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A religious superior needs to remember that we come together, not mainly to do some work, but to build loving and happy communities, where people feel cared for, and witness to God’s love. Spreading God’s love (through a joyful life of love) IS OUR MAIN WORK.

Work completed; people unhappy
Father Martin considers himself an efficient and capable superior. He makes sure that the work is distributed well, explained properly and followed up. He will check whether each community member has done his assigned duties correctly and on time. If not, he will ask them why. He will remind the young Brother who is a beginner, “Be on time. Never be late. You must correct the homework carefully and on time. Make sure to prepare your classes well.”

Fr Martin is also known to pull up people who are behind schedule, and anyone who does not do what the superior had asked him to do: “I asked you to do this three days ago. You have not yet started working on it. I want it completed, and on my table by 9 am tomorrow.”

People do put in work when Martin is around. Hardly anyone is late for community practices. The “machine” is running smoothly. Jobs get completed on time. The rector looks pleased, and considers himself a successful rector.

Is he?

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB

At a homily I had to preach at a wedding Mass on 24 February this year, I asked the couple as well as all those who had come to greet them, “The day before yesterday, 22 February, was a special day. What was special about the day?” None of them knew. The day marked the 75^th death anniversary of a remarkable woman, who was a loving, faithful wife and a devoted mother—Kasturba Gandhi.

Even those who know a great deal about Mahatma Gandhi wouldn’t know what he thought of his wife, and what he said about her. “But for her unfailing co-operation I might have been in the abyss,” said Gandhiji.

Ba—that is how all her friends called Kasturba—was born in 1869 in Porbandar, Gujarat. Her father, a successful merchant, was once the Mayor of Porbandar. Karamchand, the father of Gandhi, was the Dewan of Porbandar. Both families were close friends and marrying their children was for them cementing their friendship. So for them it did not matter that Ba and Gandhi were just thirteen when they married.

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Fr M A Joe Antony SJ

 

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This article clears doubts on when and for whom the formation period called “postulancy” is obligatory. Active and contemplative orders have different rules on this.

“My name is Sr Sudha.  After graduation, I joined a religious institute of pontifical right.   In the same month, my elder sister joined a cloistered monastery after acquiring a post-graduation degree.   After one year of training, I was promoted straight away to novitiate. But my elder sister, though a post-graduate, had to undergo postulancy after six months of Aspirancy.   Even though we joined at the same time, she is not yet a novice, while I am completing my canonical novitiate.  My maternal aunt also was a postulant in my congregation before she became a novice. Is my novitiate valid without undergoing the postulancy programme?”  

A very reasonable question. Let us clarify matters.

Active Religious Institutes
As for your aunt doing the postulancy, this was a canonical requirement for religious in the 1917 Code.  “All women in religious institutes of perpetual vows and, if it concerns religious [institutes] of men, lay brothers, before being admitted to the novitiate, must perform a postulancy of at least six integral months …;  the  major superiors can extend the prescribed time of postulancy, but not beyond another six months” [c. 539 §1, 1917].  It was to be performed either in the novitiate house or in another house of the congregation.  They had to wear some modest attire different from that of the novices [c. 540 §§1-2, 1917].

The 1983 Code of Canon Law makes no mention of postulancy, nor does the 1990 Code deal with it.   The CIC (1983) leaves the pre-novitiate programmes—“Come and See,” aspirancy, postulancy, etc.—totally to  the competence of each religious institute. CIC c. 641 begins with the novitiate.  CIC c. 642 insists that only worthy candidates should be admitted to the novitiate.  CIC c. 597 §2 specifies that religious institutes should not admit anyone without sufficient preparation; CCEO c. 449 stipulates, “Before being admitted to the novitiate, a candidate must live in the monastery under the special care of an experienced member, for a period of time determined in the typicon.”  [The term ‘typicon’ is used to mean ‘constitution’ in the Oriental Code.]

Contemplative Orders
The rules for contemplative orders, however, are quite different. For them, postulancy is a necessary stage of preparation for the novitiate.  Cor Orans (the instruction on women’s contemplative life) issued on April 1, 2018, by Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life deal with it in detail (articles 269-276).  Accordingly, it is a period during which the candidate confirms her determination to be “converted” through a progressive passage from secular life to contemplative monastic life.  During this time, a postulant is gradually introduced to the process of assimilation of the fundamental elements of contemplative life.  Besides, it offers a more direct and concrete experience of community life according to the specific charism of the Institute.

