Monday, May 24, 2010
The power of remembrance…
I can recall growing up and attending family celebrations with relatives that I hadn’t seen for several years. They frequently started out a conversation with me with the words “I can remember you when you were”…so little, so thin or looked more angelic. I almost dreaded to hear that word “remember”. It seemed to me as a teenager to take on a sense of hollowness – a time past, devoid of any real current meaning. A time finished – completed - to be forgotten. And yet now as I have grown older the word – “remember” has taken on a new sense of appreciation, worthiness, and sacredness.
Jesus at the Last Supper told his disciples –…“do this in remembrance of Me”. The crucified thief as he hung next to Jesus on the cross said…-“remember me when you are in your kingdom”. The third Commandment tells us to “remember to keep holy the Sabbath”. Remembering someone or something is a true gift of selflessness, an appreciation to and for someone, coupled with a sincere prayer of thankfulness.
As a country, that “remembrance” is most especially celebrated on Memorial Day. It is on that Day we weave the threads of our faith and the threads of our national values into a most brilliant and shining tapestry of – “remembrance”.
It is through the reverence and respect that we have in the celebration of the Mass within our cemetery grounds that we show our reverence and respect to all who are buried in the cemeteries of the Archdiocese of Chicago, especially the men and women of the Armed Forces who gave their lives in service to our country. This powerful spirit of “remembrance” endures because it is enveloped in love, care and concern.
We invite you to join us as we celebrate Mass at the Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese on Memorial Day – Monday – May 31st. For exact times and locations, please visit: www.catholiccemeterieschicago.org