"JESUS, REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM"(Lk.23:42
When someone in great difficulty begs to be remembered, one is basically asking for mercy and kindness.
No matter how accomplished we have become in life, we all need to be remembered. God understands this need of ours. He assures us by saying:"Can a woman forget her infant, so as not to have pity on the son of her womb?And if she should forget, yet will not I forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee in my hands"(Isaias 49:15-16)
It takes humility to ask to be remembered and to be cared for. It is really an admission of helplessness and vulnerability.
Similarly, it takes compassion and love to remember.
Weak and dying on the cross, Jesus begs His Father not to forget Him:"My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?"(Mt.27, 46).
To the thief who asked to be remembered, Jesus said:Today, you shall be with me in paradise"(Lk.23:43). More than remembering, the Lord promised him the kingdom.
Together with our need to be remembered is the kind gesture of remembering. Writing letters, making phone calls, sending Emails, visiting friends…all these are our way of saying that we remember as we ought to. Remembering is a powerful force that forges relationships, builds communities and creates a place to belong.
At the last supper Jesus asked his disciples to remember Him:"Do this in memory of me"(Lk.22:19). Each time we celebrate the Eucharist, we are in effect saying to Jesus:"Yes, Lord we do remember... yes Lord, you are always part of us, just as You have made us part of You" To remember is to be grateful. When we keep in mind how Jesus suffered and died for us, our hearts will be filled with utmost appreciation and praise for Him for his selfless love.