"Whatever one does for the upliftment of oneself should simultaneously also be for the benefit of the other" was a principle Narayana Guru taught the people of Kerala.

In a way, Christian Consecrated Life is for the upliftment of oneself, or is self-contenting. But in Christianity, there cannot be such thing as self-satisfaction. It is usually said that those who live a Consecrated life in Christianity choose to do so because of the love for Christ and in imitation of him. They take up such lives not only for themselves, but also to impart a new level of consciousness to the entire church and the world at large. That is primarily their contribution to the church and the world. Education, medical care, charity work, or media apostolate only come after their primary contribution to the church and the world. They should act as the leaven that God has mixed with the lump of dough that the Church is, and the greater lump of dough that the world is.

They must convey the concrete manifestations of the kingdom of God to the world through their being, and their lives. In more secular terms, they must be a micro-community that upholds and exhibits countercultural values in the world.

Every living being on earth displays a tendency for territoriality. In humans, it becomes developed into the exercise of power. The lion's share of the violence committed in world history has been committed for the sake of power.

Life is possible without the exercise of external power. And that's how Christ lived.

We need money. But money isn't something permanent.

We need wealth. At the same time, wealth is not only for us but for everyone. A good deal of violence on earth has been committed for the sake of wealth. Life is possible without owning much of material wealth. Christ lived without owning material wealth.

Like all living beings, humans, need sex. However, among all the living beings in the world, only humans are sexually ready and stimulated round the year, from puberty to death. Only humans activate their sexuality through fantasy in a hundred thousand other ways. A third share of the violence that has been committed in the world is for the sake of sex with a liked partner. At the same time, only humans can abstain from sexual activity by free choice and decision. Therefore, as a countercultural element it has great value. Christ was one who considered himself a eunuch for the sake of the Kingdom of God.

Politics is necessary in society. But politics should not be guided by the lust for power, but by the spirit of self-giving and service. That is what Christ said and did.

All humans are children of God. Therefore, all humans have human dignity. Human dignity and the value of a human person are invaluable. Nothing comes greater than that. If we compare a human being's dignity and intrinsic value, no matter how great a person's knowledge, wealth, power, status, beauty, or talent, no matter how great they are, they don't come anywhere close to the value of human dignity - the value of the individual. If the value of each person is a hundred million, then knowledge, wealth, power, status, beauty, and talent are just coins that a person acquires. In a world that gives coins great value, counterculture would recognize and declare that the value of hundred million that each person brings along is grater than all coins. And that's exactly what Jesus did.

Nothing in this universe is as it appears to the external eye. There is something beyond that always. To be honest, what is seen externally is only a tiny tiny bit of it. What lies beyond is unimaginable. For a materialist, a human being may be twelve gallons of water and elements that can be bought for ten bucks. For a humanist, a person's value may be determined by his intellectual capability, reasoning, emotions, abilities, influences, connections, contributions to society, and the goodness s/he has. However, for a spiritualist, even if none of the things above are there in a person, still that person is priceless even if he is a complete criminal. S/He is an unimaginable mystery that is invisible to my external eyes. A believer can only look at such a person with respect and amazement.

What I have been saying was about Christian Consecrated life. All the things enumerated above should be the values of in the life of a consecrated person. Consecrated communities shouldn't be forgetting that they are to impart such a new spirit to the world and the church by their love for Christ.

They shouldn't also be forgetting that the countercultural values seen in the life of Christ should be those that will demarcate them and their existence. Their own parents and siblings might be the ones who will turn them over. But they shouldn't deviate.

I too had forgotten all this. Just when I remembered, I was trying to remind myself! Not sure that it will stay for long in my mind!!

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