The postulancy has a minimum duration of twelve months.  If needed, this period can be extended by the major superior after consulting her council.  However, it is not to exceed two years.  Before admitting a candidate to postulancy, the major superior is to examine whether she aspires to monastic life with a sincere intention,  possesses the suitable disposition, is solid in Christian doctrine and practice,  is healthy, has appropriate maturity required for her age, and seeks the face of God at all times.

The directress must be a solemnly professed nun to whom the postulant can open herself with full trust and who is capable of discerning whether there is a real call to contemplative monastic life or not.  She is to help the postulants to dedicate themselves to human and spiritual formation and deepen their baptismal commitment.  During this period of formation, the postulants are to follow the community life and be aware of their capacity for monastic life.    They are encouraged to learn a skill according to the needs of the community, such as, host-baking, stitching vestments and other sacred linens, making candles and so on.

Now, to answer your query, your novitiate is certainly valid since you have gone through one year of pre-novitiate as per your Constitutions and the Codes of Canon Law.  Your sister has to go through postulancy as per the Constitution of her institute.  As for your aunt, she might have undergone formation before 1983, when postulancy was mandatory.

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Sr Licia SMI

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Meeting with a Catholic couple and their children throws light on the joys and struggles of an ordinary family today, as well as their main source of happiness and strength. Sr Celine Vas interviewed them for MAGNET.

“Children are a gift from the Lord, more precious than anything else a couple can dream of in this world,” says Mr Peter (all names changed). His wife, Philo, stands next to him smiling, and adds, “Children are truly a gift, Sister. We did not plan for any of our children.”

Philo is a staff nurse in one of the well-known hospitals. Peter joined as a health inspector in the Municipal Corporation of the city. After making a retreat, he had felt a deep desire to spread devotion to the Blessed Sacrament.

The Centre of the Day
The family begins their day by attending Mass together. Peter believes that the Eucharistic Lord has transforming power. “My family and I have witnessed many wonders and graces in our lives. I have five children. The eldest son just completed his Plus 2 and has joined a Graphic Design Diploma course. The other four—two girls and two boys—are in the lower classes. I have no bank accounts, no gold, no property and no house of my own. We live in a rented apartment. I do not have anything in abundance, but enough to meet our needs.”

Philo, a hard-working woman and a trained nurse, reached this city, and started working in a private hospital. She now works at another hospital, for a monthly salary of Rs 40,000, which is the only constant income for the family. Of that, Rs 22,000 go for monthly house rent. Although there are several Catholic schools in the city, Peter and Philo find that they can’t afford to send their children to those schools, since the fees are too high. “My children study in another school, where the monthly fee is only Rs 300 and the midday meal is free. We spend around Rs 5000 for the school bus.”  In the presence of her daughter, she adds, “We provide for their needs, and not for their wants.  We give them Jesus; other schools give education”.

I ask them about their family life. Philo says, “Our family life goes on smoothly because my husband is very patient. When the children fight, he is calm and cool. He will watch them, listen to them and then provide a solution. He will explain our situation to them and not grant them all their requests. We have no TV. If my husband thinks they should watch a movie or some other programme they want to see, he will talk this over them, and then show it to them in his computer. Children are happy with what he says, whereas I often get angry or irritated. I feel I am a failure. Whenever I am calm, I am able to control the situation.”

Ministry More than Money
For Peter, the toughest challenges are financial. He has no regular income, since he works as an evangelist. He goes from state to state, praying, preaching and distributing Catholic Bibles in Hindi. Most of the Catholics have a copy of the Gideon Bible. Hence it is Peter’s endeavour to print and provide every Catholic home with a copy of the Catholic Bible. As he goes about on his mission, he meets generous people who volunteer to help with the education of his children. He accepts the contribution of a priest or a religious sister just to meet the immediate needs of his children’s education. “God has been ever faithful,” Peter says. “I am more concerned about the character of my children than about money. I want them to love God and live an upright life.”

What about hardships and difficult situations?

