So much of our lives as Christians is based on memories. The holy scriptures, of course, are the inspired memories of those who witnessed the history of the Jewish people, the life and passion of Christ, and the early days of the church. Many Christian denominations recall Jesus’ last supper with his followers by celebrating the Eucharist or Holy Communion. We do this, as scripture encourages us, “in memory” of him.
But so, too, do our own memories matter. When we remember the early days of our faith — whether as children or adults — we can see how much we have grown in relationship with God. And that growth is crucial to having a mature faith. Think of it this way: If our relationships with our spouses or other loved ones never grew stronger over the years, we would think something was wrong. We would want more. And yet, sometimes we remain complacent in our faith. We don’t push ourselves to “more” or “closer” with God for any number of reasons. Sometimes it may be just because we forget to remember where we have come from and neglect to consider how much further we could go if we only reached out to God.
Ask yourself in silence: What are my first memories of faith? What are the first precepts I learned? How much has my faith and my understanding of God changed over the years? Am I happy with my spiritual growth?
Ah! Memories!
How lovely were the days of innocence,. . . and learning about the faith :
Basic catechism; Stories of the Visitation:- Mary on donkey(?), with Joseph leading her on foot; hilly terrain; lurking brigands?…and it was a joy to colour such pictures…!
Then the ‘gigantic’ Redemptorist priests from Australia, dressed in black with crucifixes at their waists, preaching with their booming voices, when they came a-visiting, on Mission! The lovely hymns at Mass, Latin, at that (!), the gentle Marian hymns during Novenas….. aah, how lovely the days when we were young!
AND, we must have grown, . . to love the things of God, to search for Him, who has been eluding me …until I found my ‘neighbour’… to desire Him – his Body, Blood and SOUL, yes Anima Christi.
It had been long in coming…but now that I have found Him, I am not just about to let Him go!
Thanks Steve,
Anthony.
How often we need to be reminded of how important it is to work on our relationship with God. How comforting this relationship is. It is like no other feeling. I pray today that everyday I put forth effort in this relationship. The rewards are so comforting. Lord, help me to always work on my relationship with you. You are my good feeling, my trust, my courage. With you Lord I am not alone. Thank you for this daily page to encourage my spiritual growth.
When I was a young girl in grade school, the nuns taught about a punishing God, and I thought that if I was always “good”, life would always go well for me. I don’t remember much about Jesus. We had to memorize questions and answers each day and recite them. I don’t think I had much understanding back then. For a lot of years I tried to live my Catholic faith with that education, which went through 8th grade. I was a “lost soul” for awhile. That all changed forever because God kept calling to me. In 1986 I made a Cursillo, and felt the love of Jesus for the first time. WOW! I took home a desire to know our God better, love Him more, and to respond with action. I’ve been growing in that faith and love ever since. God calls each of us in that way, and all we have to do is answer that call. My yearning runs deep, and God is drawing me closer each day.
Judy
Thanks, Judy, for this memory. Someone once told me, “if we’re not growing in our relationship with God, we’re doing something wrong…” Keep growing!
My trust, my courage…love that.
Hold on, Anthony, and God will strengthen our grip….