Since the dawn of the Church, religious life has been a beacon illuminating the horizon of humanity, a prophetic sign anticipating the Kingdom of God in the midst of history. In every age, consecrated persons have been witnesses to the hope that never disappoints (cf. Rom 5:5), bearers of a promise that transcends time and circumstances. In a troubled world like today's, a song of hope, an echo of the Gospel, resounds powerfully in the fragility of the present.
A prophetic sign in history.
From the first monks of the desert to the great religious orders that transformed culture and society, consecrated life has been a radical witness that “God alone is enough.” In every century, men and women have left behind their certainties to embrace the adventure of faith, proclaiming with their lives that Christ's love is stronger than any power in the world (cf. 8:38-39). In times of persecution, they have been martyrs; in times of crisis, they have been builders of peace; in times of darkness, they have been lights burning in the night.
Today, history is no less challenging. Secularization is advancing, vocations are declining in many places, and religious life continues to be a contradictory sign in a society that exalts self-sufficiency. But precisely in this context, consecrated life becomes even more prophetic. Like the prophet Elijah who perceives God's presence in the gentle breeze (cf. 1 Kings 19:12), the religious men and women of our time are called to be the silent but firm presence of a God who continues to act in history, like yeast in dough.
An incarnate hope
Pope Francis reminds us that “Christian hope is not a naive optimism, but a sure anchor” (cf. Heb 6:19). Religious life is this anchor in the midst of the world's storms. It is not merely an abstract ideal, but a hope embodied in concrete communities that live fraternity in a fragmented world that chooses evangelical poverty, in a consumerist world that refuses to resist and opts for obedience, in a world that, to a certain extent, idolizes autonomy.
Every consecrated person, through their daily fidelity, becomes a living parable of God's love. Like Mary at the foot of the cross, religious life is a firm presence in humanity's moments of greatest suffering: in hospitals, on the outskirts, in education, in the media, in silent prayer. Wherever there is a religious woman or man, there is a spark of hope.
A great challenge for the present
The hope that consecrated life bears witness to is not passive, but dynamic. It is not about waiting with folded arms, but about building the Kingdom of God in small, everyday things. The Church and the world today need consecrated people who are not afraid to take risks, who dare to dream of a renewed religious life, more evangelical, more authentic, closer to the suffering of God's people.
Saint Paul reminds us that “we are letters from Christ” (cf. 2 Cor 3:3), written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. Every religious vocation is a letter of hope for humanity, a divine message that whispers to a wounded world: God has not abandoned his people, love remains possible, fraternity remains an attainable horizon.
In this Jubilee Year 2025, which invites us to journey with hope, religious life is a shining witness that history is in God's hands and that the Gospel remains the best news for humanity. Like lamps lit in the night, consecrated persons are called to shine with the light of Christ, reminding everyone that, even if the shadows are dense, the dawn of the Resurrection is always certain.
To belong to consecrated life today is to be hope incarnate. It is to be that grain of wheat that dies to bear fruit (cf. Jn 12:24), it is to be an open house in a world of walls, it is to be a prophecy of a new heaven and a new earth. In a world that often wanders aimlessly, consecrated life remains that star that guides us toward Christ, the only Hope that never disappoints us for any reason.
May every consecrated man and woman in the world renew their "yes" today, knowing that their dedication is a beacon of light in history and an indelible sign of the hope that only God can give us.
Take your backpack
and let's walk.
Let's go free of agenda,
without provisions,
notoriously fragile.
Without hiding the wounds
that hurt us along the way.
Let's go without hurry
and let the wind ruffle our hair,
let us not build shelters
and let us serenely breathe the gift.
Come on
and let's tell everyone,
that the grave could not contain life,
that love was lulled to the rhythm of the Spirit,
He is free and nothing imprisons him.
That women saw the impossible
and a tear fertilized the sterile.
Take your backpack,
let's walk together...
Together... it's better that way.
Liliana Franco Echeverri, ODN
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