BLESSED SORROW

 

When I was a very enthusiastic convert in the Church at 18 years of age, I was convinced that if I was obedient to the Gospel teachings, my life would be a dream, a picture of perfection, devoid of hardship and pain. This of course, never happened.

Very seldom do we reflect on our first parents to remind ourselves of the reality of life. I read an amazing poem this week, which left me in tears, written by Arta Romney Ballif called “Lamentation” in which she imagined Eve’s experience of losing her two sons. The poem depicts her cries for understanding and through it, her quest to know God, something we all experience. The poem is long but I have edited it lightly for the sake of this post:

God said, “BE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIPLY”

And God said, “I WILL GREATLY MULTIPLY THY SORROW”

Thy sorrow, sorrow, sorrow –

I have gotten a man from the Lord

I have traded the fruit of the garden for fruit of my body

For a laughing bundle of humanity.

 

Adam, where are the boys?

Where is Abel?

He is long caring for his flocks.

Are the ewes lambing in this storm?

 

Why your troubled face, Adam? Are you ill?

Why so pale, so agitated?

Dead?  What is dead?  Merciful God!

 

I am trying to understand.

You said, “Abel is dead.”

But I am skilled with herbs….

Herbs will not heal?  Dead?

 

And Cain? Where is Cain?

Listen to that thunder.

Cain cursed?

God said, “A fugitive and a vagabond?”

But God can’t do that.

They are my sons, too.

I gave them birth in the valley of pain.

 

This is his home

This the soil he loved

Where he toiled for golden wheat

For tasseled corn.

 

To the hill country?

Quick, we must find him

I worry, thinking of him wandering

With no place to lay his head.

Cain cursed? A wanderer, a roamer?

 

Abel, my son dead?

And Cain, my son, a fugitive?

Two sons Adam, we had two sons

Both – oh, Adam – multiply sorrow.

 

Dear God, why?

Tell me again about the fruit.

Please tell me again,

Why?

“Ultimately, the gospel of Jesus Christ was not given us primarily to PREVENT our pain. The gospel was given us to HEAL our pain. That is the promise of the scriptures: the Atonement not only heals us – it can sanctify our trying experiences to our growth.

“Our doctrine is not just that adversity can help us learn and grow; rather, it is that Christ, because of what flows from the redemption, gives us the power to make weak things strong, to sift beauty from the ashes of our lives.”

-          Bruce C. Hafen, “The Belonging Heart”, p 90-1

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Eve by Rose Datoc Dall)

JOSEPH THE MARTYR

 

I mentioned in my post yesterday how the critics of Joseph Smith come to the surface when I post about him and I did get a couple yesterday but the outpouring of love and testimonies of Joseph that you all shared was overwhelming. I cried knowing that he is so loved and remembered and honoured for his incredible service to mankind.

It seemed like the adversary had won when Joseph was martyred but that can never be because “the works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught.” (D&C 3:1)

One of the comforting things about Joseph’s martyrdom for me is that he didn’t go to his death alone. Joseph knew he was not coming back from Carthage jail. How wonderful it must have been for him to have a member of his family by his side but it was not by chance that Hyrum joined his brother in death:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith conferred upon Hyrum Smith all the keys, authority and gifts of the priesthood which he, the Prophet, held and which were formerly held by Oliver Cowdery. The Lord also revealed to Hyrum Smith all that was necessary to make him completely and to the full degree, a witness with his brother Joseph, as a prophet, seer, revelator and president of the Church, and to stand through all time and eternity at the head of this dispensation with his brother Joseph, a witness for Jesus Christ.” (President Joseph Field Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation” 1:218-9; see also D&C 136:39; Hebrews 9:16-17; Doctrine & Covenants Student Manual p 348)

It must have been the darkest time for the members of the Church but consider the distress of the brothers’ death on his family:

“After the corpses were washed and dressed in their burial clothes we were allowed to see them. I had for a long time braced every nerve, roused every energy of my soul, and called upon God to strengthen me; but when I entered the room, and saw my murdered sons, extended both at once before my eyes; and heard the sobs and groans of my family – the cries of ‘Father! Husband! Brothers!’ from the lips of their wives, children, brothers and sisters, it was too much – I sunk back crying to the Lord in the agony of my soul, My God! My God! Why hast thou forsaken this family? A voice replied, I have taken them to myself that they might have rest….

