As we commemorate the passing of Fr Jean-Claude Colin on the 15th of November 1875, Faustino Ferrari, SM shares a reflection on the act of remembrance.

Remembering

It has become common to rely on electronic calendars, automatic social media notifications, and planners to remember an important date or event. Without these “aids”, we risk forgetting or letting the memory fade within moments.

Every religious experience needs time. A life marked by haste is a life that struggles with - and closes itself off from - religious experience. Haste is the enemy of memory. If we want to remember, we must give ourselves time. We must stop. We must allow ourselves moments of pause. We need slowness. We need time to reflect and meditate. As we grow older, this slowness and time for reflection can become a gift, allowing us to appreciate the time of remembrance.

Colin issued a call that remains relevant to every Marist: “Let them always remember that, by a free choice, they belong to the family of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God; that they derive their name as Marists from her; and that, from the beginning, they chose her as their model and as their first and perpetual superior” (Constitutions 228). Remembering the day of Father Colin’s death leads us to another remembrance: that we are called Marists. It means keeping in mind that we belong to Mary’s family. It means remembering to aspire to and constantly breathe in her spirit: “So that all who are admitted to it, remembering the family to which they belong, may understand their duty to strive to imitate the virtues of this holy Mother and, so to speak, to live by her life” (Constitutions 7). Remembering is an integral part of Marist identity. We cannot grow in the spiritual life, or become truly Marist, if we do not remember, if we do not keep memory alive.

But this is not simply about remembering an episode or event from the past. Remembering Father Colin’s death means giving expression to a memory that makes our spirituality present today. Memory, then, is neither a mere recollection of the past nor nostalgia for it; rather, it helps lay the foundations for future projects. Memory and promise are closely linked. As we remember God’s love for us, we remain faithful to his covenant. That is why, as Marists, we remember not only on the day of our Founder’s death, but every day as members of Mary’s family.

Faustino Ferrari, SM