Loss of Memory

As we grow older, one fear that many people have is the fear of losing their memory. And we fear this because we are all too aware of how important it is to be able to remember. It would be very difficult to get through any day if we had no memory. We wouldn't know how to make coffee, find the cereal, talk with one another, go to the store, know who our friends are, and so on and so forth. Almost everything we do depends on our memory.

It's a terrible affliction when people lose much, if not all, of their memory. When one partner in a marriage suffers severe memory loss, often the other partner has the feeling that his or her spouse has left them. It's almost as if their marriage partner has died. It's truly a terrible suffering. Losing your memory in this situation means losing what is most likely your most important life relationship.

In Memory Of Me

Keeping this in mind, perhaps we can better appreciate the words of Jesus that we find in the second reading today. After giving us the gift of the Eucharist he says, "Do this in remembrance of me." He wants us to celebrate the Eucharist so that we can keep his memory alive in our hearts and in our lives. And Jesus wants us to do this when we gather together.

He wants us to remember him in a special way when we come together as a community. That in itself is an important fact. When we gather together with other believers we are reminded of our relationship to them, and in a way, we are reminded of our relationship to all of humanity. Remembering Jesus means remembering all those whom Jesus loves.

A Living Reminder

This is one of the reasons why we consider the Eucharist to be at the heart of our faith. No matter where Catholics gather in our world, the Eucharist is the prayer which reminds us of our identity. It draws us into community around the person of Jesus. As we celebrate the Eucharist and receive the Body and Blood of Christ, we are proclaiming our oneness with Jesus and with one another. We have always done this and will continue to do so. No matter what else changes and disappears, the Eucharist will be with us to remind us of who we are and what we are called to. If we are connected to one another through our union with Jesus, then our lives must be proof that we really believe what we are doing when we receive communion.

You see, there is power in the act of remembering if we allow the memory to move us. Many people find the strength and encouragement they need through remembering someone who loved them dearly, even though that someone may no longer be alive.

Love Letters

Listen to this reflection by a man whose parents knew the importance of remembering: "Two years before my father died, my parents once again opened the box containing all the love letters which they had written each other while my father was away during World War II in the Army Air Corps. They decided that each evening they would open the box and read each other a letter they had written.

"After the children had been raised and retirement had come, they were remembering what had brought them to this place. They started with the earliest letters and went in order through the creased pages whose ink was now fading. Night after night they reminded each other of their love by reading those wonderful words that lived like magic in their hearts, and kept their love alive during the war. While the war was raging on, and life was uncertain, they treasured each letter that arrived. Because they were temporarily separated, they read them alone, not once, but over and over again. As they read, they could see the other's face and hear the other's voice through the words. Romance swelled in their hearts as they longed for each other. Those letters were among their most important possessions" (Rodney Buchanan).

Cultivating the Memory

We need to remember Jesus, and to cultivate that memory so that it becomes a part of us. Of course, the Eucharist is not just some device which helps us to remember Jesus. In the Eucharist, the memory of Jesus becomes so real that the Lord is really in our midst. The sacramental act of remembering has the power to make present to each of us the love and sacrifice of Jesus Himself.

And that is why we gather time and time again to celebrate the Eucharist. We need to experience the living memory of the One who loved us even to the point of giving his life for us. If we wish to be true to the memory of Jesus as we find it in the Eucharist, we will give our life for one another by loving as Jesus did.