“There have been painful moments in my life. Around fourteen years ago, my mother-in-law fell ill. My little daughter (one and a half years old at that time) was staying with her. I spent more than a month attending on my mother-in-law law and then returned home. I had converted my bedroom into an adoration chapel. People were coming and praying. Many were healed of their ailments; problems were solved, and people found peace and solace.

 “When I got back to Delhi, I was shocked at something that had happened. Someone had taken all the documents regarding this an association we had set up,  and changed the names of the society president, secretary, etc. I was told I have nothing to do with it and, if I wanted to be in, I could continue as a member. They promised to give me a two-wheeler instead of the four-wheeler we had.

“I listened to them. I went before the Blessed Sacrament and prayed. I felt that Jesus was telling me not to accept any offers they make. Next morning, I went to them and told them, ‘I do not need anything. The Lord will take care of me.’

“I was a zero; I had nothing. I started a new ministry of evangelising. I printed copies of the Catholic Bible in Hindi and started distributing them at 50% discount. Those who were buying the copies often paid me more than I require. All my needs were taken care of”.

“Whatever I do, God gives me success. Some people grow jealous of me. Even now, someone has complained that I am living a lavish life, that I have collected a lot of gold and money. The fact is that we are struggling to make ends meet. I think: This is the way the Lord treats me for working for Him. This is my salary, and I accept it gladly. All this has happened to me earlier, too. The Lord has always taken care of us, and blessed us abundantly.

Our Daily Bread
I talk with Teena, their second daughter. She says, “I am happy the way we are at home.” As for the inevitable tiffs and quarrels that happen among siblings, Philo gives the credit for her husband for calming them down with good practical solutions and his patience.

“If I were to give a number one place to something in our family life, I would give it for prayer,” says Teena. “We pray together; so, our family stays together.” She adds that one of the saddest experiences in her life was when she wanted to attend a friend’s birthday party, and Daddy did not allow her. She felt bad about it then. What she realized only later was that her mother was really sick that day and had to be rushed to the hospital.

Let me give the final word to Philo:

“In spite all the hurdles and challenges we have faced, I have no regrets for not having a comfortable life. We have hardships, but our “bank deposit” is our contented life without any regrets. We pray for our daily bread, and God has been faithfully providing for our daily needs. Everyday God looks after us. This is the most satisfying thing in my life.”

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Sr Celine Vas, BS

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One of the legal requirements of a registered society is to have its accounts audited,   if its turnover exceeds the basic exemption limit of Rs 2.5 lakhs in a financial year.  In compliance with this legal requirement, all registered societies have their auditors.  Now is the time to get our accounts audited.

The reality may be different from Society to Society.  There are societies where the auditor, with no malice to anyone, with total commitment to the society, decides everything unilaterally, takes appropriate steps and files the required income tax returns. Here the Board Members may fully trust him/her and leave him/her to function on one’s own and in the process be totally ignorant of what the auditor does.  On the other hand, there are societies where the auditor is only for name’s sake.  He/she has no commitment to the wellbeing of the society and does not even care to defend the society before the Income Tax Officials. The Board Members remain helpless here. In some other societies, the members are scared of saying anything to the auditor. Here the auditor dictates terms to the members, as it were.  On the other hand, there are also societies where the auditor may lack the knowledge and competence required of him and he is not in a position to point out even the obvious legal non-compliances and mistakes.  Finally, there are societies where the Board Members hide things from the auditor. This article is an attempt to spell out the role and function of the auditor and the scope of the audit requirements.

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Fr Alex Gnanapragasam SJ

July 7
Global Forgiveness Day

The Day to Forgive and to be Forgiven!

National Forgiveness Day began quietly in 1994, proclaimed initially with a single banner in Victoria, BC, Canada. Renamed Global Forgiveness Day, it reflects our desire to see this message spread beyond national borders.

Conflicts, clashes, disagreement revolve around us and involve us all the time, whether in domestic circles or global ones. Angry thoughts turn to angry words and then angry actions. When pushed, we want to push back. An eye for an eye …Our human nature wants to respond in kind, or with greater effect and intent (revenge)… until all the world becomes blind!

In society, justice has often imposed a high price on the guilty. Tyranny and injustice must be opposed to protect the helpless and the innocent.

But at the personal level, confrontation is often our best attempt to resolve conflict. It is not healthy to stay in conflicts. It is vital that we resolve these issues to live in peace and harmony, avoid fights and let go of petty things.

But there is a more productive and satisfying way of going about things.

Forgiveness is the key to free us from a festering and fettering past. It allows us to lay down the right to claim retribution (openly or inwardly, in our hearts and minds). We learn to deal with and then look beyond our hurts, the offender and the offence. This does not mean to forget or to wipe away all remembrance of the past. It just means to let go and not to allow whatever happened to block us.

To forgive, we must learn to become less angry, feel less hurt, be more optimistic and compassionate. Often it helps to put ourselves in the shoes of the offender. Why did he do that? … until we discover a hurt and struggling human, who hurts because he is hurt. We can break that chain! This discovery leads to healing, health, compassion, joy and peace, within oneself and with others.

Forgiveness does not make one better than the offender. It offers an opportunity for a new beginning to the offender and provides a process of healing for the victim. People who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold resentments.

Give yourself this chance today –and gift it to those who have hurt you!

11 July
World Population Day

This event was established by the United Nations Development Programme in 1989, inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987, the approximate date on which the world’s population reached five billion people,

World Population Day seeks to raise awareness of global population issues, such as the importance of family planning, gender equality, poverty, maternal health and human rights.

 The current world’s population is 7.6 billion and is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, according to the UN report 2017, roughly 83 million people being added to the world’s population every year.  China with 1.4 billion people and India with 1.3 billion people are the two most populous countries, contributing to 19% and 18% of the global population respectively. It is predicted that around 2024, India will surpass China in population.

The aim of WPD is to pay greater attention to reproductive health problems: the high mortality rate of pregnant women worldwide, sexuality education, use of contraceptives and safety measures, adolescent pregnancy, girl child education, child marriage, sexually transmitted infections, etc. According to statistics among youth, especially between fifteen and nineteen years of age, around fifteen million women of this age give birth every year, and around four million go in for abortion.

Objectives of the celebration of the WPD

• To protect and empower youth of both genders:
• • offering them detailed knowledge about sexuality, about pregnancy-related illnesses and sexually transmitted diseases, and delaying marriages till they are able to understand their responsibilities;
  • educating youth to avoid unwanted pregnancies using reasonable and youth friendly measures;
  • ensuring equal primary education to both boys and girls;
  • raising public awareness to protect the girl child, and about the dangers of early childbirth.

• To afford easy access to reproductive health services everywhere.

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Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC

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A nobleman who left everything to seek God, and who believed (and taught) that to seek perfection and holiness is a duty, not a luxury.

“Not to wish to be perfect is to fall into sin.  The will must always be nourished, love always prepared for the sake of perfection…  We were created to God’s image so that we may be like God.” (Golden Letter – no. 259)

“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5,48).  The Second Vatican Council underlines the universal call to holiness in Chapter V of Lumen Gentium.  More recently the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis, Gaudete et Exultate, speaks on the call to holiness in today’s world.  We see the call to perfection and holiness as being intrinsic to Christian living and all great theologians and spiritual writers make mention of it. William of St. Thierry, however, takes it further by stating that not to wish a life of perfection is a ‘sin.’  He firmly believed that the call to perfection and holiness is central to our identity of being made in the image of God.  Only a person whose will is united with the will of God can reach such a state of perfection.

William was born in Liege around 1085 and came from a noble family.  His initial education was at the Rheims Cathedral school. Before completing it, he, along with his brother, entered the Benedictine abbey of St. Nicaise.  From the very beginning he demonstrated a contemplative spirit and his meeting with St. Bernard of Clairvaux would have a deep impact on his life.  Within six years he was elected abbot of St. Thierry and fulfilled his responsibilities zealously.  However, he wanted to join the monastery of Clairvaux and repeatedly requested Bernard, who finally accepted him after fifteen years into the Cistercian foundation at Signy near Reims.  The austere life was not easy for William, but as a simple monk he relished the ambiance of solitude. He always held St. Bernard in high esteem and was writing his biography during the year of his death in 1148.

