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Which is the second most profitable business? (The first is the sale of arms.) It is a world of cruelty and degradation beyond words—the sale of human beings, especially of women and children. This has overtaken the profits drug dealers make. The reason is cruel and tragic: Unlike drugs, a human being can be sold over and over again.

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A Night to Remember

It happened one day 2014. We approached a brothel in the red-light area of Kamatipura, Mumbai. Our team included members from the International Justice Organization (IJM), the local police, some social workers and lawyers and a witness. One of our helpers posed as “customer,” started chatting with a minor call, and then called us. We moved in quickly.

We entered the brothel—a dark, filthy, stinking room, with piles of boxes of condoms lying in the corner. The money for the girls was kept hidden elsewhere by the pimp.

After the raid, the police took statements from the minor girls. They were then taken to a shelter home.

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Sr Gracy Rodrigues FDCC

KEVIN

Before sitting down to write this article, I would have said that I have never had a problem with jealousy. However, as I have pondered this topic over the last week, I had to ask myself whether or not it was really true that I have never been a jealous person.  After all, we live in a hyper competitive and comparative culture. How can one avoid not being jealous or covetous of others from time to time?  I guess I was blessed to grow up in humble beginnings, coming from a large family and living in a small town in farm country. Our family was neither well-to-do nor poor. As far as I can remember, we were just like the rest of the families in town.  We didn’t have a lot, but we had enough.  Even though there were nine of us kids, our parents left us with the impression that there was always enough love to go around.  I was also fortunate to grow up in Catholic schools staffed by priests and nuns who taught us not to look at those who had more but to look for ways to reach out to those who had less. By the time I was old enough to recognize that there were others who had a lot more than we did, I had already come to realize it didn’t really make any difference in the grand scheme of things.

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Crystal and Kevin Sullivan

God gifts us with life. Time. Health of body and mind. Opportunities. Good people who care for us. Many public services we enjoy, thanks to others’ hard work.

What will I do to make the new year wonderful—for myself, for my dear ones, and for a few more people?

Here are suggestions. Pick up a few you like. (These are adapted from my book, A Closer Look)

 Things to do every day

1. As soon as you wake up, take a few moments to become aware of the gift the new day of life is. Thank God for the new day, for health, for loved ones, for the opportunities the day brings. Remind yourself that God thinks of you with love every moment.
2. Decide to be honest, loving and happy for the next twenty-four hours. Think of a good deed you can do today, without expecting a reward in kind or in words. What will you do? For whom?
3. Plan your day. Every night, write down your plans for the next day. At the end of the day, check what you have completed.
4. During the day—in your home, in the bus, while walking, at work, when tired or frightened—talk to God in silence, in your own words.
5. Take time for physical exercise: Walk (at least half an hour). Climb stairs rather than take the lift; do yoga or calisthenics at least for ten minutes a day.

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB

Here are persons whom sickness or tragedy or a deep revelation “woke up.” Their eyes were opened. A fire was lit within. A new and fuller life followed.

“I lived only two years!”

Sr Agnes died a few months ago. When I got the news, I remembered something she shared with me years ago—after her second bout of cancer. She suffered from cancer, was treated, got well, and thought she was free of cancer. But in two years, the cancer was back. This second attack was harder to take.

“I have lived only two years,” she told me. “Earlier, I took everything for granted. I did not reflect. I didn’t realize what a priceless gift life and health are. After I was healed of cancer, I really appreciated everything—a person’s smile, the sound of good singing, the words in the Breviary. Everything was real. I was alive. I wasted so many years of my life. I have really lived only these two years. And now, the cancer is back!”

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB

While preparing this issue of MAGNET, I was struck by a quote from Stephen Covey, the legendary expert on effective living: ““Time management is really a misnomer. The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves.”

How true.

Time is a gift. I cannot give it to myself. That I am alive today and healthy enough to write this article, and you are alive and well enough to read it—both these are gifts we can acknowledge (or ignore). We cannot give it to ourselves. As Jesus said, we cannot add a little bit to our lifespan by worrying about it.

I can only hope that I will be alive until tonight. I cannot give another day to myself, nor can anyone else guarantee it.

Covey is right. What I need to learn is to manage myself within the time I am blessed with.

Do you agree?

Time is money? No!

Taking cues from the business world, some of us tend to say things like, “Time is money.” I disagree. Totally.

