In November, the Church especially remembers those who have died and prays for them. I always kind of thought the praying part was most important, but in my All Souls’ Day homily I reflected on how important and holy it is to remember. I share some scripture passages with comments.
First, God remembers and never forgets us: But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you. See, upon the palms of my hands I have engraved you. (Isaiah 49:14–16)
If we pray that God remembers us, good things can happen! Just look at the good thief’s request to Jesus:
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:42–43)
The biggest moments of biblical salvation history all come with themes of remembrance:
The Exodus of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, God gave instructions to Moses on the Passover to be remembered:
“This day will be a day of remembrance for you, which your future generations will celebrate with pilgrimage to the Lord; you will celebrate it as a statute forever. (Exodus 12:14)
The birth of Jesus was particularly remembered by Mary:
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. (Luke 2:19)
And of course, the biggest is at Jesus’ last supper and what we do at each Mass:
For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23–25)
St. Paul noted in most all of his letters how he remembered those he was writing to:
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in proclaiming the gospel of his Son, that I remember you constantly, always asking in my prayers that somehow by God’s will I may at last find my way clear to come to you. (Romans 1:9–10)
My conclusion is that remembering is important and holy! I think one could consider remembering a form of prayer —especially if we remember God at the same time we remember people and events. So let us prayerfully remember often, especially in November, those who have died. Perhaps we could pray for them a Memorare “Remember, O Most gracious Virgin Mary…”