, and all the time, all the time, the real danger was inside. Inside with us.” In the ending sequences we are treated with delightful sequences of the two together watching World Cup football between their home nations and Pope Francis teaching his predecessor a few steps of tango. A brilliant script and superb acting makes this movie a hit.

Prof Gigy Joseph

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Inside Every Woman: Using the 10 Strengths You Didn’t Know You Had to Get the Career and Life You Want Now by Vickie Milazzo (2006)

Vickie Milazzo says that, from being a trained nurse, she rose to build up not only a successful and growing business training nurses, but also good relationships and a joyful life.  Her book springs from her experience of creating success out of what she refers to as “passion,” which she defines as “more than emotion… strength you build, a strength that provides a platform for everything you want to achieve.” She shows how by opening up unexplored possibilities in working with feminine energy, flagging enthusiasm can be revived.

One has to discover one’s “fire” to live passionately. She begins by identifying “five promises” that a woman has to make to herself “to unleash ten forces within.” They are: (1) “I will live and work a passionate life”; (2) “I will go for it or reject it outright”; (3) “I will take one action step a day toward my passionate vision”; (4) “I will commit to being a success student for life”; (5)  “I believe as a woman I really can do anything.”

She then discusses the “ten forces”: (1) Inner fire to live passionately, (2) Intuitive vision, where imagination is more powerful than knowledge, (3) Engagement—to overcome fears and act without being a perfectionist and do the right thing instead of what is easy, (4) Agility (the ability to adapt and be able grab new opportunities), (5) Genius, or intensifying one’s intelligence for accelerated success and stress on collaborative effort hard work and self-trust, (6) Uncompromising Integrity, (7) Endurance, or fueling one’s endurance in the face of setbacks, (8). Enterprise (to be the “CEO of your own career life”), (9). Renewal, or re-claiming our depleted energies through frequent renewal at the physical, emotional and spiritual levels, (10) Female Fusion, that is, fusing with kindred spirits and engaging in team work which make it “more than a women’s group.”

The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of Dorothy Day (1952)

Dorothy Day was one of the greatest Catholic thinkers and social activists of the last century. She was brought up in a secular middle class atmosphere in the early 20th century America, with very little talk about God. “Yet my heart leaped when I heard the name of God.” She describes her first twenty-five years as a time when she was “haunted by God,” “searching.” Starting early in her youth as a writer journalist in the 1920s she was living a bohemian life among artists and intellectuals. At her conversion to Catholicism, the man she loved and lived with left her. She began to turn her attention to social activism, writing extensively as a journalist and engaging in peaceful methods of social struggle to achieve social equality and justice for the labourers and the poor.

Her meeting with Peter Maurin, thinker and activist, was a turning point. Together they founded The Catholic Worker, initially as a publication and then as movement which fought on various fronts to help the marginalized people of America. They used non-violent protests to protect the rights of the poor. She was arrested many times, including in her old age.

But the real force behind social change is love:  “We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.” She visualized community as the social answer to the long loneliness—not just the basic community of the family, but also a community of families with a combination of private and communal property. She also lamented the loss of true reverence in modern culture, when it is replaced by political ideologies led by violent leaders. True reverence (for God) was to be restored in order to restore the dignity of the human. Here is a woman on fire, who was both a courageous social activist and a mystic in love with God.

Prof. Gigy Joseph

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Holiness means being normal

Impressed with the lifestyle of the Naval Officer (“My Best Teachers,” MAGNET, December 2019), I remembered my mother, who lived a simple life, more like an ordinary human. She lived what she taught and she instructed others by her simple way of living.  For me and others in the family, she is a SAINT, or a person who lived a holy life throughout. She wasn’t in any position or post, fame or name, but in her own way within the simple life she had, she was able to be an ordinary person, which was also holy in the eyes of others around her.
Being HOLY does not always need any extraordinary good deeds.  Doing our day-to-day activities without harming others and helping those who are around us makes our living holy and be a witness to others. Keep up the good work of inspiring others through this magazine.
Robin Thomas, Hyderabad

To become one’s best version

It was on a journey that I came across the December issue of MAGNET.  Among the many thoughts that pervaded me, being true to oneself topped the ladder. Happily, I found the issue had a lot to offer on what I really intended to get clarified on “Holiness Today.” The invitation of Pope Francis to rejoice and be glad through a life of integrity and dedication or the invitation to a life of holiness was a query I faced several times personally and in the company of others. The amazing testimonies and wonderful views of those who contributed to the cover story directed my thoughts to a new mode of challenging to be the best version of myself. It was indeed an eye-opener. Yes, I believe the nitty-gritty of holiness is a joyful encounter of one’s life with its best version of living, coloured with faith and love.
MAGNET stands for proper integration of human life. My sincere appreciation to the whole team for the challenging and impelling richness it offers.
Jithin Chakkimangalath SDB, Kerala

Time Management: Checking Our Priorities!