“As I looked upon their peaceful, smiling countenances, I seemed to almost hear them say: mother, weep not for us; we have overcome the world by love; we carried to them the gospel, that their souls might be saved – they slew us for our testimony, and thus placed us beyond their power – their ascendancy is for a moment – ours is an eternal triumph.”

-          (Joseph and Hyrum Death Masks, history.churchofjesuschrist.org)

Satan didn’t succeed in destroying the Saviour’s ministry or that of His servant, Joseph. All he has done is prove the authenticity of the Church by the attention he is giving us. No other Church is so favoured. President Spencer W. Kimball has said that the negative attention the Church gets is in one way a good sign: “We can tell that we are making progress by the attention we get from the adversary…This has been the lot of the Lord’s people from the beginning and it will be no different in our time”. (In CR April 1980; D&C Student Manual p 301)

You stood so resolute and willing

In the councils of heaven,

Knowing the jaws of hell

Would open at the mention of your name.

 

Still, you knelt in the sacred grove

And uttered the words of faith.

You honoured your promise

To restore the truth

And you opened the heaven’s gate.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith's Last Dream by Jon McNaughton)

JOSEPH THE ACHIEVER

 

I am always amazed when I do a post on Joseph Smith how the critics come out of the woodwork and tell me how he was a liar, a cheat, an adulterer, a paedophile, a tool of Satan. It’s like they have a radar that picks up his name. It used to upset me when I started writing years ago. Now I just smile at their ignorance.

Now that I have had the Gospel in my life for 50 years, I cannot imagine going without it and I owe that to the Prophet Joseph. In a tribute to him, the Church has attributed 41 achievements to his name. I was amazed when I first read them. Here are just a few that deserve thoughtful consideration as to their necessity and efficacy in this world (see D&C Student Manual p 349):

-          He taught correct concepts about the nature of the Father and the Son;

-          He translated and published the Book of Mormon by the power of God;

-          He was the means by which the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthoods were restored;

-          He organised the Church of Jesus Christ again on the earth under the direction of the Saviour;

-          He revealed the true meaning of Zion, its location in the last days, and the laws by which it shall be governed;

-          He received over a hundred revelations and published them in the Doctrine and Covenants;

-          He worked on translation of the Bible, restoring lost scripture and correcting erroneous translations;

-          He restored the keys and knowledge of temple ordinances for both the living and the dead;

-          He received keys of restoration from Moses, Elias and Elijah;

-          He started a missionary program that has involved tens of thousands of missionaries and resulted in millions of converts in countries all over the world;

-          He translated by inspiration from God papyri from Egypt, containing some of the writings of Abraham;

-          He set forth the proper organisation, name and purpose of the Church of Jesus Christ.

-          He built temples and revealed temple ordinances for the living and the dead.

This is my iron clad testimony of Joseph Smith, which I have shared before. I never had to question my testimony of him until 13 years ago when I chose to do a University assignment about the Church. I read a lot of questionable material about him on line that disturbed me. It brought me to my knees pleading for God to help me understand.

What opened in my mind was a vision of Joseph’s heart, an understanding of the goodness therein. I saw the pioneers dressed in white surrounding him and I felt their love for him. I understood and I wept. No critic of the Church can dissuade me from this testimony. In the end, the truth will stand. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Joseph Smith by Liz Lemon Swindle)

LOWLY IN HEART

 

I viewed recently some documentaries of past ruling monarchs of Europe and England. I was amazed at what devastation privileged birth can achieve. These men were out of control, spoilt, immoral and some died excruciating deaths. I could see one fiend of hell that was behind it all and that was PRIDE.

