Memory is an amazing, fragile and mysterious gift. Although it is generally trustworthy, it sometimes fails us. Perhaps you've failed to remember an important detail at a critical moment. Maybe we’re finding that our memory is not what it used to be. We are quick to blame our memory for its ineptitude, scorning this wonderful gift of God.
The disciples in today's gospel remembered that the Scriptures and Jesus himself had announced his Resurrection, words they only understood afterwards. Thanks to their memory, they gained a better understanding of Jesus, the One who is, who was, and who is to come.
Some questions for reflection: What is my relationship with my memory? How does my memory help me better understand God, myself and the world around me? Do I believe in God's power to transform my understanding of memories that, even today, remain mysterious, difficult and painful?
We can end with the Suscipe, a prayer of abandonment written by St. Ignatius:
Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. To Thee, O lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. Give me Thy love and thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.