Memory #1

Lately I keep thinking how important Remembering and Memory are. To the person of faith they are everything.

Every Sunday my fellow believers and I celebrate Eucharist and remember again what the lord Jesus did for us. We come together to remember and in turn we celebrate.

Every Sunday my fellow believers and I recite the same communion prayer: 

On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this is remembrance of me."

After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Therefore, according to his command, O Father,

[Celebrant and People recite together]

We remember his death,

We proclaim his resurrection,

We await his coming in glory.

Every Sunday we take time to remember Christ's giving of himself for our sake. Every Sunday I'm thankful. I think I'm coming to understand how important memory is to my faith life. It's not in the doing, per se, of reciting the same prayer each week or of making sure that we do  what always have. The real blessing comes not from upholding our traditions, but from remembering Christ and celebrating together the incredible deed that he did for us. 

The temptation to memory is forgetting. "Do this is Remembrance of me."

What if he didn't have the creeds or the words of Christ? What would our traditions look like?

May we remember and not forget the goodness of our Lord today, and in doing so, offer up thanksgiving.