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India has the world’s largest number of Catholic religious—about 131,600, belonging to 399 religious orders, with 1025 major superiors. The religious communities (houses) in India number about 19,400. All this without counting the secular institutes.

In 2016, I presented a plan to the National CRI executive to start a magazine which today’s religious would find useful and appealing. I was asked to prepare a sample issue. I did. The executive loved it, and approved the idea.

To get the magazine registered with the government is a long and laborious process. I felt thrilled when the government department approved this title (Magnet) for our new magazine. It took over a year of work to get the registration completed.

Why take so much trouble to have a magazine registered?

One: An unregistered magazine is not seen as a real publication, but simply as a newsletter, or matter copied from elsewhere.

Two: We save enormously on postage. If Magnet were unregistered, the postage per issue would be Rs 7. Registered, it costs only 50 paise.

Most publications pay the writers, especially if they are competent and well known. Magnet has an excellent team of regular writers, who contribute regularly and DO IT TOTALLY FREE. This is a huge asset.

Magnet has another precious asset, often unrecognized: international consultants who give regular feedback on the magazine. They are highly qualified persons from various countries, who do this service free of charge.

Joe Mannath SDB

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She has been physically assaulted 17 times. Someone tried to fling acid on her face. Another time a van deliberately rammed the auto rickshaw she was riding. They have tried to poison her. In 2012 a mob tried to attack one of her centres. But Sunitha Krishnan is not afraid. She says that these assaults have only steeled her resolve to carry on her crusade against human trafficking.

Sunitha Krishnan was born in 1972 in Bangalore to Malayali parents who were from Palakkad in Kerala. Since her father worked in the Department of Survey that makes maps for the entire country, he was frequently transferred. So, Sunitha and her family had to move to different places as she grew up.

But she was constantly thinking of others. When she was just eight years old, she started teaching dance to mentally challenged children. Before she was twelve, she was running schools in slums for the poor slum children. At the age of fifteen, while working on a neo-literacy campaign for the Dalit community, Sunitha was gang raped by eight men. They did not like the changes she tried to usher into their society. The violent beating that she suffered that day made her partially deaf in one ear.

“Suddenly my life changed. I was pure and then I went down, in terms of becoming the most cursed human being and the most dishonored person. Everything I had been I was no longer. I saw another world, where my family cursed my existence and parents would tell their children not to talk to me because I would be a bad influence…My eyes opened to the world of reality. That is when my gods were giving me signs of where I should be and who I should be with. I was accused of a crime I didn’t commit; I was blamed for something I had never done, I was shamed and made to feel guilty for something I was not responsible. All that triggered an anger that drove me then and still drives me today,” says Sunitha.

FR M A JOE ANTONY SJ

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On October 31, the National Conference of Religious India (CRI) organized an impactful online session in which over 500 men and women religious from across India participated in a webinar exploring “Artificial Intelligence and Its Relevance to Religious Life.” This session, featuring a presentation by Fr. Paul Pudussery CSC, marked a groundbreaking event for CRI. In an era where artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly reshapes society, the gathering offered a moment to reflect on AI’s role within the unique mission of religious life. Participants examined the challenges and possibilities AI presents, aiming to understand how this technology might serve as a tool for ministry and faith.

Fr. Paul began with a powerful image on the screen: a heart. This symbol, he explained, represents the Church’s commitment to compassion, understanding, and active engagement in modern society. Much like Pope Francis’s appeal to the “heart” of humanity in his recent encyclicals, Fr. Paul called on religious leaders to embrace AI with love and discernment. “We need to be people with a spark and a heart,” he urged. This core message framed his presentation, and it set a reflective tone, underscoring how technology should never eclipse the humanity that religious life embodies. A Church that forgets its heart will lose its spirit.

Pushpa Joseph

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The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office, is an invitation to all Christians to join in the eternal prayer of Christ. Rooted in Christ’s command to “pray without ceasing” (Luke 18:1, 21:36), it provides a way to sanctify each day through praise, thanksgiving, and intercession. Traditionally seen as a prayer for clergy and religious, today it is an opportunity for everyone to ground their lives in prayer.

The Development of the Divine Office

From the earliest days of Christianity, the faithful sought ways to fulfil Christ’s call to constant prayer. Drawing on Jewish traditions of praying at set times, the Church structured the Divine Office into seven key moments: Matins (Night Prayer), Lauds (Morning Prayer), Vespers (Evening Prayer), and the minor hours—Prime, Terce, Sext, Nones, and Compline. By the ninth century, this prayer became formalized, sung primarily by monastics and clergy. Over time, as languages evolved and fewer people could dedicate hours to prayer, the Breviary was created as a simplified version for clergy and religious.

A Prayer for All: Not Just for Clerics

The Second Vatican Council recognized the need to make the Liturgy of the Hours accessible to all. Sacrosanctum Concilium emphasized that the Divine Office should not be reserved only for clergy but should be open to everyone. As Pope Francis notes, it’s not enough to simply provide the texts; the faithful must allow the liturgy to shape them.

Sr Shalini Xavier CTC

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The thick white creamy layer on a cake often seduces the customer into purchasing the cake only to discover on cutting it, he or she was thoroughly cheated. The real cake is buried deep into the cream. The cream is only an attractive coffin entombed with white marble slab soon to be decayed! Such is the picture of Christmas for thousands. It has been an annual indulging in fun and frolic, food and drink, regardless of the enormous expenditure on all spheres and regardless of human predicament which surrounds daily life. Numbing one’s senses towards human wounds, affliction and despair on the faces around is what often Christmas is made of. It is turned into a mere cream in the name of the cake! There ends the story of the profound and immense birth of the child who had a precarious birth, passionate life, painful death and glorious resurrection. Limiting oneself to a cream-surfaced happy-comfort, the “Great Story” disappears quickly from the scene leaving the human interior empty and wasteful. Christmas is turned into an illusion each passing year, moving away from  Christmas as a life-reality. It has become the celebration of the white cream rather than the delicious cake!

Occurring on the threshold of the Holy Year 2025, Christmas this time can regain its original significance of a new hope to humanity by the practice of human rights as the thick war smoke hovers over the Middle East nations and Ukraine leaving thousands dead or displaced, in injury and pain, even as the responsible parties in the conflict are not willing to find a peaceful solution to provide hope for a better future. The Child of Christmas Himself was born as a pilgrim, with the insidious enemy Herod plotting to eliminate Him, threatened by what he perceived as a powerful and arrogant presence. However, the “Hope of the world,” born in a manger among the animals was determined to live on, on the road all His life as a stranger and pilgrim. He wished to be with those who live the experience of people on the move—the migrants, refugees, and unemployed—seeking a bit of physical comfort in a world that is self-enclosed and attached to attractions. As opposed to the spectacular, the Child whose nativity we celebrate willed to be a ‘Pilgrim of Hope.’ The birth of this Child points out the evils in our society: communalism, hate crimes, violence against people. It is a time to look beyond one’s needs, to cross borders of one’s interests, embrace empathy and bridge the divides among people. It is a time to be purified of our ego and focus on a wider world of human beings whose struggles never seem to be ending.

Gerry Lobo, OFM

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Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking & Finding His Love Everywhere (2024)
Savannah Guthrie

In Mostly What God Does, NBC broadcaster and former attorney Savannah Guthrie offers heartfelt reflections on God’s love, sharing her personal experiences and spiritual insights. “Mostly what God does is love you,” she says, framing her book as an exploration of God’s presence in her life rather than a memoir. The chapters are organized around six central themes that have shaped her faith journey: Love, Presence, Praise, Grace, Hope, and Purpose—all rooted in Biblical teachings and deeply personal experiences.

Guthrie recalls growing up in a close-knit Australian Baptist family, where “God was the sixth member,” and how her “conversation with God” began in her youth. Her father’s sudden death when she was 16 and a later divorce in her thirties challenged her faith but ultimately deepened her relationship with God. Encouraged by her colleagues on the TODAY show, where she is an anchor, she wrote this book to share how God’s love has guided her through life’s highs and lows.

