Kerala’s Christians Have over 100 Retreat Centres — But No Christ in Their Hearts”
Kerala, southern
state in India and often described as the “land of churches” in India, has
become a hub of Christian spirituality. With nearly 100 retreat centres spread
across the state, thousands flock to them every week — listening to sermons,
attending prayer meetings, fasting, and seeking miracles. The Divine Retreat
Centre in Muringoor, the Jerusalem Retreat Centre in Thrissur, and numerous
Jesuit and Carmelite houses stand as testimony to a massive spiritual
infrastructure.
On paper, such a
landscape should have produced a community that is deeply rooted in the
teachings of Christ — one marked by humility, compassion, forgiveness,
detachment from wealth, and service to the poor. Yet, when one looks closely at
the lived reality of Christians in Kerala, the paradox is unavoidable: despite
this abundance of spiritual platforms, Christ himself is strangely absent from
their daily lives.
The retreat industry
has flourished. But the fruit of genuine Christian discipleship — love,
sacrifice, and integrity — is often missing. Instead, many Christians are
caught in the same net of consumerism, greed, rivalry, and hypocrisy that Jesus
constantly warned against.
This article examines
why this contradiction persists, and why Kerala’s Christians, despite being
nurtured by nearly 100 retreat centres, have failed to become true followers of
Jesus.
Retreats as Ritual, Not Transformation
At its core, a
Christian retreat is meant to be a withdrawal from the noise of the world, a
chance to reorient one’s life toward God. But in Kerala, retreats have too
often become ritualized events rather than transformative experiences.
Many faithful attend
because of social pressure, curiosity, or the hope of material blessings.
Preachers, meanwhile, sometimes frame Christianity as a formula for success:
attend a retreat, pray in a certain way, and God will grant you prosperity,
healing, and breakthroughs. The retreat thus becomes a transaction — a
spiritual marketplace where people come to “get” something, rather than
surrender themselves to God.
Jesus said: “If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and
follow me.” Denial of self, the crucible of discipleship, rarely features
in these gatherings. Instead, retreats are too often centered on spectacle,
music, emotional highs, and promises of a better earthly life. Attendees may
leave temporarily inspired, but few return to their homes determined to embrace
poverty of spirit, generosity, and radical forgiveness.
Wealth and Worldliness: The New Idols
Kerala’s Christian
community is economically prosperous compared to many other groups in India.
Migration to the Gulf and Europe has fueled upward mobility, and education has
opened doors to white-collar jobs worldwide. This prosperity is not inherently wrong
— but it has often come at the cost of spiritual poverty.
In many Christian
homes, wealth has become the silent idol. The pursuit of bigger houses, luxury
cars, gold ornaments, and foreign degrees overshadows the call of Jesus to care
for the least of these. The Gospels present Jesus as one who had nowhere to lay
his head, who dined with the poor, who warned that “You cannot serve both
God and money.” Yet modern Christians, even those who attend weekly
retreats, often serve Mammon more zealously than God.
The irony is sharp:
Kerala is dotted with retreat centres, but it is also dotted with financial
scandals, corrupt real estate deals, dowry negotiations, and competitive
displays of wealth during weddings and church festivals. If retreats were truly
forming followers of Christ, would these practices be so rampant?
Retreat Centres as Brands
Another disturbing
trend is the commercialization of retreat centres themselves. What began as
spaces of prayer and silence have in many cases turned into brands competing
for followers. Retreat houses publish glossy pamphlets, run YouTube channels,
and host mega-events where the preacher is celebrated almost like a celebrity.
In such a climate,
the message of the cross — one of suffering, self-emptying, and surrender — is
drowned out by the cult of personality. Instead of being spaces that cultivate
humility and hiddenness, retreats sometimes encourage the same culture of spectacle
that dominates secular entertainment.
This is not to deny
that many preachers and retreat leaders are deeply sincere. Yet the structural
reality cannot be ignored: when retreats become industries, the risk is high
that the gospel gets diluted into a product designed to attract crowds, rather
than confront hearts with uncomfortable truths.
Lack of Everyday Discipleship
The most striking
absence in the life of Kerala’s Christians is not religious activity but
genuine discipleship. Retreats are packed, churches are full, festivals are
lavish — but Christ is missing in daily conduct.
