Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ - Remembering

An observation I have made about Europeans and Cultures, of their people, is that they seem to have long memories. When I was in Ireland on a tour they spoke of Oliver Cromwell with a vehemence, as if he was just there attempting to destroy them, not 500 years ago. Or when the former Yugoslavia broke apart and led to the conflicts and ethnic cleansings, they fought over generational conflicts; even the ongoing conflict in Israel-Gaza has it violence continuing through long memories. But not all that is about badness. Some memories are good, of saints and heroes, of community pride. Of course it helps that there are buildings and churches that are hundreds if not thousands of years old that surround them. People also have deep roots in the land, sometimes owned for multiple generations.

An observation I have of us in the USA, our memories tend to be much much shorter. Maybe because we are a younger country? Maybe our viewpoint is more directed to a future? We experience things, good and bad, and then for most of us, the emotional state fades away. Maybe surfacing at anniversaries or memorials, but seldom with that same fervor. Think of even 9/11; despite the horrible tragedy it was, that date passes now without too much drama. I suspect in the next generation it will be a shopping day like Memorial Day or Labor Day, Veterans Day or MLK day.

The ancient Jewish people had memory and also another way to remember; the technical word is anamnesis. It means to remember so as to make it real and participate in. This was for religious-spiritual reasons. They would remember the Passover event so as to make it real in their lives in the present. There is not a sense of nostalgia, but of presence and participation.

Jesus would have had this sense as well. We as Christians inherited this in our liturgy; we remember what God has done, so as to live it and participate in it now. We remember Jesus’ Paschal Mystery and we make it real in our lives now.

We as Catholic Christians really make this part of our spirituality. This is why we believe, in part, that the Bread and Wine become the very Body and Blood of Jesus, the resurrected Jesus; so as to remember.

The Eucharist challenges us to remember that God lives, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God lives and God remains present to us to give us true life, in this life and in the next.

Eucharist challenges us to remember that despite our sinfulness, no matter how horrible we may think we are; God will forgive and love us. So we make this real by living as forgiven and loved persons and forgiving others.

The Real Presence of Jesus Christ calls us to remember and make real that there is something larger in this world, larger than ourselves, and often our own needs, wants and desires; and that by surrendering to this we can truly be free.

We can forget this. We can get off track and be misdirected. We can become complacent in our faith, in trusting God. We can see the evidence of this through the divisions within our church as a whole, and at times within our diocese and parish. People treating others without respect; insistent on their own ways and ideas ignoring those around them. We see society focused on individual desires, needs and wants; and so many are left behind without adequate salaries, housing, food, medicine… forgetting we are a community.

The Bishops of the United States called for a Eucharistic Renewal, and we are completing this period. This was not about merely sitting ourselves in front of a Monstrance and adoring the Real Presence. This is a good thing, don’t get me wrong.

However, we remember to make it real. We remember to live it out Jesus Christ, and the Paschal Mystery. There is an inherent need to take action, to make choices, to live differently. This is why the celebration of Mass, the Eucharist, is the highest form of prayer for us. We come together as a community to hear and remember who God is and what God has done for us, through our prayers and Scriptures.

We come together to give thanks for this action, and ultimately to fully, actively and consciously receive the Body and Blood of Christ in our hands, to place him into our very selves, and make him real in our lives; at home, school, work, place…wherever and whenever love is needed.

Will we remember?