By Kim Ae-ran
"He took the bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which will be given for you; do this in memory of me.'" (Luke 22,19)
When Jesus gave himself for people and, thus, instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist, he recommended them to "do this in memory of me."
As far as we remember his love realized through his death and resurrection, we will do the same as a sign of love for others in our daily lives.
However, because our memory is short, we often forget about his testimony and live freely without thinking.
How large would be the space of our memory? It is said that the human brain is composed of 100 billion nerve cells (neurons), of which only about 1 billion are considered to be "pyramid cells" related to long-term memory.
Lots of information are just passing away. Otherwise, we will be very tired of keeping memories. It is good to have a good memory and it is also good to have a short memory. Some memories appear like a flashlight while some memories disappear like a firefly.
"When is the date of birth of your father?"
It was one of the questions in the "DS-160," online nonimmigrant visa application. I had to answer various questions within a limited time.
At that moment, I couldn't remember the date of birth of my father at once. Right away, I took a look at the certificate of my family relationship, but it didn't appear because of some problem with the computerization in the administration office.
I tried to remember, but it didn't come to my mind immediately when I faced the question. In the end, I simply replied: "I don't know."
Finally consulting my eldest brother, I was informed that my father's birthday is May 14.
One day, when I visited the Catholic Common Ossuary Cemetery in Sannae, I noticed his birthday written on his nameplate.
Now, I will never forget the birthday of my father who was born on May 14, 1914, and passed away on Oct. 13, 1976, when I was in middle school.
From my second brother, I heard that our grandfather went to Japan during the colonial era and died there by accident. So, nobody in my family talked much about my grandfather. Left alone, my grandmother Susanna Cho raised two sons.
When my father married my mother, he was baptized with the Christian name "Gosma" and his younger brother was named "Damiano."
Even though my father didn't study at school, he had a very special talent as a carpenter. So, he was fully occupied with building and repairing the houses every day.
The first article I wrote for "Thoughts of the Times" in 1989 was about my father, but I couldn't find the file. In search of it, I recently went to National Assembly Library. How glad when I found it! I remember I wrote it as a sign of a turning point in my life.
"Remember clearly what the Lord, your God, did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: the great testings which your own eyes have seen, the signs and wonders, the strong hand and outstretched arm with which the Lord, your God, brought you out." (Deuteronomy 7:18-19)
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul. When available, please feel free to visit her blog "A piece of sunshine" at mtorchid88.blogspot.com.