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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

In his Apostolic Exhortation “Rejoice and be Glad,” Pope Francis suggests practical ways of achieving holiness in our daily life. “Holiness does not mean doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things with love and faith,” he says.

Saints: Our examples:

The saints who once were besieged human beings, are examples for us to keep moving despite our sinful nature. They guide us in our daily imitation of Christ. They teach us to persevere in the race towards reaching the goal set before us—holiness.  This is not a tag attached to a bishop, a priest or a religious. It is a call to everyone.

We find these examples in our own parents, community members, friends other loved ones or even persons whom we never bothered to pay attention to in our communities, society and in our streets, who live very ordinary way of life with love and great sacrifice. Pope Francis calls them “the saints next door.” In the same way we are called to be holy by living and fulfilling our ordinary lives with love and joy; for “There is no sadness in holiness.”

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Summary by Sr Theresa Phawa FMA

CRYSTAL

A couple of months ago, my spiritual director asked me if I wanted to be a saint. Of course, my spontaneous answer was an enthusiastic “Yes!” He then went on to ask me if I really wanted to be a saint, enough so that I would still say ‘Yes” if he said sainthood would necessitate giving up something I really enjoy, such as drinking wine. How quickly my enthusiasm for sainthood faltered once I realized that sacrifice of a favorite beverage might be necessary.

Thankfully, that conversation was an exercise in determining my desire for holiness rather than an actual request for that particular sacrifice. But it spurred an internal, ongoing search for identifying whether I really wanted to be a saint, or simply ‘wanted to want’ to become a saint. It is humbling to realize how difficult it is to honestly answer that question. I can wholeheartedly agree that more than anything else, I want to be loved by God and others. I have also long believed that at the end of our lives, we will be judged on how well we have loved. So, the only link that must be made between the two is how fervently we are willing to put aside our natural inclinations for comfort and selfishness and pride, and focus instead on the desires God has for us. The big challenge is to keep alive in our minds and hearts the awareness that living truly holy lives is worth the cost.

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Crystal and Kevin Sullivan

OTHER DETAILS TO VERIFY:

5. Check the Topography of the land. Topography gives the physical features of the land, whether it is situated on an elevation, cliffs, mountains, slope, valleys, ravines, etc. As far as possible, it is best to avoid these.  We can check this with the help of Google Earth.  Here it is also worth checking if the said land is located in a flood zone, rain catchment area, etc., and avoid such locations.

6. Check if the Public Utilities are available:  If all the above conditions are favourable, then we have to check if the necessary public utilities are available close by.   Public utilities can be many, depending on the purpose of the intended usage of the land. Most common among them are access road and transport facility, electricity, water, sewage, gas, telephone, etc.  It is very important that the land under consideration has a common public access road, without which we may never be able to use the land for anything. In case of no access road, strategically, it will be wiser to buy the plot for the access road first and then buy the inside land for the intended purpose.  Other amenities, such as school, hospital, shops, etc. can also be considered.

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Fr Alex Gnanapragasam SJ

EIGHT ESSENTIALS FOR A RELIGIOUS SUPERIOR

There is much writing on leadership today. Plenty in print and on the Net. There is no doubt that, in any organization, whether secular or religious, the leader makes a huge difference Think of Pope Francis or any head of state or head of government. Attractive vocabulary (Transformative Leadership, Servant Leadership, etc.) is not enough. We need persons who truly help the group to reach its goals effectively and in a lasting way.

Who is a leader? Definitions abound. I prefer the simplest one: A leader is someone with followers. A good leader is someone who helps followers to reach the goal or perform a task. Thus, there are always two elements to keep in mind when we talk of leadership: a group of persons and a task (or tasks) to be performed. The art of leadership is to be truly concerned about the persons in one’s care, and to get the tasks (or goals) achieved.

There are many ways of talking about leadership. Basing myself on what I have learnt from observing leaders (both religious and secular), from some experts and books, as well as from my own experience, I plan to present the essentials of religious leadership under eight heads. To make it easier for the reader to retain the matter, I am organizing the article this way: One point under heading 1, two points under heading 2, three under heading 3, etc.

Ready? Here we go!

1. Only One Leader!

A seminarian once told me about Father Rosario Krishnaraj, a charming and wonderfully inspiring Salesian priest whom I knew well: “After meeting Father Rosario, I believe more in Jesus. Many things I had heard about Jesus I find in him…

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Fr Joe Mannath SDB