William was well versed with the Latin and Greek Fathers. Some of his important works included On Contemplating God, a commentary on the Songs of the Songs (1137-39), as well as works on anthropology and Scripture.  However, it is in Golden Letter, written four years before his death in 1144, that we find an important summary of his mystical teachings.

Image and Likeness
He explains that the human person, created in the image of God, gets one’s being from God, participates in God, but at the same time is distinguishable from God in some way.  William pointed out that image and likeness are different but related forms of participating in God.  Image refers to originating participation which gives us our dignity and cannot be lost, whereas likeness comes through perfecting participation, whereby through our life of activity we come to resemble God.  Both the forms of participation have been affected by sin, though it has been more on perfecting participation.

Three Moments on the Path of Love
The spiritual process needs to take into account the memory, understanding and will (Golden Letters 249) and consists in three phases.  In the first, a Christian is moved by authority, doctrine and the exemplary lives of others.  During the second stage, religion becomes more interiorized and the soul is directed to the indwelling presence of God.  The third stage is where the person is enlightened and led by the Holy Spirit to greater union with God.  William countered Abelard’s intellectualism and believed that at the highest forms of mystical experience, knowledge and love are the same.  The three moments in the path of love consist in striving or desiring, feeling or perceiving, and transformation.  All three are intertwined and in an integrated manner lead a person to God.  William combined anthropology, theology and scripture in order to offer a systematic framework of spiritual life which had a strong impact on medieval mysticism and continues to illumine us even today.

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Fr. Francis Pudhicherry SJ

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The Dance of Life: Weaving Sorrows And Blessings into One Joyful Step
By Henri J. M. Nouwen, edited by Michael J Ford
(Ave Maria Press; St Paul’s Publications. 2006)

Henri Nouwen’s biographer Michael J Ford has compiled the late author’s thoughts and reflections along with a brief biographical sketch that provide a glimpse into one of the finest Catholic minds of our time. Nouwen was a celebrated thinker, psychologist, scholar, bestselling author, caring pastor and public speaker. The nine thematically arranged chapters of the book include extracts from Nouwen’s vast corpus of writings.

Born in Holland and ordained a priest in 1957, Henri Nouwen completed a doctorate in psychology, and then shifted to the US, where did further training. He taught at some top American universities. He left the academic world, and spent the last ten years of his life at Daybreak, in Canada, a centre devoted to the care of mentally and physically persons. His service to them was extraordinary, and he felt at home with them.

Nouwen viewed this life as “the opportunity to claim for ourselves the love that God offers us from eternity to eternity.” He believed that he was on the way home, his entire life “a journey back to the heart of God.” He was acutely conscious of the fact that the world that we live in conspired against our faith, making us deaf to the Word of God. Therefore he sought his life in “the discipline of the Church, the discipline of the Book and the discipline of the Heart.”

Being a priest and a qualified psychologist, his writings combine both psychological insights and spiritual lessons, helping the contemporary reader to face the challenges of life today. His honesty and compassion engage the reader. Ford notes that Nouwen’s words “touched hearts because he understood the depths and the vagaries of human emotions. Moreover, as he had ‘been there himself,’ he could write convincingly about searching for God in the darkness of unknowing.” Getting intimate with God means having the courage to move away from our “safe places” because it is “moving into the unknown.” We have to give up our “illusory self control.” Moreover, “it would be an illusion to believe that reaching out to God will free us from pain and suffering.” Prayer is the expression of our greatest love but “is far from sweet and easy.”  Nouwen also provides deep insights into subjects like community life, identity crisis, hope and despair, sickness and death from wisdom provided by real experience. Simple yet profound, the book may inspire us to explore Nouwen further.

Between Parent and Child
by Dr. Haim G. Ginott
Revised and updated by Dr. Alice Ginott & Dr. H. Wallace Goddard. (2003) (Available on Amazon.in for Rs 399)

This famous book by renowned psychologist Haim G. Ginott seems to have helped millions of parents. It sold over five million copies! The book offers practical tips (theory and concepts explained with examples) on how to bring up children in a warm and yet disciplined setting.

