preview

“We are shaped by our memories and experiences.” Desmond Tutu

The Fabric of Memory

Memory, the ethereal fabric woven from the threads of our past, forms the cornerstone of who we are. It guides our actions and stores our experiences, holding both the joys and sorrows that have shaped us. This multifaceted entity manifests in various ways: from vivid personal recollections to subtle nuances of learned skills. It encompasses recalling facts, figures, and events, as well as recognizing patterns and making informed decisions. Memory extends beyond mental constructs, embodied in tangible artefacts like antiques, family documents, photographs, and diaries. Intangible traditions such as rituals, songs, and stories perpetuate cultural memory across generations. Even mundane objects or familiar smells can trigger powerful memories, transporting us back in time through emotional connections. These triggers preserve cultural heritage and personal significance tied to our familial and social identities. In essence, memory makes us whole by weaving together our past experiences with present realities to shape our future selves. Whether through physical artefacts or intangible traditions, memory remains an indelible part of human existence – a reflection of our shared humanity. By examining memory’s impact, this article reveals its power to shape lives, drive personal growth and inspire meaningful action.

Memory Chisels and Forges

Memory is the sculptor of our souls, chiselling and forging the very essence of who we are. As Cicero aptly put it, “Memories shape the marble of our minds.” These recollections are more than mere nostalgic glances into the past; they shape our present, guide us toward the future, and influence our thoughts, emotions, and actions. Memories evoke powerful emotions, impact our decisions, and shape our relationships. George Santayana’s wisdom highlights their importance: “Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness.” Neurologist Oliver Sacks echoes this sentiment, noting that “Our memories make us who we are, and if we lose them, we lose ourselves.” Memories inform personal growth, inspire creativity and resilience, and foster self-awareness. They teach life lessons, reveal personal values, and strengthen relationships through shared experiences. These recollections promote empathy and preserve cultural heritage while influencing decision-making, habits, and coping mechanisms. Ultimately, memories define our self-image, moral compass, and life narrative. Reflecting on them illuminates personal growth, healing, and purpose. By embracing memories, we honour our past, enrich our present, and inspire our future.

Fr Arnald Mahesh SDB

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

This article is an attempt to focus on the spiritual sparks in ‘memory’ that enable a person to have access to God. Here, the term spiritual Alzheimer’s means the temptation to neglect the role of memory in advancing to the final communion with God.

Notion of Memory

In simple terms, the word memory can be defined as follows: ‘the capability of the mind, to store up conscious processes, and reproduce them later with some degree of fidelity.’ In fact, memory is more than just a psychological process of data retrieval, it is the capacity that tells us who we are and where we are heading towards. In fact, without our memory, we would effectively cease to be ourselves. We could not even think of this 100^th issue of Magnet, if we do not possess the faculty of memory!

Here we mention four ways through which memory enables us to be connected with the Divine:

1) Love to Recall (Communal Identity)

Memory is the essence of relationships – with one’s own being, with others and with God. Let us not forget that memory shapes not only individuals but also human groups like family, clan etc. In fact, memory helps to relate with a community through activating every individual’s memory.

Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa gives examples of two personalities in relation to collective memory. In history, we see Adolf Hitler, who wanted to systematically stamp out the cultural memory of the people he sought to rule. Contrary to this idea, we have the teachings of Karol Wojtyla (viz., St John Paul II), who sought to keep the spirit of Catholic faith, and Polish culture, alive through the medium of drama. He undertook this process by establishing the underground Rhapsodic Theatre. This attempt shows the effort of a person who brought together a larger group of people under the banner of remembering for the sake of keeping one’s identity and moral compass. In fact, human groups find their collective wealth and communal identity through the way in which they remember where they come from. Once there are positive attempts to bring to memory the past wealth of a community, the community as well as the individual can have easy access to the Divine.

Fr Dr Binny Mary Das

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

As society evolves, so too do the ways in which we create and share memories. Digital technology has transformed the landscape of memory-making, allowing individuals to document their experiences in real-time and share them instantly with others. Social media platforms have become a modern repository for collective memory, where stories of faith, service, and community can be shared across vast networks. This digital age has enabled new forms of connection and engagement, making it possible for individuals to reflect on their memories in a common space.

As I write this article, I recall with gratitude the memories associated with the Magnet Magazine, especially as I am reminded of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter to All Consecrated People on the Occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life in 2014. In that letter, he invited us to do three things during that year: look to the past with gratitude, live the present with passion, and embrace the future with hope. In his World Youth Day 2013 address, he urged young people to embrace their past with gratitude, live in the present with enthusiasm, and be hopeful about their future. In various homilies, he has often highlighted the importance of gratitude for past experiences, the need to engage with the present moment, and the call to maintain hope in God’s promises for the future.

Sr. Ranjita Tirkey H M

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

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

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

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

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

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

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

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

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

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

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

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

To read the entire article, click Subscribe

Recently, I happened to watch a short video on oxytocin, a hormone I had heard of in passing, but never truly understood. What started as a fleeting curiosity quickly grew into fascination. As I delved deeper, I stumbled upon a TED-Ed talk by Paul Zak, a neuroeconomist who refers to oxytocin as the “moral molecule.” According to Zak, this chemical is responsible for the trust, empathy, and other warm feelings that are the glue of human society. That talk ignited something within me, compelling me to explore oxytocin not from a scientific viewpoint, but in a way that aims to motivate and inspire.

Oxytocin: The Bonding Molecule

Oxytocin is a hormone we all possess, and it plays a crucial role in our emotional well-being and social interactions. It’s responsible for those “warm and fuzzy” feelings that make us feel connected to others. Whether it’s the rush of love a mother feels for her newborn, the deep trust between friends, or the quiet comfort of companionship, oxytocin is the invisible force binding us all. Think about the last time you did something kind for someone, perhaps a small gesture like holding a door open or offering a genuine smile. Didn’t you feel a subtle lift in your spirits? That’s oxytocin at work, but the magic of this hormone doesn’t stop with just you; the person on the receiving end feels it too. The beauty of oxytocin is its ripple effect. A single act of kindness can have a domino effect, spreading warmth and positivity far beyond the initial exchange.

Fr. Jayaseelan Savariarpitchai SDB

To read the entire article, click Subscribe