Wednesday of the Twelfth Week
When I was a child, there was a practice of tying a string to your finger to help you remember something. I seem to recall it was an expression recited to me by my grandmother. The string trick helped somewhat but it mostly reminded me that there was something important I needed to remember without actually helping to recall it. Now there are all kinds of techniques and devices to help one remember, everything from a pneumonic to a smart phone. While these are better systems for reminders, especially with recall, they are not perfect.
In the first reading, we encounter what may perhaps be the best memory recall device called a covenant. What is so striking here is how a minor reference is really a major encounter with God. In your mind imagine this scene: Abram is asked to sacrifice animals by to splitting them in half. Upon doing so, God puts Abram into a deep trance, during which he is enveloped by a terrifying darkness. From this darkness, a flaming torch appears and passes between the two halves of the sacrifice. “It was on this occasion that the Lord established a covenant with Abram.” (Gen 15:18)
This ritual was means to help this faith filled man to remember the covenant. The ritual suggests an encounter with Lord that must have been both scary and sacred. In the ritual both parties walked between the animal halves. This meant that both parties were willing to accept the fate of the animals if they broke the agreement. Imagine if our covenantal experiences connected us to the Lord in an equally profound way. What would our discipleship look like then? Would our hearts be on fire? Would we so easily stray from our covenant?
Being baptized certainly places us in a covenant relationship with the Lord. Receiving Communion and Confirmation are reaffirmations of this covenant. Yet even those encounters with the Lord have limited power on our abilities to embrace the covenant. Thankfully, we have a God who will never forget the covenant even if we do.
The best way to remember the covenant is to keep placing ourselves in the presence of the Lord. While each of us connect with God in our own way, the end result is faithful discipleship. We need to remember our mission statement: to think, talk and act like Jesus.
-Michael Montgomery