Remember…

In his novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez writes about a strange disease that slowly infiltrated the old village of Macondo from somewhere in the surrounding swamp. It was a form of insomnia that attacks the whole town. The initial effect is the inability of people to sleep, although the villagers do not feel any bodily fatigue at all. A more critical effect than that slowly comes about is the loss of memory. Gradually the victims realize they can no longer remember or recall the past. Soon they find that they cannot remember the name or the meaning of the simplest things used every day.

Those of you have had loved ones who have battled Alzheimer’s Disease, know how heartbreaking loss of memory can be. Of course, there are things in each of our lives that we would rather forget, but for the most part, our memories are a huge gift. They connect us with friends and family across great spans of distance and time. They allow us to experience the warmth of summer amid a cold winter, and they offer us an opportunity to not duplicate past mistakes and failures. Our memories also root us in vital traditions that add meaning and depth to our lives.

During the Last Supper, when Jesus told his disciples, “Do this in remembrance of me,” he was offering them hope. And through their memories, he was offering hope to the generations to come. Remember my life. Remember my sacrifice. Remember my love.

Remember…

Let us pray: Today we remember friends and loved ones near and far. We thank you for the good times we have shared – for laughter and for tears. And we thank you that in Jesus we have a reminder of your love for us – a love that is with us even to the end of the ages. Amen.