“Do this in remembrance of me.” We hear these words every time we gather at the Table of the Lord to celebrate the Mass. The words are from Jesus and He offers them to us in the form of a command; He is not saying, for example, “if you get around to it,” or “if you have time,” or “if you want to.” That He does indeed give us this command seems to be a settled issue. But have we ever thought about what “this” is? Specifically, what is it we are commanded to do in memory of Jesus?
Some might like to think (correctly) that “this” refers to consecrating bread and wine and receiving Communion. But is that all that Jesus tells us to do in His memory?
This expression “Do this in remembrance of me” was important enough for Saint Paul that he repeats what Jesus says in his First Letter to the Corinthians (11, 23-26). He wanted the Church in Corinth (and anyone who reads his letter today) to ask the question: “What?” What are we to do? What does God want of us? How are we to remember Jesus Christ so that, in doing so, He remains present to us and He can continue His mission within and through us?
So, what is it that we are to do to remember Jesus? St. Luke’s Gospel (9, 11-17) gives us a clue … and the clue is in the verbs: Take, Bless, Break, Give. This is how we remember. This is what Jesus asks us to do: take what we are given, bless it, break it, and give it away. Which is precisely what He did at the Last Supper. We do this in the church so that we might remember what to do outside of the church. As St. Augustine said, “Receive who you are: the Body of Christ.” More and more, may we become what (whom!) we receive.
