Reflection - Remembrance

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/081421.cfm
Joshua 24:14-29
Matthew 19:13-15

When Moses died the leadership was handed over to Moses’ chosen, Joshua. It was he, not Moses who lead the Israelites across the Jordan by way of the path the Lord had made through the river’s waters. It was Joshua who was the commander for the siege and fall of Jericho. It was also Joshua who led the people in the conquest of the Promised Land.

Now the city of Shechem referred to in the text was a city located about half way between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and south of the Sea of Galilee. It effectively became the Israelites’ first capital. According to our current reading, it was here that Joshua gathered the tribes to restate once again necessity for the people’s commitment to the Covenant made at Sinai. As we can tell from the text, he did not sugar-coat what was expected.

Fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely.
Cast out the gods your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt.
Serve the LORD.

But, says Joshua, don’t pretend!

The people respond with a conviction that you can only pray is genuine. In doing so they recount what God has done for them.

It was the LORD, our God, who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, out of a state of slavery.
He performed those great miracles before our very eyes
[He] protected us along our entire journey and among all the peoples through whom we passed.
At our approach the LORD drove out all the peoples, including the Amorites who dwelt in the land.

In an age where the printing press was missing and books or scrolls were not common, people relied on memory to preserve their history. The past was more than just remembered; it was kept alive throughout subsequent years by regular and faithful renewal in word and deed. The events that comprised the Exodus from Egypt are recounted over and over in the books of the Old Testament. Inevitably the stories are told from the same perspective: the Lord did this for us. Not for them. Not for our ancestors. Not for our fathers or grandfathers or forefathers, but for us — those of us living, all here today. We maintain a bit of that in the present day with such celebrations as the 4th of July and Memorial Day. Yet, even these events are dubious reminders of the events celebrated, year after year falling a little further into the generic category called ‘national holiday’. Many citizens have no idea why these celebrations began or what they commemorate.

In the liturgy we celebrate in the Biblical style, though that is seldom explained. In this perspective the Eucharist is a remembrance, done at the Lord’s command: “Do this in remembrance of me.” The sacrifice, the Passover from life to death and the Passover from death to life, the Resurrection, are kept alive through all subsequent generations by this regular and faithful celebration in word and deed. In our faith the past is not dead; it’s not even past.

It would seem important that, in our own personal lives, this same pattern of remembrance should be regularly and frequently repeated. There are some advantages to aging. One is the possibility for a more discerning perspective regarding the events of one’s life. The further one advances through the years, the more accurate is the adage: “Hindsight is 20/20. Consequently, the Spirit’s gentle, though often persistent hand, is more clearly seen with the passage of time. Disappointments may finally reveal themselves as thankfully unrealized errors. Apparent chance may be revealed as an unexpected blessing. Delights may be reveal in their genuine ugliness.

In the ideal world we would not have to wait for age to offer its pinnacle for perspective. We would recognize the Spirit’s guidance all along the way; and we would not have to wait to be able to perceive what the Lord has done for us to bring us to the point where we are today. Still, I doubt that anyone would need to wait for advancement in age to recognize the Lord’s guiding hand. If we are with him now, he has brought us to this time and place. That much is given.

Remember the events, the surprising bits of ‘chance,’ the heart-felt revelation of the holy and the unmasking of the ugly. At some point, these were the gentle hand of divine love drawing you closer. They were all done for you now, the YOU living here.