Do This in Remembrance
Excerpt from Luke 22:14-23
“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
Reflection by Martin B. Copenhaver
When I hear Jesus say, “Do this in remembrance of me,” I often think of fishing, of all things. Although I have fished throughout my life, it still strikes me as a most unlikely endeavor.
But fishing means something else to me. You see, I used to fish with my father and everything about it reminds me of him. The sound of the tackle box when I carry it. The smell of the box when I open it. The distant splash of the lure after a good, long cast.
So, soon after my father died, I went fishing. I could have spent the afternoon talking about my father, telling stories, reading old letters. But in some mysterious and real way, this was something more. If our memories are profound, they simply outgrow words and one longs for something more than a story, something that looks and feels more like life itself. That is, one wants to do something. Do this in remembrance. Do this because you remember. Do this in order to remember.
Jesus obviously knew how important it would be for his followers to have something more than stories to tell after he is gone. So he gave them something to do in remembrance, and what he chose was a simple meal, something they had shared many times, and would share many times after he is gone.
Prayer
Blessed Jesus, when we eat the bread and drink the cup, may we remember, and more: may we be drawn into your living presence once again.
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