Memorials

This date in our annual series continues accents on memorials for improved conduct.  The meaning of memorials is to remember something good for mankind in general; identified with a person or persons, a movement, a sacrifice, an ideal, an event, and meant to retain memory for the context to stimulate future human performance for sacrifice, progress, growth, and affirmation of ideals in areas represented in the memorials.  The greatest memorial related to the history of mankind to a person is the physical church, a living memorial to the meaning of Jesus Christ whose ministry of a thousand days is now recalled for human thought, faith and conduct. It is an institution that is verified in both membership and attendees by more than two billion persons, and from which the most accented of holidays (Sundays) in the history of the world is formed.  It is so significant that no movement can erase it, or replace it.  It can be reduced or enlarged in public attention, but it maintains the major meaning of its existence – to draw attention to the teachings and meaning of Jesus Christ to all mankind.  The memorial has become so extensive that time and calendar in the West are partly formed by it.  Nothing matches it.  It is understandable and easily accepted by those believing in the memorial and mysterious or mythical for those who don’t believe.  However, it achieves the desired purpose – to keep alive for all generations the life, ministry and sacrifice for the greatest of all ideals in Jesus Christ for the hope of immortality as followup to mortality.

Recent to this writing the Catholic Cardinals elected to the Papal Chair the man, Pope Francis.  He has begun his administration with significant changes accenting a less regal pattern for the clergy, a greater accent on the needs of the poor, and a general shake-up of matters related to the Catholic Church, laity and clergy.  So inspiring has been the approach that it has reduced some of the rightful anger of sexual abuse found in some priests.  (From time to time sexual scandal has risen relative to clergy in the Protestant Church but not as widely reported.) The Pope was named Man of the Year by Time magazine for 2013, an honor that may serve the embattled church well, and likely a modest memorial that will be remembered for purpose in years to come.  Had the current Pope’s approach been standard during Luther’s generation, there likely would not have been a Reformation at the time.  Christians ought to be supportive of anything that may be done by any persons advancing the context taught by Jesus and others. Concern belongs to all.

Scripture appears to have high opinion of memorials.  Israel raised a memorial of stones to remember God’s deliverance from Egypt to the Promised Land, and various memorials captured personal and national remembrance – even in the Tabernacle and Temple.  Whole sites were so dedicated.  Some were small in comparison as the one noted by Jesus relative to the woman who anointed him.  We too, like Samuel, can raise our Ebenezer, saying, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us. . . . And there was peace between Israel and the Amorites. (I Samuel 7:12-14)  As suggested in the Page for this date a year ago, the remembrance, the influence, the ministry of the masses of true believers ought to use massive foundations in appreciation to the memories of the giants of great contributions to ideals of society.  Rightly formed those ideals represent God, if they are founded and formed with integrity.  They can be visited with a faith that can be found in common grace.  They can become an effective memorial to greatness, heroism, morality, honor, sacrifice, and remembrance – better than an image seated on a massive steel horse statue in a park.  The money earned from the corpus of a wealthy foundation can be given annually to persons or whole communities that advance the ideals of the person honored in the name of the Foundation.  Alfred Nobel’s name is remembered in the excellent Nobel Foundation.  The Bill Gates family will be remembered for the good accomplished in their foundation related to health and education.  The Ford foundation advanced education more than sixty years ago by making a massive contribution to accredited colleges so to advance dramatically the need to upgrade professional situations for teachers.  My own career was advanced by it. There are Christian foundations doing excellent work in advancing the work of Christ.  Memories of our greats ought to be marked with foundations dedicated to advancing human ideals.