I have celebrated many events in my life. I can clearly rernember some of them. I have only a vague memory of others. There some events in my life that I no longer remember at all. Yet know something about those events because older people remember and tell me about them. At family parties, for example, relatives and friends may recall when I was born, my first birthday how I learned to speak or walk.

Some members of my family remember certain events in my life because they were present when the events took place. Other members of my family have only heard about them . Each person seems to remember some parts of my life more clearly than other parts.

Photographs too, keep the past alive. I may have a photograph in my room, or in my wallet, that reminds me of a good friend or a good time. Often, when someone at home finds an old family photograph in a desk drawer or in a storage carton, people are called together to look at the photograph. We talk about it and share the memories it brings hack. Even if I don?t remember anything about it, listening to what people say about the photograph tells me something about the past.

The earliest event in my life that I clearly remember is

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An event in my life that has been kept alive by my family or friends is

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The Church Remembers the Past

Just as I have inherited memories from my family, I have inherited memories from another family to which I belong. I call it the Church. For hundreds of years, the Church has preserved and passed on memories of Jesus. The Church continues to pass on its memories of Jesus today. This is how it began and was continued.

When Jesus began to teach, many people came to believe in Him. Those who truly believed in Him took His values as their own. They tried to show in their own lives that Jesus? call to love everyone meant something to them.

After Jesus? death and resurrection, many people who had known and believed in Him wanted to keep the memory of Jesus alive. Together, they formed a community in which they might live as Jesus had taught them. They shared with one another what was theirs. They prayed together. They celebrated what Jesus had done for them by His life, death, and resurrection.

Those people wanted other people to know Jesus. So they shared their memories of? Jesus with others. They told others what Jesus had taught them.

With the passing years, some of the people who had known Jesus went to live in other countries. They brought their mem ones of Jesus with them and gladly shared them with the people they came to know. Little by little, communities of believers were formed in other parts of the world. People in each of those communities preserved and passed along their memories of? Jesus.

For the first twenty or thirty years after Jesus? death, people passed on their memories of Jesus chiefly by word of mouth. Simply telling others about Jesus, however, was not enough for the people who believed in Him. How could they be certain that their memories of Jesus would live on after them? They wanted a lasting account that described who Jesus was and what He had meant to them. Slowly, they found a way. They decided to put their memories of Jesus in writing. The good news that Jesus had given them would then he preserved for everyone. In time, their writings about Jesus came to he called the gospel. The word gospel means "good news.??

The Gospel Makes the Past Present

The gospel still keeps alive people?s memories of Jesus. How is that done? Does the gospel keep people?s memories of Jesus alive by remembering what happened almost 2000 years ago? Or is there something more important than just remembering the past?

From what I have already read, I know that the gospel was written by people who believed in Jesus. It was written so that others might believe in him, too. More than anything else, the gospel writers wanted to share with others who Jesus was and what He meant to them. The message Jesus brought them was far more important to them than remembering the exact details of? the past. I can see that far myself by answering the following questions.

Whom did Jesus first call to follow Him?

In Matthew 4: I 8—22. I read that Jesus called

In Mark 1 16 - 20 1 read that Jesus calledIn Luke 5: I—Il , I read that Jesus called

In John 1:35—51. I read that Jesus called

Where did that event take place?

In Matthew 4:1 8 - 22 I read that Jesus called His first followers

In Mark 1:6—20, 1 read that Jesus called His first followers

In Luke 5: 1—11 . I read that Jesus called His first followers

In .John 1:35—51 , I read that Jesus called His first followers

From reading those accounts, do I know for certain who Jesus called as His first Apostles? Yes, No, Why, or why not?

From reading those accounts, do I know for certain where Jesus called the first Apostles? Yes, No, Why, or why not?

My answers tell me that the gospel accounts are not exactly alike in every detail. But then, the gospel writers never meant just to record historical facts. They had something more important to tell. The gospel writers wanted to share with others the memories the first Christian community had of Jesus. They wanted others to know Jesus as the early Christians had known and admired Him

What then am I to remember in the gospel accounts of Jesus calling the first Apostles? It isn?t who was called. It isn?t where the event took place

The Church's Memories of Jesus

Through this program of preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation,. my parish is helping me understand that Jesus addressed His words. "Follow me,?? to all who know him. It is helping me discover for myself what it really means to believe in Jesus and to be a follower of Jesus

How would I describe a follower of Jesus?

What does it mean to me to be a follower of Jesus?

To live as a follower of Jesus. I must know I Him as my Lord and Savior. A major way I come to know Jesus is through the liturgy The liturgy is public worship of? God and public celebration of? who Jesus is. Jesus is always present to His people in the liturgy. When we celebrate the Eucharist Jesus is among us as we honor t he Father in his name.

In Eucharistic liturgies, Jesus shares His gospel with us through the priest. What have I come to know about Jesus from listening to the gospel at Eucharistic celebrations?

What does Jesus say to us about loving God and loving our neighbor? What does Jesus ask people to do in memory of Him!

All the sacraments reveal to us the presence in the Church today of? the loving and caring Jesus. Sacraments are signs through which Jesus comes in contact with people of faith to sanctify them.

As Jesus once rejoiced with people in their happiness, He rejoices with us today. As Jesus once healed people who were ill, He heals people today. Jesus once comforted people who were troubled: He comforts people today. Jesus once forgave people who had sinned; He forgives people today.

People meet Jesus in a special way in each of? the seven sacraments. Each sacrament marks an important moment in peoples’ lives.

Jesus is present to people in the Sacrament of Confirmation
Jesus is present to people in the Eucharist
Jesus is present to people in the Sacrament of Penance
Jesus is present to people in the Sacrament of Marriage
Jesus is present to people in the Sacrament of Orders
Jesus is present to people in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick

I also come to know Jesus by knowing people who believe in Him and who live His values every day. I can see Jesus in people who live the mission He gave to His Apostles, “Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples (Matthew 28:19). How many people do I know who teach
the truths Jesus taught!

How many people do I know who live the goodness of Jesus? I might begin by thinking for a minute of my family. What are some of the ways in which they really care about me?

I might think about my friends They understand so much about my life. I can tell them when something good happens because I know they will not be jealous of me but will be happy for me. They listen to me when I
want to talk about a problem or when I ask for advice. They stand by me when I need them

What about all the other people in my life? There are many people who inspire me to live the truth and goodness of Jesus by living lives based on His truth and goodness. There are the people who help me grow in know ledge of the Lord, who make a camping trip fun or a scouting experience worthwhile. There are the people who teach skills needed in sports. There are the people who make the library an attractive and useful place.

There are the people who visit the sick and let them know they have not been forgotten. How about the people who work to improve the housing and working conditions of people who need others to help them? Could I ever really name all the ways in which people live the message of Jesus every day?!

The Church's Memories of Jesus Become My Memories

In the Sacrament of Confirmation I will celebrate the Spirit of Jesus in my life. I will choose to say. I am a follower of Jesus. The decision to step forward on the day of my Confirmation and be recognized as a follower of Jesus is mine.

How do I feel now about saying in the Sacrament of Confirmation that I am a follower of Jesus?!

What are some of the responsibilities that I will take on as a follower of Jesus?!

In what ways can I try to keep alive the Church's memories of Jesus?

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