In each chapter, she encourages readers – whether devout, curious, or disillusioned by past religious experiences – to approach God as they are. “Come as you are,” she writes, emphasizing a personal connection with God where questions, doubts, and fears are welcomed. She acknowledges that her faith journey has been a blend of belief and doubt, joy and sorrow, and believes these experiences have enriched her understanding of God.

In challenging times, Guthrie finds strength by returning to the basics: surrendering control and trusting God’s love. She offers her story as a source of hope, reminding readers that God’s love is constant, personal, and transformative. This book invites anyone, regardless of their faith stance, to explore a loving, approachable relationship with God.

The Power and the Glory (1940)
Graham Greene

Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory, considered one of the greatest Catholic novels of the 20th century, is set during Mexico’s brutal Cristero Revolution (1926–29), a period marked by intense persecution of Catholics under dictator Plutarco Calles. Inspired by Greene’s own experiences in Mexico, where he witnessed the people’s resilient faith amid oppression, the novel centres on a renegade “Whiskey Priest” who continues to serve the faithful in the southeastern province of Tabasco, despite the government’s strict ban on religious activity. Priests who refused to renounce their faith were executed, while those who complied were forced to marry and receive a state pension.

The unnamed Whiskey Priest, a flawed and alcoholic man with a daughter named Brigitta, secretly returns to Mexico, determined to minister to his people. His journey is perilous, as he is relentlessly pursued by a zealous police lieutenant who sees the priest as a threat to the state. This lieutenant, shaped by his own painful past, methodically arrests and even kills villagers suspected of sheltering the priest.

Though twice narrowly escaping capture, the priest’s journey takes a tragic turn when a mestizo betrays him, urging him to attend the confession of a dying American gunman. The priest suspects treachery but cannot refuse the sacrament. Captured, he faces the lieutenant, who admits admiration but insists the priest must die to protect the state. A former priest, Padre José, is arranged to hear his confession but is prevented by his wife. After the Whiskey Priest’s execution, the lieutenant believes the province is free of priests—only for another priest to arrive in secret. In the end, Greene’s hero becomes a symbol of enduring faith, honoured by locals as a martyr among the saints.

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The Season of Advent holds a dual purpose: it is a time to prepare for Christmas, remembering the first coming of God’s Son through the Virgin Mother, and a period to anticipate Christ’s return at the end of time. This season invites joyful expectation and deepens Christian hope.

The Liturgical Significance of Advent

Advent, marking the beginning of the liturgical year, is a profound season of hope. The four weeks before Christmas help the faithful prepare for Jesus’ birth, grow in hope, and welcome Christ’s continual presence. The Church, in this season, embarks on a journey of faith, affirming the mystery that “our God comes to us as human, calling us to move towards Him.”

Advent has two parts:

• First Epoch (Dec 1-16): Focuses on the eschatological themes of Jesus’ second coming, encouraging spiritual awakening and conversion.
• Second Epoch (Dec 17-24): Highlights the first coming of Jesus, the Incarnation, with Mary as the figure who brings forth the Word made flesh.

The season of Advent begins with Vespers on the Sunday closest to December 1 and concludes on Christmas Eve.

Fr G Dolin MMI

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End or Beginning of a New Life?

In today’s society, much of the suffering associated with death stems from our denial of it and the lack of a positive vision for life’s end. Many people believe that death marks the absolute cessation of human existence, and a final termination of life. However, this perspective is not shared by Christians. For us, death is not an end, but a new beginning. It is viewed as a transition to another existence, much like sleep is temporary and does not signify the person’s total disappearance. The Christian understanding is rooted in the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Christ, which provides believers with a hope-filled vision for what comes after this earthly life. The Catholic Church emphasizes that every human life has inherent dignity and value. Living and dying with full awareness and grace is considered a path to upholding that dignity. While secular culture may often encourage a fear of death or an avoidance of its reality, the Church urges its faithful to approach death with a sense of wonder and faith, rather than with fear and anxiety.

