The Gospel Against Forgetfulness: Saint Bridget and the Memory that Saves”

“The Gospel Against Forgetfulness: Saint Bridget and the Memory that Saves”Remember the whole journey that the Lord your God has led you on.”— Deuteronomy 8:2

Feast of St. Bridget of Sweden
Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15 / Ps 78 / Matthew 13:1-9

There is no hope without remembrance

The book of Exodus takes its name from a Greek word that captures the exit or departure of the Hebrew people from the land of slavery in Egypt. I would argue that the book might also be called the Book of Forgetting or the Book of Dementia. It is remarkable how many times the people forget what the Lord God has just done for them. Our passage today comes from the 16^th chapter following upon the miraculous passage through the Red Sea and the destruction of their enemies—one might say their salvation—a hymn of praise to God for this great deed. The people then instantly forget about their salvation and start grumbling about their lack of good water—again God provides. In chapter 16, the people forget both of these great deeds and complain and despair once more. The Lord God in His goodness remembers them and provides for their needs. When the people forget, they despair and complain. Remembering is the key to hope and all that this great virtue has to offer.

Remembering is instrumental to hope

 As you all know, we are in the middle of the Jubilee Year of Hope inaugurated by the late Pope Francis. It is something that the Church in the contemporary world certainly needs. To grow in hope partially comes through a growth in gratitude and remembering. This can be remembering the good things that we have received personally or the good things that have happened in salvation history. Our daily celebration of the Eucharist is built around remembering: the anamnesis—the memory of Christ’s self-offering on the Cross, his conquering of sin and death, his resurrection, and ascension into heaven.

Remembering the experience of the early Church also reminds us that it is the same all-good God who gives fruitfulness to the preaching and works of evangelization. When we think of the challenges that lie before us, when we think about cultural trajectories, or when we become nostalgic for what used to be, we enter the desert of forgetfulness of God’s deeds. Our efforts may not be instantly successful—even the wheat in the Gospel that produced 100 fold did not do this overnight—but we can be confident that God has not forgotten his people. We can remember and be preachers of hope.