In studying for yesterday's devotional, I came across something interesting in the Webster's 1828 dictionary regarding what it means to remember:
"The retaining or having in mind an idea which had been present before, or an idea which had been previously received from an object when present, and which recurs to the mind afterwards without the presence of its object.
"Technically, remembrance differs from reminiscence and recollection, as the former implies that an idea occurs to the mind spontaneously, or without much mental exertion. The latter imply the power or the act of recalling ideas which do not spontaneously recur to the mind" ("Remembrance," definition 1, Webster's Dictionary 1828, accessed 30 Aug 2021, emphasis added).
"When we use effort to recall an idea, we are said to recollect it. This distinction is not always observed. Hence remember is often used as synonymous with recollect, that is, to call to mind. We say, we cannot remember a fact, when we mean, we cannot recollect it" ("Remember," definition 2, Webster's Dictionary 1828, accessed 30 Aug 2021, emphasis added).
This fascinating distinction between remembering a thing and recollecting or remiscing about a thing has a powerful effect in our study of the promises made/fulfilled during the sacrament prayer. Recall that the verb used in the prayers is to "always remember" Christ. This means that his life, death, resurrection, and teachings should never sink below that level of the conscious mind that would require mental effort to retrieve.
Imagine if instead the prayer asked that we only recollect him or reminisce about him. Someone might then be justified in taking a break from routine to humble himself before the Lord once per week at church. But this is not the discipline of thought and temperament that the Gospel of Jesus Christ asks of us. The promise made is to remember him.
I think this could be likened to the Jewish practice of wearing a kippah, or skull cap. Orthodox Jewish men wear these at all times and in all places (read: 'always'). They do this because the Talmud states, "Cover your head in order that the fear of heaven may be upon you" (Shabbat 156b). Rabbi Hunah ben Joshua stated, as recorded in the Mishnah, that the cap honors God and heaven "because the Divine Presence is always over my head" (Kiddushin 31a, emphasis added). This level of devotion causes the Jewish people to stand out against the gentiles around them in the world. Such devotion, can easily be compared to truly remembering God as opposed to only recollecting or reminiscing him.
How might we act or appear differently to the world if we truly remembered God and his Christ as the Orthodox Jews remember God and heaven? Perhaps we could think of one way we could imagine our lives being different and begin working toward that improvement in our lives. After all, the Lord's people have always been called to be "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people" (1 Pet. 2:9).
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