United by the Grace of Memory

WHEN SAINT IGNATIUS asks us to "call back into our memory the gifts we have received-creation, redemption, and other particular gifts-so as to ponder with deep affection how much God has done for us," he wants us to go beyond simple gratitude for all we have received. He wants to teach us to be more loving; he wants to confirm in us the commitment we have made, and this is what our memory does, for memory is a grace of the Lord's presence in our apostolic lives. The memory of the past accompanies us not as a dead weight but as a reality interpreted in the light of our present consciousness. Let us ask for the grace to recover memory: memory of our own personal journeys, memory of how the Lord sought us out, memory of our families, memory of our people. Looking back helps us to be more alert in perceiving the force of God's word: "Recall those earlier days when, after you had been enlightened, you endured a hard struggle with sufferings" (Heb 10: 32). "Remember your leaders, those who spoke the word of God to you; consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith" (Heb 13: 7). This memory saves us from being "led away by all kinds of strange teachings," and it strengthens our hearts (Heb 13: 9).

MEMORY OF THE PEOPLES. Peoples have memory, just as persons do. Humankind also has a common memory. In the face of the Mataco Indian is the living memory of a suffering race. In the voice of the poor folk of La Rioja is Saint Nicholas. Bishop Tavella used to recount that in a town of his diocese he once found a simple man praying with tremendous concentration. After the man had remained in intense prayer a long while, the bishop was impressed and asked him what he was praying. The man answered, "The catechism. " It was the catechism of Saint Toribio of Mogrovejo. The memory of the peoples is not a computer but a living heart. Like Mary, the people "treasure all these things" in their hearts. The covenant of the people of Salta with the Lord of the Miracle, the Tincunaco, and all the other religious manifestations of the faithful are a spontaneous blossoming of their collective memory. It's all there: Spaniard and Indian, missionary and conquistador, Spanish colonization and racial assimilation. The same thing happens here in Buenos Aires. The people who have come from the interior seeking work go to Luján, as do the immigrants coming to work on the América-but the unifying element is always the same: la Virgencita, the dear Virgin, symbol of our nation's spiritual unity, deeply rooted in the memory of our people.