People who forget their stories!
Monday, 15th week in Ordinary Time
Exo 1:8-14, 22; Mt 10:34 - 11:1
Not only did the Pharaoh not know the history of Joseph and things that happened in his predecessors' times, even the people seemed to have forgotten their origins - of how they reached Egypt and why they reached there and that they were there only for a while, that the Lord had said they will move to "their" land later! They began to think Egypt was their land and they would be there for eternity. They forgot their story. The Lord had to remind them. The world today too has this spiritual amnesia!
That is why the Lord comes with the sword, with fire... that we may wake up and wake up the world, and bring ourselves back as people who are mindful of our stories, our experiences, all that we have enjoyed from the Lord and all that we have promised the Lord and all that we have neglected so far. At times when we face turmoils, we need to turn back to our stories thus far and draw consolation and inspiration from there. In those moments of struggle we need to realise that we are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not driven to despair, persecuted but not forsaken (cf 2 Cor 4:8)... let us pay heed that we do not become people who forget their stories.