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The Gentle Art of Blessing: A Simple Practice That Will Transform You and Your World
By Pierre Pradervand (1998)

Pierre Pradervand was inspired to write this book from a deep personal experience. While volunteering in Africa with the World Hunger Project to end food problem by year 2000, he was sent away by some people in the organization’s leadership out of prejudice and hate. The deep hurt made him bitter and hateful. To overcome the nagging resentment, he tried spiritual practices, such as meditation, prayer, etc., but nothing helped. One day, while reading the Sermon on the Mount, the phrase “bless those who curse you” resonated in him. He decided to try this out. As he says: “On the spot, I started blessing the four people concerned in every imaginable way – in their health, their joy, their serenity, their finances, their family life, their work… I did it from morning till night.” He soon developed the habit of blessing everything and everyone he saw during his travels or connected with him in some way. He found that it was a healing experience both for himself and those who received them.  Once, while getting ready for a talk for youth in Switzerland on the theme of “Healing the world,” he received an unprecedented “gust of inspiration,” making him write the book; it “just poured through,” “just appeared” under his pen.

Pradervand notes how blessing is an ancient practice older than religions. It wishes good to the other person. Blessing means “to wish unconditional, total, unrestricted good for others and events from the deepest wellspring in the innermost chamber of your heart… to hallow, to hold in reverence, to behold with utter awe that which is always a gift from the creator.  He who is hallowed by your blessing is set aside, consecrated, holy and whole.”      Years after losing his job, Pradervand met the man responsible for firing him, and it turned out to be a totally joyful reunion devoid of any bitterness. For the author, “the Sermon on the Mount and Psalm 23 are some of the most beautiful non-denominational, universal spiritual messages.”   We can bless everything—the beauty hidden in material things, needy persons, as when passing a prison or a hospital, and, of course, ourselves too. Forgiveness is the precondition of blessing. The practice of blessing has sensitized him to the sufferings of fellow humans and developed in him an instinctive understanding of their needs. Sometimes it takes years to develop sincerity in our attitude while blessing.

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
by Sheryl Sandberg. (RHUK, 2013)

This book has received superb reviews. Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, provides some deep and honest insights into the questions of woman leadership in the world of today. Sandberg describes her experience as a pregnant woman struggling to balance career and family. She acknowledges the great progress in gender equality achieved by pioneering feminists.  But even today, there is only about 20% of women presence in leadership positions everywhere. It is not simply male dominance that bars the way of further progress. Women too have a share in it. Women are held back partly because they hold themselves back. One key issue for working women today is the challenge of balancing work and family. As she has seen in actual experience, “blatant and subtle sexism, discrimination and sexual harassment” are still there.  Statistics shows that “of 197 heads of state, only 22 are women.” Of the top 500 (American) companies, only 21 are headed by women. In politics, women hold just 18% of congressional offices. But there is much improvement in status over the past fifty years. Their salaries, compared to those of men, have improved. The solution is to negotiate like a man. While men are promoted based on potential, women’s promotions are based on past accomplishments. Lack of self-confidence and drive bars women from achieving what they can.  She notes too that a successful man is better liked than a woman of the same level. Successful women leaders are not as liked as their male counterparts. Sandberg suggests that “everyone needs to get more comfortable with female leaders, including female leaders themselves.” More productive relationships are nurtured when cooperation across the hierarchy of work is encouraged. Housework and parenting are to be shared by men and women if career and family are to be balanced.

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Prof Gigy Joseph

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ENERGIZING & MOTIVATING
I have a heart filled with gratitude for giving me space in this illustrious monthly. Whenever I receive MAGNET, I do go through it and pick up those articles that interest me. I enjoyed reading my own interview! You are rendering a great service to the Church by energizing and motivating especially the priests and religious. MAGNET is a rich document which can be referred to at anytime. Keep up this good work.

Archbishop Thomas
Macwan of Gandhinagar, Gujarat

  RIGHT FOCUS
You did very well to turn our focus to the ecology question. We can become so caught up in the tragedy of COVID-19 that we forget that there is an even more pervasive tragedy going on around us all day every day. As always, thanks for the balance between practical day-to-day questions, and the deeper theological and spiritual issues that must be part of our lives as Religious.

