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India is a constitutional democracy.  This means that people of India opted for a value-based democracy presented in her Constitution.  Just as our lives are propelled by the values we cherish, so also the greatness of India will be steered by the practice of those values by citizens as well as the constitutional institutions.  Similarly, just as a person’s nobility of character depends on the choices one makes in favour of values held, in the same way the greatness of India will depend on the practice of those values by citizens and constitutional institutions.  In this piece, I shall make a humble attempt to present the constitutional values solemnly proclaimed in the Preamble of the Constitution of India (hereafter CoI).  In the Keshavananda Bharati Case, the then Chief Justice Mr. Sikri made this statement, “The Preamble of our Constitution is of extreme importance and the Constitution should be read and interpreted in the light of the grand and noble vision expressed in the Preamble.”  Thus, the Preamble of the CoI is not only a norm to measure the welfare of the country but also the measuring-rod for quality of life of her citizens.

The Preamble of the Constitution declares:

“WE, THE PEOPLE OF INDIA, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a SOVEREIGN SOCIALIST SECULAR DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC and to secure to all its citizens JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them all FRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation; IN OUR CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY this 26^th day of November 1949, do HEREBY ADOPT, ENACT AND GIVE TO OURSELVES THIS CONSTITUTION.”

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Fr Ravi Sagar SJ

I remember reading: “We need saints without cassock, without veil… We need saints in jeans that listen to music… Saints that place God in the first place… that are not afraid to eat pizza…” It’s part of a poem thought to be inspired by the words of John Paul II.

Regardless of its authorship, this poem’s view of holiness resonates in me. Moreover, I feel privileged to have met a number of persons who fit the bill. Katy is one of them.

I first met Katy in a school where we were both teaching. She had just finished her teacher training and had been teaching for about two years. At some point, we were asked to jointly handle the school choir. Soon, what started as a work relationship evolved into a deep friendship.

Katy has a sense of style and a clean elegance. I always wonder how she manages to be both fashionable and, in a way, detached from her personal appearance. Her grace is a gift she shares just by being.

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Sr Marie Gabrielle Riople SCSM

A study of two thousand managers in the UK included this question: What did you miss most in your company? The answer may surprise some of you: “Positive feedback for work well done.”

This is true, not just of managers or business people in general, but of all human beings. It is particularly true of young people, who, by definition, are more insecure than grown-ups. They need feedback—lots of it, and regularly. This article shows you how to give feedback, an important factor in any helping profession.

LEARN FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE

1. Close your eyes. Recall an experience of being encouraged or appreciated.
   What was the occasion?
   Who encouraged or appreciated you?
   What did he/she say to you?
   How did you feel then?
   How do you feel now, as you relive the experience? (About a minute of silence).
   If you have the chance, share very briefly with someone you trust what you recalled,

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB

The emotional awareness of mortality that seeps into our consciousness at midlife has profound impact on our psyche and soul and on our way of being in the world.

First of all, it leads to a changed sense of time. When we were young, time was quite elastic, infinite. We could stretch time to make place for all that we wanted to accomplish. We could dream of a hundred things to do, and we had the confidence we had enough time to accomplish all that. Not so now. Time is now experienced as finite, restricted. Focus shifts to the limited time-left-to-live, on how to live it more meaningfully. We experience an urgency in terms of accomplishing something worthwhile. This is all the more true if we feel that our life so far has been not very meaningful or productive. As psychologist Roger Gold puts it: “Whatever we must do must be done now.” How we spend the limited time available to us becomes significant. One consequence is the pressure to reassess life and its priorities.

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Fr Jose Parappully SDB

CRYSTAL

We all know that parents can strongly influence their children’s development and learning, in effect becoming their first ‘teachers.’ However, determining how much influence we have is not always as straightforward as it may seem. In fact, one of the things that used to frustrate me when I was a young mother was hearing that parents can control the outcome of their children’s habits by modeling those habits themselves. The wisdom of the day was that if you wanted your child to be a healthy eater, provide and eat healthy food yourself; if you want them to be readers, let them see you reading.

It made perfect sense, and I did my best to model behaviors and habits that would last a lifetime.  Imagine my consternation when our young son became the age when he could have been a reader, and getting him to sit down and enjoy a book was considered a torture tactic. I still remember him rolling around on the kitchen floor holding the book he was supposed to be reading and moaning as if in pain. And this was in spite of the fact that reading for me was a pleasure and a constant part of my daily life. What had I done wrong?