As Christians, we also understand death as “a return to the dust,” reflecting the biblical teaching that since the fall of Adam and Eve, humanity has been subject to mortality (Gen 3:19). Yet, this does not imply the total cessation of life. While the physical body may decay and return to the earth, the soul, which is immortal, continues to exist. Losing a loved one is undeniably painful, regardless of their age. However, Christians find comfort in believing that death is not the final chapter. Expressions like “endlessness of eternity,” “threshold of eternity,” and “glimpse into the other side” suggest that there is more to life than what we experience here on earth. In Christian faith, death marks the end of this present life, but signals the beginning of another.

Fr Arnald Mahesh SDB

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In this insightful piece, the author takes us on a transformative journey through four stages of healing, framing the experience of suffering and loss as a pathway to hope. The term ‘hope hormones’ is used as a metaphor for the spiritual and emotional strength we cultivate when we face life’s challenges with faith. Just as our bodies produce certain hormones to cope with stress, we too can generate hope through a process of catharsis, connection, transformation, and altruism. Fr Binny invites us to explore the ways in which we can awaken these ‘hope hormones’ to foster resilience and a deeper union with God.

In life, we all experience spiritual and worldly desolations. In those moments, we need to make sure that God accompanies us and we need to accompany others with a compassionate closeness so that they encounter God. Here we present four stages through which the reality of suffering is transformed into Christian hope.

I. CATHARSIS STAGE

a. Experience the Reality

Once we understand that sufferings due to various types of loss are part of our life, we do not radically contest the suffering. Understanding the reality and inevitability of suffering makes a person not want to run away from occasions of sorrow. Instead of worrying about minimizing the sorrows, we need to go through the pains of life and experience them.

b. Cry Out

Psychological studies show that crying has a direct, self-soothing effect on people and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps people relax. When we have painful experiences of loss, there is nothing wrong with crying out. More than an emotional outpouring, crying has a relationship with the divine. It makes sense to cry out when we understand that our cries do not stagnate down here; they rise up to God, who has the heart of a Father.

Fr Dr Binny Mary Das

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Mother Teresa was one of the eminent guests at the Fortieth Anniversary Celebrations of the UN on 26 October 1985.  The UN Secretary General, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, presented her to all those attending the ceremony saying that she is “truly the most powerful woman on earth.”  To his words of esteem and appreciation Mother Teresa responded by showing her rosary and saying, “I am just a poor nun who prays.  By praying, Jesus puts his love in my heart and I go to give it to all the poor I meet on my way.”

            Pope Francis says that “Prayer is the breath of faith.”  Like breath which keeps us alive, prayer keeps our faith alive.  Faith is the virtue by which we believe in God, in all what God has revealed to us and in all what the Church proposes for our belief (CCC 1814). Faith is that which relates us to God.  Prayer keeps this relationship alive.  If there is no prayer, our relationship with God will die, and we will not be related to God.  That is why prayer is very important.

1. What is Prayer?

            St Teresa of Avila, a great teacher of prayer says that prayer is “an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with Him who we know loves us.”  Prayer is spending time with our loving God and sharing with Him.  When we spend time and share with someone we enter into a relationship with that person.  So, prayer is entering into a relationship with God.  What do we do in sharing with God and spending time with God?  We do mainly these things: adoration, praise, thanksgiving, asking forgiveness, petition, intercession, and silent presence.

1. Prayer of adoration: In this we acknowledge and acclaim the love, goodness, greatness, immensity, omnipotence and holiness of God in whose presence we feel insignificant and small; and we surrender to God.
2. Prayer of praise: In this we spontaneously express our delight in God and the joy (rejoicing) in our hearts. We praise God because he exists, is good, loving, merciful.

• Prayer of thanksgiving: In this we express gratitude to God who is the giver of everything that we have. Paul asks: “What have you that you did not receive?” (1 Cor 4:7).  There is nothing which we have not received.  Everything that we have is a gift from God.  So, we thank God for everything.

Jose Kuttianimattathil, sdb

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