The new edition is revised and edited by two other psychologists—Dr Alice Ginott (Haim Ginott’s wife) and Dr H. Wallace Goddard, who is a family relationship specialist. The book takes the view that parenting is a skill that can be learnt. It shows the reader how to: (a) discipline children without threats, sarcasm and severe punishments; (b) criticize kids without humiliating them, and express anger without hurting or bitterness; (c) acknowledge the children’s views and feelings without arguing with them; (d) respond to one’s children in a way that develops trust and self-confidence. The book also mentions the common mistakes parents make. In case some of our readers wonder whether an American book is suitable for Indian families, here is what an Indian reviewer wrote: “This is my first book on parenting and I’m totally impressed. Initially thought or felt that the methods mentioned in this book might apply only to kids in Western culture… It just worked like a magic in my household (I’m from India). My wife was able to notice a clear difference in my approach towards my kid and I was able to notice the change in my kid’s behaviour and his approach towards me. I strongly recommend this book…Every concept is accompanied by examples and illustrations.”

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Dr Gigy Joseph

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Life is Beautiful
Director: Roberto Benigni. Cast: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Giorgio Cantarini, Giustino Durano. 1997. 120 minutes

This highly acclaimed Italian movie is set against the background of World War II and the infamous Jewish holocaust.

Guido Orefice, an Italian Jew, while waiting to set up a bookshop, works as waiter in a hotel where his uncle is matre d’. He falls in love with Dora (who is from a rich family, and is not Jewish). They marry and have a son, Giosue. When the boy is five, Germans start rounding up the Jews and taking them to a concentration camp. Although Dora is not Jewish, she too gets into the prisoners’ train, to be close to her husband and child.

Guido thinks up elaborate games to hide the terrible reality of their situation from Giosue, and keep him happy, though they are in a death camp. Using creativity and humour to hide this intense pain and the horrors of the situation, Guido does all he can to protect his little boy, and make him believe that the whole experience is a game, where the winner will be rewarded with a real war tank. Giosue thus lives in happy ignorance, and escapes the death the Nazis have planned for all Jews. In a final scene, Guido takes the ultimate risk to keep his son safe, but exposes himself to a terrible risk.

Miracles from Heaven
Director: Patricia Riggen. Cast: Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, John Carroll Lynch, Eugenio Derbez, and Queen Latifah. 2016. 109minutes.

Based on the real life of Christy Beam and her family, this movie recounts the story of a miraculous survival through the power of faith. In 2008, Annabelle Beam, the five-year-old daughter of a Texas farming family, is diagnosed with an intestinal blockage that is fatal. The family’s faith is put to the test. Christy, her mother would not give up and is willing to go to any extent to save her daughter. Her husband also has to reckon with financial failure; but their prayers keep hope alive. Christy finds out a specialist doctor in Boston named Nurko. Ignoring the fact that she needed to wait long for an appointment, she persists on seeing him. The friendly and jovial Dr Nurko undertakes the treatment.

In the hospital, Annabelle befriends a waitress named Angela who cheers up the family, taking them around Boston. A fellow patient named Haley is dying of cancer. Haley’s father, Ben, is an atheist. He does not like it when Annabelle gifts her crucifix to Haley and teaches her to pray. After another surgery, the mother and daughter return home—without promise of permanent cure.

Annabelle has a serious accident while playing. They climb an old tree in their yard. A branch breaks and Annabelle falls down thirty feet inside a deep and hollow trunk. Everyone is sure that she is dead. The rescuers take her to the hospital, where she is subjected to intensive medical examinations.

A miracle has happened. Annabelle not only regains her consciousness with no major injuries, but appears completely healed of her fatal illness. She also tells her family about an out- of-the-body experience she had during the accident. She claims to have met God, who promised her cure when she returned to earthly life. Christy had stopped going to church in despair at God’s indifference to her family crisis and also the judgmental attitude of some of the fellow parishioners. She returns to Church to testify about the family’s experience. Some refuse to believe the testimony. Unexpectedly, Ben, the Boston journalist (who had been an atheist) turns up to tell them of his experience. His daughter Haley had died but had a joyful passing, thanks to Annabel’s gift of faith in the hospital. Annabel had become instrumental in the healing and spiritual rebirth of another family. The story presents convincingly how families struggle in the face of crises, how faith is restored and how God’s caring love works through parents and children.

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Dr Gigy Joseph

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