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Crystal and Kevin Sullivan

Here are some recent changes in tax matters relevant to registered trusts.

A slew of changes on the GST as well as income tax front has become applicable from 1^st April 2019 onwards.  Since these changes will have a bearing on our financial planning, we need to know them in detail.  Here, we list them in order of importance and applicability to the charitable trusts and then deal with those items which we need to know better.

Threshold Limit for GST

The threshold limit for obtaining registration for those exclusively engaged in supply of goods has been raised to Rs 40 lakhs. However, this exemption is not available to those required to take compulsory registration, to those  engaged in supply of ice-cream and other edible ice (whether or not containing cocoa), pan masala and tobacco and manufactured tobacco substitutes, those engaged in intra-state supply in states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Puducherry, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura and Uttarakhand and those who have voluntarily obtained registration and those registered persons intending to continue their existing registration.  For those dealing with supply of goods in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Puducherry, Sikkim, Telangana and Uttarakhand, the threshold limit is Rs 20 lakhs; for Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, the  threshold limit is Rs 10 lakhs.

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Fr Alex Gnanapragasam SJ

I vividly remember the time three friends and I drove from Paris to Taizé to visit the Taizé Community, the ecumenical Centre that magically drew thousands of youth from all over the world. What we saw there was just unbelievable. The youth, considered to be uninterested in anything religious, joined the monks of Taizé, called Brothers, to pray in silence and sing and attend talks.

The visionary who founded the Taizé Community was Brother Roger, originally Roger Schütz, from Switzerland. Born on 12 May 1915, he was the youngest son of a Swiss Lutheran pastor and a French Protestant mother. He felt drawn both to a monastic way of life, as well as serving the suffering.

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Fr M A Joe Antony SJ

12 June 2019
World Day Against Child Labour

The International Labour Organization (ILO) was created in 1919, as part of the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I. It was founded on the belief that lasting peace is possible only if it is based upon social justice. This year ILO is completing 100 years of advancing social justice and promoting decent work.

ILO launched the first World Day Against Child Labour in 2002, as a way to highlight the plight of these children and to join efforts to fight against it.

Child labour refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school, obliging them to leave school prematurely or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

In its most extreme forms, child labour involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities – often at a very early age.

All children have a right to education, leisure, and healthy development. We must move much faster if we are to end child labour, and we need to do it together.

Even today, 152 million children are still in child labour. Of these, 73 million are engaged in hazardous work that directly harms their health, safety or moral development. They are deprived of an adequate education, leisure and basic freedom. Many are exposed to the worst forms of child labour, slavery, or other forms of forced labour, illicit activities such as drug trafficking and prostitution, as well as involvement as child soldiers in armed conflict.

2019 Theme: Children shouldn’t work in fields, but on dreams!
Child labour occurs in almost all sectors, yet 7 out of every 10 of these children are working in agriculture.
What can we do?
Collaborate with networks actively engaged in identifying, rescuing and rehabilitating such children. These offer legal assistance, medical care, guidance & counselling, possibilities for a formal education and even foster homes to children separated from their families.
GIVE TODAY AND HELP THESE HIGHLY VULNERABLE CHILDREN!

8 June
World Oceans Day

Initiated in 2002, we have an opportunity on this day to raise global awareness of the benefits derived from the ocean, and our individual and collective duty to use its resources sustainably.

Our oceans generate most of the oxygen we breathe. They regulate our climate, feed us and clean the water we drink.

Yet human activities are taking a terrible toll on the ocean. Vulnerable ecosystems such as corals and important fisheries are being damaged by marine pollution, over-exploitation and  destructive fishing practices. Increased sea-temperatures, rise of sea-level  and ocean acidification caused by climatic change pose a further threat to marine life, coastal and island communities and national economies. The oceans are further being violated by piracy, illicit trade of drugs, arms and ammunition, terrorism, human trafficking. Their waters are being tarnished and poisoned. Will we just stand and watch?

There is actually but one global ocean that connects us all. Within it are five distinct oceans: the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean, and Southern Ocean. We are all connected to the ocean, whether we live inland or on the coast.

Think about how the ocean affects you and how you affect the ocean. Even small modifications to our everyday habits will make a difference.

The theme of World Oceans Day 2018 was: “Clean our Oceans.”  Reduce the amount of plastic we use in order to reduce the plastic pollution that is causing tremendous harm to our marine resources.

