Remembering God’s goodness
In June 1999 Time Magazine published a special edition with the title “Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.” Among the most important persons to be chosen for this prestigious magazine was Anne Frank. This 13-year-old Jewish girl from Amsterdam was a victim of the Nazi Holocaust. While her family went into hiding in a secret attic of her father’s office building for two years, she wrote a diary which made her world famous after her death. In it she recorded her secrets. She revealed her heart and her soul; every detail of her routine day after day. Her father, the only survivor of the family, found the diary and published it in 1952 after the war as “The Diary of a Young Girl.” The Diary of Anne Frank is a classic that has been praised for its literary merits. As one writer put it: she “lent a searing voice to the fight for human dignity.” Through her diary, her pain and suffering were not lost.
Memory is very important for the Jews. They believe that memory has allowed them to last through thousands of years of history. Throughout the Pentateuch, two words are often repeated by Moses in teaching the people of Israel: “remember” and “do not forget.” In fact they were commanded to remember – the Sabbath, Exodus, the Covenant. Forgetting the goodness and mighty deeds of God is tantamount to sacrilege!
Until today the Jews continue to remember. The wall above the eternal flame in the Hall of Remembrance of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC has this inscription: “Only guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw and lest these things depart your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children and to your children’s children” (Deuteronomy 4:9). Baal Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidim taught, “Forgetfulness leads to exile while remembrance is the secret of redemption.”
Jesus also wanted his disciples to remember him. He instituted the Eucharist as a memorial of his sacrifice on calvary. On Holy Thursday, at the Last Supper, Jesus took bread and a cup which he changed into his body and blood and commanded them: “Do this in memory of Me.” The Holy Mass is the perpetual memorial of the love of Jesus for humankind. The disciples kept this memory of Jesus alive. It is this continual remembrance that brings us afresh to our redemption and rekindles our love. It renews our courage and gives us proper perspective despite the absurdity of our situation. Our faith enables us to dare and hope.
One of our models in treasuring what God has done for us is Mary. In scriptures we are told, that “she kept all these things in hear heart.” We have no record that Mary kept a diary. But it is clear that her heart was where she stored up important learning and discoveries. She treasured the memory of Jesus. She continually meditated on the messages of God for her life. Through them she became obedient to God’s will.
It is my belief that our life is like a mosaic. We understand it better when all the parts fall in place. The pattern, the design becomes visible when seen at a distance. Thus there are no “accidents” that happen because there is nothing out of place in the overall design of the Master. Each color, each event contributes to the form of Christ within me. And day after day, God is carving his initials in my life such that remembering is the experience of joy that God is not done with me yet.
