Who Builds the Kingdom of Heaven?

On Sunday, February 2, the Church celebrated the 29th World Day of Consecrated Life. This year’s theme, set within the context of the Jubilee Year, carried a distinctly missionary emphasis: “Pilgrims of Hope, on the way to Peace.” This is precisely the vocation of consecrated men and women—to bear hope, going out to meet others, and proclaim the most astonishing yet often overlooked truth: God is love, and this love is not reserved for a select few but is offered to all, especially to those who seek to build peace, a world radically different from one marked by division, arrogance, greed, and indifference.

Among Christians, it is common to hear a disheartening refrain: “There is too much evil in the world.” Yet history itself has never fully surrendered to evil or fallen into despair. This is thanks—above all—to the countless men and women, including many consecrated religious, who have chosen the love of the Gospel as the foundation of their lives. These individuals have given themselves completely, walking alongside their brothers and sisters, especially the poor and those most in need of trust. If the world has never succumbed entirely to catastrophe and continues to experience profound moments of goodness and beauty, it is because of these hidden lives, seemingly insignificant in the eyes of public opinion. Their witness to selfless love and responsibility for others, rooted in great spiritual values—above all, the Gospel—helps weave a more humane and just society.

During my recent visit to our confreres in Cameroon with Father Henricus ASODO, I had the privilege of meeting Father Henry Richard in the pre-novitiate community of Mokolo. Born in 1937 in the Vendée region of France, he has been a missionary in Cameroon since 1965—one of over a hundred French Oblates who dedicated their lives to evangelizing this land after the Second World War. Modest in stature, slender in build, and gentle in manner, his humility was striking as he recounted episodes from his long religious and pastoral journey. For sixty years, he has preached the Gospel, sharing in the lives of the people, learning their customs, traditions, and languages. When he first arrived in this savannah region, lions and elephants roamed freely—today, they exist only in the Waza Reserve. At 88 years old, he remains committed to this land, which has become his own, just as he belongs to the people with whom he has walked, never concealing his identity as a consecrated man.

A seemingly marginal figure, hidden from the public eye, almost invisible compared to the renowned personalities of the Church or even our own Congregation. Yet, men like him—like so many other “hidden” men and women—are the ones who have shaped the history of the Church and our religious family. Indeed, they have helped build the Kingdom of Heaven, a history that does not fade but is inscribed in eternity, marked by lives given in love in the name of the Risen Lord.

By Alberto Gnemmi, OMI

Published on the OMI World website