*In workplaces, Christians are often seen engaging in the
same bribery, favouritism, and manipulation as anyone else.
*In families, domestic violence, dowry harassment, and
broken marriages are alarmingly common.
*In parishes, infighting, factionalism, and ego wars
dominate.
Jesus said his
disciples would be known by their love. Yet one finds that love is often absent
in the lived culture of the Christian community. Retreats that emphasize prayer
formulas but fail to demand concrete ethical change in daily life risk creating
a Christianity of convenience — a religion where one prays loudly but cheats
silently.
The Seduction of Miracles
A significant portion
of Kerala’s retreat culture revolves around miracles: healing the sick, casting
out demons, prophesying breakthroughs. While the New Testament certainly
affirms that God heals, the disproportionate focus on miracles has created a distorted
faith.
For many,
Christianity has become less about carrying one’s cross and more about escaping
suffering. Retreats promise healing, success in exams, prosperity in business.
But Jesus promised his disciples suffering, rejection, and persecution. The
kingdom of God is not a lottery where the faithful are rewarded with promotions
and wealth; it is a narrow path where one’s life is poured out for others.
By turning miracles
into a commodity, retreats risk producing believers who chase blessings rather
than Christ himself.
Why Jesus Is Missing
So why, despite so
many retreat centres, is Jesus absent in the hearts of Kerala’s Christians? The
reasons are layered:
Ritual without repentance: Attending retreats becomes
a box to tick, not a catalyst for radical change.
Consumerist faith: Christianity is presented as a way
to secure worldly success, not as a call to die to oneself.
Commercialization of spirituality: Retreat centres,
in their drive to expand, sometimes resemble corporations more than
monasteries.
Neglect of the poor: Wealth is hoarded, and the poor
remain marginalized, even as the Gospel commands otherwise.
Misplaced emphasis: Miracles and experiences
overshadow the slow, hidden work of cultivating virtue.
Ultimately, retreats have become a substitute for
discipleship rather than a school for it.
What True Following Looks Like
To become true
followers of Jesus, Christians in Kerala — and everywhere — must rediscover the
heart of the Gospel. This means:
Living simply: resisting consumerism, rejecting
dowry, and using wealth for the service of others.
Practicing forgiveness: ending family feuds,
reconciling across parishes, refusing to harbor grudges.
Serving the poor: seeing Christ in the hungry, the
migrant laborer, the abandoned elderly.
Integrity in work: refusing corruption even when it
costs promotions or profits.
Witness in humility: embracing anonymity and
self-sacrifice rather than chasing status in church hierarchies.
Such practices are
not glamorous. They will not attract huge crowds. But they embody the Sermon on
the Mount — the true curriculum of Christian living.
The Role Retreat Centres Must Play
Retreat centres are
not inherently problematic. In fact, they could become powerful laboratories of
renewal if they recalibrate their mission. Instead of promising easy miracles,
they must teach hard truths: that following Jesus requires suffering, detachment,
and service. Instead of being platforms for celebrity preachers, they must
foster communities of accountability and discipleship.
Silence, confession,
fasting, Bible study, and works of charity must take precedence over
entertainment-style worship and prosperity-centered preaching. Retreats must
prepare people not just to “feel blessed” but to live as blessings in the messy
realities of work, family, and society.
Conclusion: From Retreats to Reality
Kerala’s nearly 100
retreat centres are a testimony to the hunger for God among its Christian
population. Yet hunger alone does not make one a disciple. Without genuine
repentance, retreats become hollow rituals. Without self-denial, prosperity
becomes idolatry. Without love, religion becomes noise.
The tragedy is not
that Christians lack retreat centres, but that they lack Christ in their
hearts. They have built impressive institutions of spirituality but often
ignored the uncomfortable demand of Jesus: “Go, sell what you have, and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
Until Kerala’s
Christians begin to live out this radical call — in homes, offices, parishes,
and streets — the retreat industry will remain what it is: busy, popular, and
spectacular, yet hollow at the core.
The way forward is
not more retreats, but more discipleship. Not louder prayers, but deeper
obedience. Not bigger institutions, but smaller acts of love. Only then will
Kerala’s Christians stop chasing the world and begin to reflect the one they
claim to follow — Jesus Christ.
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