The verses we read for the responsorial psalm today are overflowing words of praise and adoration of the Lord. However, if we check the opening verses of this particular psalm, we hear those ominous words, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet the psalmist works through his emotions and his pain and arrives at these words: “To him my soul shall live; my descendants shall serve him. Let the coming generation be told of the LORD that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the justice he has shown.” How did this remarkable change in attitude happen? The answer is quite simple and can be found in verses five and six of the psalm. After expressing his feelings of abandonment, the psalmist remembers: “In you our fathers trusted; they trusted and you rescued them.”
Memory plays an essential role in our faith. Remembering what Jesus did for us, remembering the faith of our ancestors, and remembering all that God has done for us personally are all essential elements for a person who believes.
St. Paul includes a beautiful hymn in the Letter to the Philippians that tells the story of Jesus in six short verses. Jesus chose to be human, died for us, and, as a consequence was exalted by the Father. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we remember what Jesus did for us.
The Gospel story of the banquet and those who fail to attend is another reminder. Accepting the invitation is only part of our response. We must also show up. This means we have to not only remember what Jesus did for us, we must also be servants as he was a servant. By dying to ourselves and living in Christ, we receive the gift of eternal life. We confess that Jesus is our Lord, the master of the banquet.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator