This week we Lectio the Liturgy with the Collect for the Sixth Sunday of Easter.
Grant, Almighty God, that we may celebrate with heartfelt devotion these days of joy, which we keep in honor of the risen Lord, and that what we relive in remembrance we may always hold to in what we do. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
We find some wonderful phrases in this week’s prayer, such as heartfelt devotion, days of joy, and risen Lord.
Our devotion to the Faith and to the Sacraments should always be heartfelt. When we pray, whether on our own or at Mass, our prayer should always be intentional and from the heart because it does make a difference when we enter into prayer with both, our heart and mind.
When we pray about these days of joy, used here, the word joy means a gift of the Holy Spirit, it does not mean emotion. It is not a feeling, and doesn’t mean that we pretend everything and every day is perfect. We have the gift of joy because of the risen Lord. In this world we will have trouble, but a troubled heart can still be filled with joy because of the victory of Jesus’ Resurrection.
As I meditated on this prayer, I came to realize that heartfelt devotion and days of joy are ours when we relive in remembrance.
The Greek for the word for memory, or remembrance, is anamnésis. Just a quick glance at that work might make you think that it looks like the word amnesia. In fact, it is the opposite. Amnesia means to forget, anamnésis means to remember.
When God tells us to remember, it’s not just a surface-level reminder. We are called to actually relive it. The Greek definition of anamnésis even specifies that this remembrance is done to better appreciate the effects, or the intended results, of what took place.
As I pondered the difference between amnesia and anamnésis, what came to me was that in the remembering, God wants this event so etched in our mind, heart, and soul, that even if we had amnesia, we would still remember His saving work of salvation for us.
When He set the Israelites free from slavery, we learn that the last plague that was inflicted was the death of the firstborn son. In order for the household to be passed over by the angel of death, that household must sacrifice a perfect lamb. It’s blood must be on the door posts, it must be roasted and eaten while the family was still standing, ready to depart. This kind of event is something that we couldn’t even imagine happening today. Its magnitude and how God used it to free His people from slavery, was so important to God that He commanded the people to remember that day every year. He wanted this event to be a part of them.
In the Eucharistic prayers of the Mass, as we recall the sacrifice of Jesus, we hear, “Do this in memory of Me.” These words are also found in Luke 22:19, where we read, “This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.”
Just like the Israelites, a Lamb was slain for us so we could be freed from slavery. It’s a big deal. It’s so big that God commands us to remember, or relive in our hearts and minds, what Jesus has done for us. God wants this event to become a part of us, too.
And here we find one of our greatest challenges: being intentional in our remembrance. Perhaps a good starting point would be something as simple as asking ourselves one question when we get to Mass, “Why am I here?” The Mass is heaven coming to earth, the supernatural breaking into the natural. It is Jesus, making Himself physically present to us.
Our remembrance won’t be perfect and that’s okay. We only need to start.