Spiritual Alzheimer : When a Christian Forgets Why They Live

2 days ago
6 min read

For several months now, I have been accompanying my mother through a painful trial: dementia is slowly erasing her memories, familiar faces, and fragments of her life. On some days, she relives old bereavements as though they had only just happened. It is a wound that deeply affects those who love.

Faced with this reality, I asked myself in prayer: can there also be a form of spiritual Alzheimer’s? It does not affect the brain, but it is just as profound, because it touches the soul.

1. When We Lose the Memory of the Heart

Spiritual Alzheimer’s does not necessarily appear suddenly. It develops little by little. Christians do not formally stop believing, but they forget who they are, what they have received, and why they live.

The Word of God warns us:

“Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:11)

Christians sometimes forget that they have been saved and called. They forget the graces they have received, the miracles they have experienced, the prayers that have been answered, the freedom of fraternity, and the joy of the early days. They forget that God has raised them up, forgiven them, and led them to this day.

That is why the psalmist speaks to his own soul:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (Psalm 103:2)

Spiritual memory is not simply about remembering the past. It means preserving God’s faithfulness in our hearts so that we can continue walking today.

The Lord said to his people:

“Remember the whole journey that the Lord your God has led you through.” (Deuteronomy 8:2)

A Christian may continue to pray and attend gatherings, yet something can begin to fade within. They attend, listen, and receive, but they lose the memory of the heart: they forget their first love.

Jesus says to the Church in Ephesus:

“I have this against you: you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first.” (Revelation 2:4–5)

The Lord does not merely say, “Remember.” He adds: “Do the works you did at first.” True spiritual memory always leads to a concrete decision.

2. The Consequences and the Resistance

When the memory of our calling grows weak, subtle forms of resistance begin to appear:

“I already believe.”
“I have already done a great deal.”
“I have nothing to prove.”
“I do not have time.”
“I am not capable.”

These words are understandable, but they may conceal a truth: faith remains alive only when it is welcomed, practised, and shared.

Saint James says:

“Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers.” (James 1:22)

When we forget the mission, we stop evangelising.

When we forget the call, we stop serving.

When we forget the gifts we have received, we stop placing them at the service of others.

When we forget the love we have received, we stop giving it.

Jesus established a very clear principle:

“You received without payment; give without payment.” (Matthew 10:8)

Faith was not given to us so that we could guard it jealously. The Holy Spirit is not given only to console us, but also to make us witnesses.

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” (Acts 1:8)

When we receive much but give little, Christian life becomes passive. We continually seek new teachings, new prayers, new consolations, and new gatherings, but we forget that every grace also brings a responsibility.

Saint Peter writes:

“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.” (1 Peter 4:10)

A gift that is not placed at the service of others risks becoming sterile.

Yet Jesus did not tell his disciples to remain still. He said:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)

3. The Holy Spirit Does Not Stagnate: He Is Poured Out

The Holy Spirit is like a river: when it flows, it brings life.

Jesus proclaims:

“Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Living water does not merely enter the believer: it flows out from within and reaches others.

The Holy Spirit consoles us so that we may console others.

He heals us so that we may accompany those who suffer.

He enlightens us so that we may bring light.

He allows us to experience mercy so that we may become missionaries of Mercy.

Saint Paul writes:

“God consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction.” (2 Corinthians 1:4)

4. The Masterclasses: Awakening the Memory of Our Calling

We do not merely need new words. We need to set out once again.

The Missionary Disciples Masterclasses have precisely this purpose: to awaken the memory of the heart.

They help us remember:

who we are;
who called us;
what gifts we have received;
to whom we have been sent;
how we can serve in concrete ways.

They are not simply conferences. They are places of formation, discernment, and missionary activation.

Jesus himself devoted time to forming his disciples:

“He appointed twelve, whom he also named apostles, to be with him, and to be sent out to proclaim the message.” (Mark 3:14)

Being with Jesus without going out leads to a closed spirituality.

Going out without being with Jesus leads to activism.

True formation always unites fraternity and mission.

5. One Mission Every Week

Formation is necessary, but it is not enough.

We do not become missionaries simply by listening to teachings about mission. We become missionaries by engaging in mission.

Jesus sent his disciples while they were still learning and growing:

“The Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs.” (Luke 10:1)

A weekly mission does not need to be extraordinary. It can be:

visiting someone who is ill;
calling someone who is lonely;
offering attentive listening;
providing a simple service;
sharing a moment of prayer;
speaking a word of encouragement;
making a gesture of reconciliation;
offering practical help to a family;
proclaiming the Gospel;
inviting someone to a prayer meeting.

Jesus reminds us:

“Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

In Italy, Gerlanda, secretary of Emmaus COM Italy in Sicily, and Sophie in the Vendée region of France, have launched a local outreach service for elderly, lonely, or vulnerable people.

For them, it is a job, but it is also a true mission. They show that it is possible to transform professional work into an act of mercy and evangelisation.

6. Emmaus COM: Receiving in Order to Give

Emmaus COM was not founded simply to organise events. It was founded to form missionary disciples: men and women who choose to give in mission what they themselves have received.

A community remains alive when each person understands that they have a responsibility.

Saint Paul compares the Church to a body:

“You are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Every brother has a gift.

Every sister has a calling.

Every person has a part to play in the mission.

7. Do You Still Remember Why Jesus Called You?

Today, the Lord asks us the same question he asked the disciples on the road to Emmaus:

“What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” (Luke 24:17)

And at an even deeper level:

Do you still remember why Jesus called you?

Do you remember the day when you encountered his love?

Do you remember the joy of your conversion?

Do you remember the graces you received?

Do you remember your desire to serve him?

If the answer is uncertain, do not be discouraged.

“Strengthen the drooping hands, and make firm the weak knees.” (Hebrews 12:12)

Set out again.

Enrol in the Masterclasses.

Allow yourself to be formed.

Live out one concrete mission every week.

Let the Holy Spirit rekindle the gift of God within you.

As Saint Paul writes:

“Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel!” (1 Corinthians 9:16)

The world does not merely need Christians who nostalgically remember what God did in the past. It needs men and women who keep alive the memory of God’s works and live today the mission they have received.