In the days of Moses, the people lived as nomads. That is to say, they moved around. Usually following the herds to wherever the grass was greener. As nomadic people they kept limited possessions because they had to carry all their belongings as they moved about. That means that they didn’t have garages, storage sheds, attics, walk-in closets, and basements.
At the moment that lifestyle sounds very attractive to me. I have lots of STUFF. Having moved frequently has made me very aware that I am not a person who comes to the nomadic lifestyle easily. I am a saver. I keep anything that has value, or that might one day, down the road, have value. I also keep anything that triggers a positive memory or nostalgic reflection. There is my father’s old recliner which wore out 10 years ago, but I just add another screw and sit in it to read the paper. There’s an entire collection of teacups that no one with fingers my size could ever drink from; after all my thumb fits better in the cup than in the handle…but my mother gave them to me, and I treasure them. I have boxes of photos and a fishing pole that hasn’t seen a worm in over 20 years, a baseball glove that hasn’t caught a ball in 30 years. I have lots of stuff.
The stuff I have says something about where I have been, and who I have been there with. My stuff tells a lot about my family and friends, and I am not so willing to let go of those memories and those people. Without that history and those people, I wouldn’t be here. In some way I am the culmination of that stuff, I thank God He has blessed me as He has and when the time comes, I will leave it like all of us do.
As Christians we have thousands of years of “stuff” that helps us remember who we are and where we came from. We have “stuff” that reminds us of people who helped shape the people we have become. There is the Paschal candle to help us remember that we too are redeemed people. There is the altar that reminds us of the many patriarchs and matriarchs that worshipped God by gathering around altars all over the face of the earth. There are the sacraments of Eucharist and Baptism, which among other things, have been the reason families gather and celebrate as Families. And there is the cross which reminds us that there is always someone who loves us even when we are not thinking of Him.
I would invite those of you who haven’t taken the time to “rummage around” in the “old stuff” to come in any time and check out what I am talking about. Touch, taste, and see if there isn’t something you may have forgotten…memories too important to let go, a treasure you have forgotten you had. In fact, Jesus tells us to “do this for the remembrance of me.”
Father Bill Myrick