The theme for 2019 is “Gender and the Ocean”: an opportunity to explore the gender dimension of humankind’s relationship with the ocean. The importance of gender equality for the effective conservation and sustainable use of oceans and marine resources is increasingly being recognized. A concerted action towards the empowerment of women is still needed in all ocean-related activities such as marine scientific research, fisheries, labour at sea, migration by sea, policy-making and management.

Our Ocean is Our Future. Pass it on, clean!

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Sr Esme da Cunha FDCC

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Mid-Life: Struggles and Answers
I really appreciate Fr. Jose Parappully SDB’s article, “Midlife: Understanding What It Is,” in the April 2019 issue of MAGNET. The article impressed me, and I could look at my own life.  It looks strange and funny to me now, but those days that was the right feeling. Of course, many came forward to inspire, explain, encourage, motivate and prayed over me. I sincerely thank everyone for their support. The midlife experience is a 2^nd vocation where life is fully different, mushy with questions. I could not analyse where I am. Am I right? What should I do? How to go about my life? … Too many questions, sleepless nights and insecure of what is going on.  The real agony, but Good Friday is followed by the glorious Easter. Yes, once the questions find answers, life takes a U-turn and gives a new direction, better dedication, fully committed with creative thinking, planning and really vigorous to live religious life following the master Jesus.
Sr Hrudaya JMJ, Bangalore

As a regular reader of Magnet, I appreciate your team for the apt choice of topics for each issue that assist the reader’s personal and spiritual integration.
“Midlife: Understanding What It Is” by Fr Jose Parappully SDB (MAGNET, April 2019) was an answer to many questions I as a middle-aged person found difficult to answer.
The article brought self-awareness to me. The example of Faustus is a typical example of a middle-aged person. If one is not cautious enough to read and treat the symptoms of the crisis faced, one could easily be trapped and be led to wrong directions.
Each person at this phase of life needs to take care that the focus is not lost lest we be driven to an unhappy and unfulfilled life.
 Sr. Vidya Joseph SJB, Wardha, MAHARASHTRA

Administration: Excellent Input
I am glad and grateful for the publication of Fr. A. Gnanapragasam’s article “General and Financial Administration.” I was director of the Institute for Consecrated Life in Asia from November 2008 to March 2019, and I confirm many of the things pointed out in this excellent article. I will assume a new responsibility, that is, as president of St. Anthony Mary Claret College, to which about fifteen male religious congregations send their seminarians to study philosophy. The discussion on the “matters that are common to all forms of administration” will be very useful for me. The topic “Specific to Property Administration” is quite important because in the turnover process many details are often forgotten, like “detailed description of properties, with their records, tax paid receipts, etc.” Another very helpful point is the delineation of the roles of the superior and the director/principal. If these two roles are not clearly defined, conflict may emerge. Many thanks to MAGNET for the wonderful help it has been providing, especially to consecrated men and women.
Fr Samuel Canilang CMF, President, Institute for Consecrated Life in Asia, Manila, Philippines

A Powerhouse
Thank you for the inspiring, uplifting and thought-provoking monthly magazine MAGNET. The issue of April 2019 on Retreats is a powerhouse; every article spoke volumes. The one which appealed to me the most was: “The journey to the Centre—and the Best Help for getting there” by Fr Alvito Fernandes OCD. I agree retreats provide the climate of personal prayer and reflection to enable one to discover ones’ true self and gain insight that He lives within.
I have had this liberating experience, but it has only been a wonderful glimpse of the “seventh dwelling place.” The humdrum of daily living makes it escape easily but the comfort of the insight remains and the knowledge that it is really there so near, is both humbling and empowering. Everyone must experience the inner strength and joy that comes from the discovery of the one who lives within us.
I have resolved after reading this issue to practice “charity in thoughts”—never to analyse anyone negatively and to practice compassion and love in greater zeal for my own personal peace and liberation and to be of greater help to others.
Kudos to Fr. Joe Mannath and his team for this inspirational magazine, painstakingly compiled each month on different relevant topics , for all people of God.
Mrs. Antonieta Noronha
Counsellor, Carmel College,
Nuvem, Goa.

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“When we stop learning, we start dying.” (Albert Einstein)

“Education is the most powerful tool to change the world.” (Nelson Mandela)

“Knowledge is learning something new every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day.” (Zen Proverb)

“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” (Aristotle)

“The purpose of education is to replace an empty mind with an open mind.” (Malcolm Forbes)

“If you are unwilling to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.” (Zig Ziglar)

“Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” (Anthony J. D’Angelo)

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” (William Butler Yeats)

“If you can’t explain it simply, you do not know it well enough.” (Albert Einstein)

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