Our first reading from Paul’s 2nd letter to Timothy begins with these words: “Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead.” Remembering Jesus was important for the members of the early Church: remembering what Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ministry were all about, remembering what connection he had to their current lives of faith. The act of remembering is central to the way we live out our faith, as we remember those who formed us in our faith. My maternal grandmother died many years before I was born, but I remember her from stories that were told to me throughout my lifetime, how her strong faith in Christ was passed down to me even though I never met her. We remember the saints who lives of faith are testimonies and witnesses to us. I was reading the list of saints for the month of June, and included in that list is Blessed Robert Salt, a Carthusian monk who refused to let his monastery be shut down by King Henry VIII when he shut down monasteries and convents in England after he established the Church of England. Robert Salt was starved to death, being one of 18 monks in central London in the London Charterhouse monastery who died from 1535 to 1540 by either execution or starvation. Though these deaths for the faith occurred more than 500 years ago, they stand as a testimony to us today, especially as our own religious liberties are under attack.
We remember many things in our faith. The act of remembering is very important to us. May we continue to remember.
No comments:
Post a Comment