This weekend is Memorial Day Weekend, when we remember all of the sacrifices made for our freedom. We remember, and so we cherish the great gift of this nation, now entrusted to our generation, for us to keep alive and carry forward. By remembering the sacrifices made on our behalf, we keep that memory alive.

 

This weekend as we spend time appreciating the great gift of the Living Bread that Jesus shares with us, we are also focused on memory, on remembrance. Jesus teaches, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (Jn 6:51). That beautiful promise is our focus leading up to Corpus Christi.

 

On the evening of the Last Supper, when Jesus was celebrating the Passover with His disciples, He deviated from the typical Passover meal. He changed the ritual to include a special plate and special cup. Luke (22:14-20) recounts the moment with clarity and rhythm. Jesus tells the brothers to do this in memory of Him. And this ritual meal, celebrated together, is to really make Him present, not unlike how the secular holiday of Memorial Day keeps alive the memories of the sacrifices that have gone before us. When we celebrate the Lord’s supper, we remember and we really make Him present. We bring Him forward in space through time to the present from Cenacle, Calvary and the empty tomb.

Paul further emphasizes the remembrance piece as he recounts the tradition handed down from the apostles to the present day: “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.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until He comes” (1 Cor 11:23–26). In that moving recounting of the Eucharistic narrative, we witness the emphasis on memory, bringing the past to bear on the present, while also looking forward to the fulfillment of the promise when He comes. 

This weekend we are also celebrating Pentecost - lots to celebrate this week! Pentecost is the culmination of these Easter days and the arrival of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Paraclete. With His coming, the nascent Church receives the powerful booster shot she needs to fulfill the great commissioning we heard last week (see: Mt 28:16-20). Jesus has long-prepared His disciples for the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Way back at the Last Supper, He told them: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you” (Jn 14:26). Notice again the power of memory, of being reminded by the Spirit of all the important things we need to keep ever-present with us.

 

So this weekend we focus our attention on memory and remembrance, keeping alive what Jesus handed on to us, and recognizing that in the Living Bread, we really make Him present. At every Mass, we call down the Holy Spirit to sanctify the gifts of bread and wine. Today we pray - Come Holy Spirit and renew the face of the earth! Amen.