Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion
I am doing something intentionally these days to keep my memory sharp. First, I am learning a new language. But more importantly, I am resisting letting technology do things for me that I can do myself. For example, instead of letting the cellphone dial the number, I try to memorize the number and punch it in. Instead of letting the computer fill my username and password, I do it myself. Human memory is a great gift I am trying to reclaim my memory where technology has caused us to surrender it.
Memory is critical. It is critical for the quality of human life. It is also critical when it comes to our faith. Nothing tells us the importance of our faith-memory than when at the Last Supper Jesus said, “Do this is memory of me,” or “Do this is remembrance of me.” As Catholics, to lose our faith-memory is to lose who we are – our character, our personality, our quality of life, indeed eternity itself.
As we enter Holy Week, we remember. Catholics observe an entire week as the most sacred week of the year. We do this in remembrance. When Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me,” on the one hand, he was referring to the breaking of the bread. On the other hand, the breaking of the bread captured all of salvation history. The Breaking of the Bread takes us from our first parents to Abraham to Moses, to the prophets to Jesus to Pentecost and to the faith we hold today.
Keeping our memory takes intentionality. As Catholics, Holy Week calls for a special kind of intentionality – remembering by doing. We not only recall the events of our salvation, but we relive it. This Holy Week let us keep the memory alive. There is nothing more dangerous than losing our faith-memory. For if we do, we lose everything, including our eternity. As Jesus invites us, “Do this in memory of me”
Fr. Satish Joseph