Fr Francis Moloney SDB,
Sunbury, Victoria, Australia

 WHAT WE NEED TO DO
I congratulate you all on the manner in which you publish your magazine. It is prepared with care, precision, planning and with definite goals in mind. The contents are rich, relevant and enriching, both for personal and social-ecclesial life. In particular, I would like to mention ecology.

We have to develop the Christian spirituality of ecology.  People will take ecology seriously only if we teach them that it is a matter of Christian faith.

To love Jesus is to love creation. To love human beings as our neighbour demands that we also love things of creation as our neighbour. To violate, to abuse, to pollute and to over-consume things of nature is a sin against the Ten Commandments. We have to work out an eco-friendly interpretation of the Ten Commandments and of the humanistic teaching of the New Testament.

I think only when we regard to concern for ecology as an essential and integral part of the Christian faith, will the commitment to ecology be a regular feature of the Christian life.

Most Rev Thomas Dabre
Bishop of Poona

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
The word that captured me in the July issue was ‘environment.’  I find it very encouraging and interesting whenever the religious take up certain public issues, as, in this case, the environment.

The words of Pope Francis in caring for our Earth, entrusted to us by God, have inspired me. Often, as Christians, we seem to be more focused on the spiritual aspect of life, viz., maintaining good relations with self, with neighbours, loving the poor, etc., but we hardly realize that maintaining good relationship with the Earth is as important. As a kid, I was taught to throw rubbish in a dustbin and am sure everybody was, in a school. But have we been dutifully throwing waste in bins? But, when such a duty is spoken of by the church, I am sure it does more of a conscience-stirring. And this is why my appreciation to the religious for becoming more vocal towards genuine public issues like the environment.

I also would like to quote Kevin Sullivan (MAGNET, July issue): “… I can’t be an ‘environmentalist’, but I can be a ‘conservationist.’ I can’t stop global warming, but I can stoop down to pick up trash …” If every Catholic or at least those reading this start to think and act this way, we will be able to transmit the ripple effects to those around us.

Rita Zou
Imphal, Manipur

MAGNETIZED INSTANTLY!
I came across MAGNET accidentally, but I was magnetized by it instantly. It appealed to me so much that I began to read it immediately. I read most of the articles of that issue in one go. MAGNET bears quality all through: quality paper, layout, articles that are relevant and meaningful.  Needless to say that Fr Joe Mannath is a synonym for quality. MAGNET stands out for everything a mag can possess—quality communication, quality content and quality presentation.  The articles are written in a simple and readable style. Yet one cannot be untouched by its energy and buoyant spirit. It is a must read for the religious to add vigour and optimism to their life and ministry. I would like to thank especially Fr Jose Parappully for his “Psychology and Life” Series.  The vocation story of Fr Kevin Ward (“The Twain Shall Meet”) was heart-stirring. Congrats for the wonderful service to the religious of India and the world!

Fr Shilanand Kerketta SDB
Jharsuguda, Odisha

UNDERSTAND AND SUPPORT OUR MEDICAL WORKERS
The article “Self-care for helpers” has brought to light the palpable reality of the ‘frontliners’ – doctors and health workers who are exposed to enormous stress, physically, mentally and emotionally. The two pictures in the article are apt and speak for themselves.

The world indeed owes a great debt of gratitude to this band of daring persons who risk their precious lives.  Never will humanity be able to fully fathom the services they render for their fellow beings. Yet, we know that sometimes they have been maltreated by sections of society because of the measures they adopted to prevent the spread of the disease. Sometimes they were side-lined or deprived of their basic necessities, or even to made to spend the night outdoors.  Yet they have continued to show utmost dedication.

The author also makes one realize that, no matter how great the extent of human potential,  everyone has to acknowledge the inevitable limitations.

The suggestion to avail the ordinary means to promote health of mind and body is invaluable. Ultimately, the author points our attention to the Lord, who alone can truly restore wholeness to our body and spirit.

Sr Lydia Komuhra FMA
Assam, Guwahati

“The need for a discerning Church is a key emphasis of Pope Francis’s reform,” says Fr Nicholas Austin SJ of Campion Hall, Oxford (The Way, 58/4 [October 2019], p. 11.)

Why? What does it mean in practice?

Let us take the tough situation the world is in right now because of the pandemic and the lockdowns.

Nobody has perfect or ready-made answers. We need to listen; we need to speak up; we need to work together. Only God knows the best way out. We seek His guidance, and do all we can to face the facts, seek solutions, and move in the best possible direction. We need discernment.

Is the Church a top-down institution where a few on top claim to know all the answers and tell others what to do? No! The Holy Spirit can speak through anyone—through the laity, through the bishops, through the youth.

Such a stand enthuses some, confuses others and enrages a few.

Some prefer a church of clear-cut answers. “Tell us what we are supposed to do!”

Others realize that the path Jesus showed is the path of mercy. Reaching out to heal, listening to the wounded and the confused, is more important than having theoretically perfect answers. To listen to each other, to listen to people whose voices are seldom heard, is more important than producing a neat, logical document.

Is it the main duty of the church to listen to all, and “form consciences” or be a substitute for people’s conscience?

These two views—and their stricter or looser versions—do exist. Hence the arguments, the mutual criticisms.

Pope Francis has been convinced that we need a new way of being church—close to the people, especially to the poor, and help create a more human and just world. But he does not claim to have a ready-made plan or blueprint. So, he insists on listening—to families, to youth, to one another.

“A synodal Church is a discerning Church, in which everyone listens to each other, in order to listen to the Holy Spirit. One condition of the discerning, synodal Church, for Francis, is not merely listening, but speaking….a cardinal had written to him saying that it was a shame that some bishops declined to say certain things, either out of respect for the Pope or fear he would disagree. Francis responds, ‘This is not good, this is not synodality; … it is necessary to say all that, in the Lord, one feels the need to say: without polite deference, without hesitation.’” (Nicholas Austin SJ, p. 12)

In our private and public lives, we need both bold speech and humble listening. No one has the grasp of the whole picture. No one’s voice should be ignored. Together, speaking and listening, and through it all, listening to the voice of the Spirit, we learn to discern God’s loving plans better. We build a better world together.

This is discernment. It is crucial for a good and happy life—and a distinguishing mark of genuine leadership.

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB
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The Surprise of a Jubilee Year:

Pope Francis is a man of surprises. On his election as Pope in 2013, he took the name of “Francis,’ a saint whose conversion was associated with listening to the words of the Crucified Lord in a country chapel on the outskirts of Assisi: “Francis, go and repair my house which, as you see, is falling into ruin.” In 2015, Pope Francis published the encyclical letter Laudato Si’ which significantly carried the subtitle, “On Care for Our Common Home.” On 24 May 2020, on the fifth anniversary of the encyclical, Pope Francis went on to announce a Special Laudato Si’ Anniversary Year. He invited “all persons of good will” to celebrate the Special Anniversary Year running from 24 May of this year to 24 May of next year and “take care of our common home and our more fragile brothers and sisters.”

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Fr Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam SDB

There are many images seared into my memory during the Corona virus crisis. Two are from the hospital. One of these is that of a young doctor in her green medical outfit sitting on the floor of the hospital corridor, her stethoscope around her neck, her head bent, supported by her two hands resting on her knees – clearly overwhelmed and distressed. The other is that of two medical professionals dressed in their Personal Protective Equipment hugging each other, heads leaning into each other’s shoulders, clearly overwhelmed, but still wanting to comfort each other.

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Fr Jose Parappully SDB

An enthusiastic young Sister from the North East gives her frank and evidently intelligent answers to the questions MAGNET sent her. We are impressed by your religious convictions and your mature way of thinking, Madonna. May you do much good, and be a happy, loving woman of God.–Editor

I am Sr Madonna Shadap MSMHC.  Our congregation, the “Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians,” founded by Venerable Stephen Ferrando SDB on 24^th October 1942, with direct evangelization as our main charism, is the first indigenous Congregation in North East India.

1. Why are you a religious?

As far as I can trace my memory, I wanted to be a religious since my early childhood. In those days I aimed to be a religious because I wanted to be holy (as I thought religious sisters were the holiest people) by wearing the white and spotlessly clean habit. I also liked the different works they do, like touring the villages, visiting families, conducting youth centres for children, etc.

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Sr Madonna Shadap MSMHC

July 07: International Indigenous Day

The scene was worse than pathetic. We have seen it in the press, or directly on our roads: men, women, and children walking for days on the national high ways and railway tracks to reach their home during the abrupt lock down—walking for days in the sun, hungry, thirsty, without a place for rest, and often beaten by the police. Thousands of migrants were crisscrossing each other on their way home from cities like Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluri, Hyderabad, Benares, Bhopal, and Nagpur. These are the excluded and the most vulnerable persons in the Indian society. They belong to the ST/SC/OBC/ Dalits and other marginalized groups. They are farmers, daily wage earners, domestic workers, unskilled laborers—the unorganized workers who make up 92% of the working class in India. They are deprived of the human rights and human dignity enshrined in the Constitution of India. They are out of the “mainstream” of the Indian society, who are educated, earn well and have political clout.

It is our moral responsibility to include the excluded in the mainstream of Indian society—which is precisely what many powerful people do not want. How do we do it?

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Fr Alexander Ekka SJ

In the past issues, I have attempted to bring home the essential provisions of the Consumer Protection Act – 2019 (CPA-2019). In this issue, I sum up all that has been discussed so far on consumer laws. CPA-2019 was enacted to protect the rights of consumers in the modern consumeristic-competitive-market. A speedy and simple redressal mechanism, in addition to a convenient and inexpensive procedure for the redressal of their grievances, is the main feature of CPA-2019. Competent authorities, namely, Commissions and Councils, have already been established for timely and effective administration and settlement of consumers’ disputes providing effective safeguards to consumers against various types of exploitation and unfair trade practices. CPA-2019 recognizes certain basic rights of consumers and enumerates them in section 2(9).

Consumers’ Rights

1. A consumer has a Right to Safety from marketing of goods and services hazardous to life and property. Unsafe goods and services may cause death or serious injury to the user. Therefore, the manufacturers and traders must ensure that the goods and services are safe for the users.

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Fr Ravi Sagar SJ

As if COVID 19 was not enough! We had to have Amphan!

Since last March, when we started to talk about COVID-19 here in India, I was scared. On opening my eyes in the morning, I used to ask myself, “Is it over yet?” “Maybe today will be the day when somebody announces that it is over!” But the reality would soon hit me, “No, it is still here, and here it is to stay.” And then I would go on my knees and pray the Serenity Prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things that I cannot change (the virus, whether my family members would get it or whether my mother, who lives on her own, is observing strict lockdown), the courage to change the things I can (wash my hands, wear a mask, keep a proper distance), and the wisdom to know the difference.” And believe me, this kept me going for the past three months or so. I live in a fairly large compound, with a lot of fruit trees and space to walk around. So, staying inside was not a big deal (so I thought!). I had a lot of work to do; I was connected via the internet and mobile. So, I was all set!

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Bro Carmel Duca MC

What is a document?

According to DK Illustrated Oxford Dictionary, a document is a piece of written or printed matter that provides a record or evidence of events, an agreement, ownership, identification, etc.  It is a way of providing a proof or evidence. The word “document” comes from the Latin word, documentum, which means “proof.” In our present context, documents also include information stored on electro-magnetic devices, such as, hard disks,  floppy disks, pen drives, cloud,  and  other digital formats and include documents filed electronically using digital signatures.
Documentary means “consisting of documents” (e.g., documentary evidence), providing a factual record or report.
Documentation is the accumulation, classification and dissemination of information relating to a process or event.

From Written to Electronic Documents

According to Indian Evidence Act 1872, a fact (word or action) must be authenticated by verifiable proof and evidence, preferably in written form.  With fast-moving times, the Information Technology Act 2000 brought sweeping changes to the understanding of the word “document” and the way business can be conducted.  ITA 2000 provides legal recognition to transactions carried out by means of electronic data interchange and promotes e-commerce, eliminating to a great extent the paper method of communication and storage of information. With this legal recognition was also granted to e-filing of documents, electronic form of book-keeping, transactions done in electronic mode, and digital signatures for accepting agreements and documents. However, some transactions must be done physically only, for example, attestation for giving power of attorney of property, contract of sale of immovable property, for making a will,  and for creating a trust.

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Fr Trevor D’Souza OFM