Page 18 - SJC Constitution

of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and
obedience, thereby making oneís life a perfect offering to
God. Jesus has chosen us for this, a choosing that constitutes
the very inner core of our religious vocation.

ìYou did not chose me but I choose youî In total acceptance
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of the call and choice of Jesus, religious are bound to live in
the world and in the Church, solely for God and His People,
by denying themselves and taking up their cross daily. This
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is an inestimable gift, privilege and grace given us by God
so that we may be able to set apart our entire life to the
service of God and His people. Through this we are enabled
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to bring our baptismal consecration to further fruitfulness
and perfection.

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4. Without fully partaking of the self-emptying of Christ, we,
as religious, shall not be able to make our life a sacrifice in
the service of God and His People. Only by living so, we
shall be able to firmly build up His Kingdom and Gospel in
ourselves and transmit their power to others. By living in
union with Christ, and by spending our life in prayer,
suffering and service as a visible sign of our self-gift to God
and His People, we acquire an inner power to create in others
the experience of the advent of Godís Kingdom already here
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on earth.

Venerable Poothathil Thommiachan - Our Divinely
Appointed Founding Father in the Church

5. God specially chooses certain persons, consecrates them with
His Spirit and commissions them to form religious communities
living engaged in the service of God and His People so as to
meet the timely needs of the Church and His People. 9

6. In the first half of the 20th century, God specially inspired
and chose His holy and compassionate servant, Poothathil
Thommiachan, to found a new religious congregation in the

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