If the value of time were measured by the money we make or lose, then the best things we do in life would be worthless—spending time with loved ones, visiting  a sick relative, holding one’s children in one’s lap and playing with them, praying, enjoying nature, reaching out to a needy person, …

And some of the world’s best human beings—who spent their lives doing good, without getting paid for it—would have wasted their life

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB

For most of my life as a Catholic, I have heard that to be faithful stewards of Christ we must share our time, talent and treasure. Each of these three gifts are valuable in their own way and for different needs.  At times, it may be that money is the most immediate need, such as if there is a leaky roof or emergency situation in a far away country where we are physically unable to be present to serve. At times, our talent is most needed, to perhaps lead a group in a new project which requires particular skills and experiences, or when a budget needs to be drawn up. And then there is the stewardship of our time, which is such a valuable commodity in this busy world of ours. The enthusiasm with which we spend our time on various aspects of our life often reflects the true values we hold in our hearts.

At a workshop long ago, I heard that we should always make time for the things that we really care about. As part of an exercise, we were asked to place rocks into a jar.  There were several large rocks and many more small rocks.  We were asked to put all the rocks into the jar if possible.  For those who put all the small rocks in first, the large rocks no longer fit.  But for those who put the big rocks in first, the smaller ones fell around them and through them and there was plenty of room for both. The lesson is that what we believe to be the most important use of our life should be a big rock and be given the priority of time.  It could well be that when we get our priorities right, there will still be time for other things that are good but not quite as valuable.  For example, over the years I simply stopped sending out Christmas cards to the 150 people in my address book. It all started when I decided to dedicate more time for remaining calm and prayerful during Advent…

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Crystal and Kevin Sullivan

Properties are bought for a particular purpose of the Registered Society.  Broadly speaking, they may be for educational, social, religious or agricultural purposes, depending on the objectives of the society.   Whatever category they belong to, properties, as well as the income from them, are basically used for the society’s objectives.  Depending on the available resources, some societies may have just enough land for their own use, some a little extra and some others more than what they need.  Here we are concerned about those societies who have just enough land for their own use and those who have excess land and have left the excess unused.  Whatever the case may be, there is a possibility in many cases to use the land for some additional purpose for the benefit of the society at large or to earn some extra income for the Society. This article explores such possibilities.

In the urban areas, many have given up agriculture for various reasons, such as, non-availability of labour, financial unviability, lack of knowledge of farming, etc.  Even in rural areas, many farmers have given up farming due to one of the above reasons or simply due to lack of water for irrigation.

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Fr Alex Gnanapragasam SJ

An experienced senior collector at Delhi customs had been observing a Naval officer for years. He found it hard to believe that someone could be so upright. No bribes. No smuggling. No putting down others. No seeking favours. When praised, this officer would often respond that the credit should go to someone else. He helped others silently, with no fanfare. His former students revered him. He was evidently brilliant, and, with a sparkling sense of humour, fun to be with.

After years of silent admiration, the customs official told the Navy commander, who was a Catholic: “I have been observing you for years. Whenever I praised you for something, you tended to give the credit to someone else. What if I tell you that you are the finest human being I have ever come across?”

Many others who knew this man felt the same way. I knew him very well. He has been a great inspiration in my life.

Isn’t this the best that a person can aspire to—to become as fine a human being as we can be?

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Fr Joe Mannath

JOY IS ALWAYS ATTRACTIVE
Bishop Agnelo Gracias

‘Holiness’ is an abstract term.  I prefer to answer in the form of three qualities I would expect to find a holy person: (a) Pliability to God: a growing self-surrender to God, a person possessed by God; (b) Compassion: Holiness must lead us to reach out to others, especially those in need or suffering; (c) Joy: The Christian life is ‘joy in the Holy Spirit’ (Roman 14:17).  This joy keeps on growing until the end when Jesus says to each of us: “Enter into the joy of the Master” (Mathew 25:21).

As for persons living this: Yes, more than one person! To mention two or three:

+ My former rector, Fr. Daniel Ferrando, who exemplified love.

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What follows are personal replies to five questions we put to special invitees:

1. What do you understand by holiness today?
2. Have you known anyone who lives this today?
3. Who is your favourite saint? Why?
4. Do you agree with Pope Francis that “holiness is not the privilege of a few, but the duty of everyone”? Are we (especially religious and priests) living this out?
5. How to make holiness appealing to the young?

I asked twelve persons, most of whom I know personally. I trust their genuineness.

Their replies have been honest, down-to-earth and rewarding to read.

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB