Forgetting and remembering are two very special gifts that God has given us. Forgetting is a gift. For instance, we do not remember the pain when our mothers bore us at birth. Even our mothers only vaguely remember that pain, but babies don’t remember it at all. It is God’s way of protecting the baby from the memory of that unbearable pain.
Forgetfulness is also good. For things that are so unpleasant and become burdens to carry, God gives us the gift to forget. Remembering is also a gift. If we could not remember, life would be very miserable. Imagine, every day of your life, you have to be taught how to brush your teeth; you have to be taught how to cook the egg; you have to be taught how to put on your shoes because you keep forgetting how to do these activities necessary for daily living. What a miserable life. Imagine that even to think that the teacher will forget it also. Now what happens to us?
The gift of forgetting is a gift from the Lord. The gift of remembering is also a gift from the Lord. The Gospel and the First Reading show us these two gifts. The gift to remember is also the gift to forget. In the First Reading, we are reminded by the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “I will never forget you,” the Lord says. “I will always remember you,” the Lord says. The Lord also says, “I will forget all your sins. I will not keep a record of your sins. I will wipe out all your sins.” And so it is with the Lord Jesus. The Lord will never forget us. The Lord always remembers us but He does not remember our sins because God is rich in mercy.
We use our gift of forgetting and remembering for the wrong motivations. We remember what we are not supposed to remember and we forget what we are not supposed to forget. Let us not forget the goodness of God. Let us forget our faults, failures, and temptations and entrust ourselves to that loving compassion of our merciful God.
Forgive and forget – we say and hear that said. We must also keep on remembering – remember what you have to remember, forget what you have to forget. Do not mix up the two.
FORGET AND REMEMBER
Jn. 5:31-47
Love Like Jesus
