Dear all,

As I write this at the end of October we are about to enter the time of the year that has a particular emphasis on memory. In the very beginning of November, we observe All Souls’ Day when we remember those who have gone before us, especially the recently departed. Soon after, we ‘remember, remember the 5^th of November’ and enjoy firework displays and bonfires. Then comes Remembrance Sunday, a time to remember those who lost their lives in the two World Wars and later conflicts. This year in Whorlton, there is another event that celebrates memory. On the afternoon of Sunday 10^th November, after our morning acts of Remembrance, parishioners and anyone who has a connection with Whorlton or who is curious about history are invited to share their memories of living in Whorlton, as well as any old photos or letters, to be recorded for posterity.

Memory clearly is at the heart of all of these events but it can also be taken for granted, especially as we do most of these things every year. We have certain individual memories and we can collectively recall memories that are not ours through participating in events, but the power of memory is rarely recognised.  And yet, I would say it is miraculous what memory can do.

An act of remembering something or someone in the present moment essentially requires us to bring the past into the present. So, in the moment of remembering, that which we remember becomes alive again. As we remember those who have gone when we sit in the pews at the All Souls’ service, our memory of them brings them into the present, so they can sit there with us. As we look at photographs that are decades old when we come along to the Whorlton memory day, the people we look at are alive again for as long as we are looking at them.

But in addition to the resurrective power of memory there is also a unifying power. We often participate in acts of remembrance together. This is certainly true of Remembrance Sunday, when the whole country goes quiet at 11.00am. Sharing in a common collective memory brings us closer to each other. One of the most powerful but also easily overlooked ways we do this is through celebrating the Eucharist every week. Jesus told us to ‘do this in remembrance of him’, and this is what we do – we remember him. And so, through reenacting a common memory, aided by the liturgy of the Eucharist, we are brought into communion with one another while also bringing Jesus to life each time we gather around His table. Such is the power of memory.

Ana