While going through the editorial and the Cover Story-1(MAGNET, January 2020) by Fr Joe Mannath SDB, I remembered the parting message of our well-known, much-loved, and renowned scripture scholar, the late Fr George Soares Prabhu SJ on the day he became professor emeritus at Jnana Deepa Vidyapeeth, Pune. While responding to the farewell programme, Fr Soares said, “Dear friends, time is precious, time is love, and time is divine. As love comes from God, time too comes to us from God. Therefore, do not waste; instead value time and live your life and God will be glorified.”
It is quite amazing to learn that time management is not merely focussing on the list of items to be done; rather it’s about sorting out our priorities and achieving what is important in life. By this I also understand that I cannot earn time or buy time. If I make use of the time properly (and meaningfully), time itself becomes an earning and ultimately it becomes part and parcel of my life! If so, I don’t think I will have regrets while facing death. Rather I will have the feeling of fulfilment (santhrupthi) and joy. It’s all because I had prioritized what was important in my life, and had taken all the needed risks and achieved what was important in life.
Fr Richard Mascarenhas SJ, Dharwad, Karnataka     

Keep up the good work

Not a single issue of MAGNET passes unnoticed, nay without reading every word of all the variety of the articles in it which has certainly brought in so much enrichment to my life over the years. From its inception, I have been thriving on this bonanza. Even if any of the issues arrives late and at times two OR three issues reach together due to postal delivery, I would never skip the reading of any of it. Selection of very appropriate and varied themes and loaded with many inspiring and energizing articles by those experienced and generous personalities, every colourful issue of MAGNET brings beauty, brightness and boldness to live a blissful life. MAGNET contains so much hidden wealth, which has strengthened my spiritual life. It also provides nourishing health as I have experienced my wellbeing on the whole.
In response to what you have written in your January 2020 editorial, “those who enjoy the magazine in silence tell us what you think…., I wish to tell, “Keep up the good work” for many more years so that many more persons, and especially all the members of the CRI (on behalf of whom it is being published) may take interest to read, reflect and integrate in order to live God-centered and other-centered, fruitful lives.
Sr. Mary Ventura Fernandes FS, Kumarghat, Tripura

Cloud Computing: A Doubt

Dear Rocky, I am the Rector of Claretian Ashram, College of Philosophy.
Thanks a lot for your article in MAGNET on Cloud Computing. It is really beneficial.
I have a doubt. Can a third party watch someone’s WhatsApp video call? Can anyone use the content of the WhatsApp video call some other purpose? Will it be safe to use WhatsApp call to share our personal views or opinions with a personal friend?
Fr Suresh Thomas Madappattu CMF
Rocky replies: Thanks for your appreciation. WhatsApp messages, calls and video calls are secured with end-to-end encryption. Therefore, no third party can record any video call, unless it is permitted by a user. WhatsApp Company can get these and provide it to the government, if needed.  Hackers too can do this; but they tend to target VIPs, not normal people. What we share on WhatsApp calls is actually confidential, except the aforesaid; hence safer than normal phone calls.

God gifts us with life. Time. Health of body and mind. Opportunities. Good people who care for us. Many public services we enjoy, thanks to others’ hard work.

What will I do to make the new year wonderful—for myself, for my dear ones, and for a few more people?

Here are suggestions. Pick up a few you like. (These are adapted from my book, A Closer Look)

 Things to do every day

1. As soon as you wake up, take a few moments to become aware of the gift the new day of life is. Thank God for the new day, for health, for loved ones, for the opportunities the day brings. Remind yourself that God thinks of you with love every moment.
2. Decide to be honest, loving and happy for the next twenty-four hours. Think of a good deed you can do today, without expecting a reward in kind or in words. What will you do? For whom?
3. Plan your day. Every night, write down your plans for the next day. At the end of the day, check what you have completed.
4. During the day—in your home, in the bus, while walking, at work, when tired or frightened—talk to God in silence, in your own words.
5. Take time for physical exercise: Walk (at least half an hour). Climb stairs rather than take the lift; do yoga or calisthenics at least for ten minutes a day.

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB

Here are persons whom sickness or tragedy or a deep revelation “woke up.” Their eyes were opened. A fire was lit within. A new and fuller life followed.

“I lived only two years!”

Sr Agnes died a few months ago. When I got the news, I remembered something she shared with me years ago—after her second bout of cancer. She suffered from cancer, was treated, got well, and thought she was free of cancer. But in two years, the cancer was back. This second attack was harder to take.

“I have lived only two years,” she told me. “Earlier, I took everything for granted. I did not reflect. I didn’t realize what a priceless gift life and health are. After I was healed of cancer, I really appreciated everything—a person’s smile, the sound of good singing, the words in the Breviary. Everything was real. I was alive. I wasted so many years of my life. I have really lived only these two years. And now, the cancer is back!”

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB