From the Rector | September 2026

Anamnesis – To call back into the present

This article is an excerpt from the September 2026 Venite.

Every September, the old song drifts back into the air: “Try to remember the kind of September…” Even without singing the full lyrics, the tune nudges us toward a gentle truth — that remembering is not nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. It is a spiritual practice. It is, in the language of Scripture, anamnesis — the Greek word meaning “to call back into the present,” to remember in a way that changes us now.

In the New Testament, anamnesis is not about replaying the past like a movie. It is remembering in a way that makes the past active again. When Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me,” he is not asking the disciples to think fondly of him. He is inviting them to let his life, his love, and his self‑giving become present and powerful in their own lives. Anamnesis is memory with momentum.

That’s why the September song fits so beautifully with the Christian call to remember. It invites us to recall gentler days, not to escape the present, but to steady ourselves within it. “Try to remember” becomes a spiritual nudge: remember who you are, remember who God is, remember what love looks like when it is lived out loud.

In a world that often feels frantic, divided, and loud, remembering can feel like resistance. We remember the saints who taught us courage. We remember communities that held us when life was heavy. We remember moments when grace surprised us. We remember the times we chose compassion over fear, generosity over scarcity, justice over convenience. These memories are not sentimental keepsakes; they are fuel.

Anamnesis tells us that remembering is how we move forward. When we recall God’s faithfulness, we find strength to practice faithfulness ourselves. When we remember love that sustained us, we become more able to offer love to others. When we remember justice that changed lives, we gain courage to pursue justice again. Memory becomes a bridge between what God has done and what God is still doing.

So as September arrives, let us “try to remember” — not to retreat into the past, but to carry its wisdom into the future. Let us practice anamnesis: holy remembering that shapes our choices, softens our hearts, and strengthens our resolve. Let us remember so that we may love more boldly, act more justly, and walk more faithfully into the days ahead.

May our remembering become the very thing that helps us move forward in faith and love.

In Love & Service Bound,

Aelred Bernard+

Rector, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church