“The Lord keeps faith forever, secures justice for the oppressed, and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets captives free. The Lord gives sight to the blind; the Lord raises up those who were bowed down. The Lord loves the just; the Lord protects strangers. The Fatherless and the widow he sustains, but the way of the wicked he thwarts.”
These statements from today’s psalm 146 remind us of God’s activity in our lives. Can we identify any of these actions in our lives during this past week, or in our past life? What effect on our lives do these memories have?
In every mass we hear the words “Do this in my memory”. We could translate this in other words “Perform this action in my memory.” To “remember” for Jesus and His disciples did not mean to reminisce, to picture in our minds a past memory…but rather to enter into God Our Father’s loving kindness for each and all of us, to remember what God has done for us, is doing for us and will do for us. “Do this in my memory” means not only continuing the Last Supper, the Death, Resurrection and Ascension of Our Lord in His Name, but continuing Christ’s love and mercy for others.
To “remember” in his way means that we believe in God’s merciful activity for those in need, and that this memory compels us to act in God’s name for others.
So…have we helped the oppressed? Given food to the hungry? Helped someone break an enslaving habit? Helped another to see the grace of God? Raised up the fallen? Protected strangers from loneliness or fear? Have we helped sustain any single parent or lonely child?
And…have we accepted our own painful emptiness and another who reaches out to help us??
Every time we say “amen” to Christ’s presence in the Holy Eucharist, we commit ourselves to pray for anyone who is in need, to help anyone who is in need, and to receive in our own needs the mercy of God from another.
“Do this in memory of me!”
Fr Paul frpaul@holyapostlescc.org
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