1st Lent We remember...

Every sickness and disease can have its devastation. One that perplexes and affects so many is dementia. When someone we love loses memory; forgets who they are, who we are; it can hurt. I listened to a podcast about this, and the spirituality around this, and the question was, what if the person forgets God? And the simple answer is that, it is no matter, God never forgets the person; God always remembers.

God always remembers us.

We remember in different ways. We remember with nostalgia; calling to mind days and events from the past, usually overlooking the bad stuff and remembering the good and fun. Nostalgia elicits warm feelings, like remembering hot chocolate on a cold winter day with people we loved.

We also remember to make real today what has happened. We remember to induce gratitude, change, and to remain strong. We remember how we felt out of shape, so we go to the gym. We remember how people supported us for college, so we work to get our degree.

We also remember to remember who we are. The People of Israel remembered in this way. Jesus remembered in this way.

As we read the Old Testament, a constant theme to the people of Israel was to remember who they were as God’s People, and to remember all that God had done for them. Israel, when they forgot themselves and God would always get into trouble.

Remember at Jesus’ baptism; the voice that came from Heaven: You are my beloved Son..” The identity of Jesus was revealed for us, to us.  Then the Spirit of God pushes Jesus into the desert; Jesus confronts the temptation to forget his identity; tempted to place his identity into other things, other ideas, other ways. Jesus remembers who he is; Jesus remembers he is the Son of God first and foremost, nothing else takes precedence.  Jesus will always remember who he is; that will be his strength by which he healed, he forgave, he welcomed, by which we trusted in God and gave of himself on the Cross.

To remember is life. To remember is to be mindful we are loved.

We are children of God, we are so loved by God. God knows us completely through and through. God never forgets us; God always remembers us.  When we remember this; we find life!

Sr. Marie Veritas of the Sisters of Life made this comment, and I paraphrase it “A [person] who knows [he or she] is loved can do anything.”  When any of us remembers we are loved, that God sees the goodness within us, we can do anything. (And conversely, when we love).  

Parents amaze me, my own included. How our mom & dad put up with 7 of us, with little resources… Parents, with love, give for those kids, working to provide, to encourage. Not the easiest job. Yet, when there is love, all things are possible.

Love empowers us to forgive. We all have the capacity to forgive, when we remember this capacity, then our will to forgive becomes empowered.

Love empowers us to accept and welcome! Sr. Veritas in her comments was talking about working with people to help them see their options in life, especially with pregnancy. When the world tells them they are limited by the pregnancy, the Sisters of Life show them respect and show them options, without prejudice.  When we remember God loves all, no matter what, we too can welcome anyone into our community, walk with them, listen to their unique story; and hear God at work in them and in us.

When we remember we are loved by God, no matter what,  there is no need to prove it, no need to earn it, neither from God or any other person. The only need will be to live out that goodness.

The proof again comes back to Jesus and the Eucharist. Humanity killed the Son of God, God gave him back to us; he brought peace and reconciliation; this reality becomes very real in our Eucharist.

We come here to Remember.  We come here to be remembered, and to be loved.  We go forth to make that love real in a world that can forget about love.