For a while now I have been pondering about the lowliness of mortality, compared to our pre mortal home. These documentaries contributed to my understanding how bringing us down to the lowliest plane of existence guarantees that we develop a ‘lowly heart’, an antidote to pride, an emotion most destructive to godliness. How Lucifer could not see that this is what robbed him of glory is beyond me. One thing he can see though: that he can destroy others by it.

I think of the Saviour’s condescension from His godly throne to the lowly, dusty roads of Galilee, devoid of riches, prestige and luxury, and I can see why ‘none is acceptable before God save the meek and lowly in heart’ (Moroni 7:44). If He can come down from His throne to the lowliest station of life, beginning with His birth, He certainly has a right to tell us: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly….” (Matthew 11:29). You cannot have a more-lowly birth than one in the stench of a stable. That’s a triumph over pride if ever I saw one.

And imagine a God who created this earth willing to sit on a donkey to fulfil the Messianic prophecy: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.  (Zechariah 9:9)

What other more spectacular proof could the creator of worlds without number have given to the unbelieving? Think about all the proof He did give them such as His miracles which failed to convince the powerful and mighty.  His lowliness, however, should have been a sure sign that He fulfilled the prophecy that the Messiah would be a king who arrives humbly and peacefully, a king who is the servant of all.

This is meekness, this is greatness, that the Saviour of mankind would subject Himself to God’s requirement that ‘none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart’, including Him (Moroni 7:42-44).

I stood in the shadow

of Your heart today

And saw obedience to the

Father there;

I saw the Son You are and more

I saw the God that I adore

And I stand in awe…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Living Water by LDS Book Store)

IN BABYLON

 

“Go ye out of Babylon; gather ye out from among the nations, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”  (D&C 133:7) This is the fourth step in our preparation for the Second Coming according to Section 133.  

The name “Babylon” is today synonymous with ‘the world’ but this is the history of the ancient city that earned such a reputation:

In 605 BC King Nebuchadnezzar of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (now Iraq) was the beginning of Babylon’s greatness and glory. Using slaves from various areas of the empire, he inaugurated a massive building program to make Babylon the greatest city in the world. Opulence, greatness and glory was the object.

The grandeur of Babylon was incredibly impressive but with such opulence and wealth also came moral decay, wickedness and iniquity. Will Durant, a secular historian wrote that “even Alexander [the Great], who was not above dying of drinking was shocked by the morals of Babylon (Our Oriental Heritage, p 244).

Babylon became the antithesis of godliness. The very name of this city stood as the symbol for worldliness, spiritual wickedness and Satan’s kingdom. Scripturally it is known as: “the great whore” and “the mother of harlots and abominations (Rev 17:1; 5; D& C 133:14; 1:16; 1 Nephi 13:5-9; Babylonia and the Conquest of Judah, Old Testament Student Manual p 244).

This is how powerful is the grip of worldliness: Seventy years after the Jews’ captivity in Babylon began, Cyrus, the Persian king who conquered Babylon, sent out the proclamation amongst the Jews in Babylon asking how many wanted to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple. He actually offered freedom to anyone who wanted it. It is estimated approximately only 50,000 people chose to return to Jerusalem while MOST chose not to return having been absorbed into the Babylonian way of life. I love this story that we will learn more about next year.

When I think of the power of Babylon, I wonder how many of us are willing to turn our backs on it. Most of us are not living in opulence and in riches but how many of us are hankering after such a life? Here is the warning: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).

God has saved for the final inning some of his strongest children. And that is where we come in, for we are the generation that must come out of Babylon and be prepared to meet our God. No other dispensation has faced such a glorious and momentous event.

Thou art our everlasting God

Jehovah, our King,

Hide us under the shadow of Thy wings

That we might never stray

And cause Thee sorrow;

And help us wait for Thee

In the dawning of tomorrow.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In the Shadow of Your Wings by Daniel Gerhartz)

BE GATHERED

 

The third needful step in preparation for the Second Coming according to Doctrine and Covenants 133:4 is for the House of Israel to be gathered. Two things are accomplished by this endeavour:

“Firstly, those who have thus chosen Christ as their Shepherd, those who have taken upon themselves his name in the waters of baptism; those who are seeking to enjoy his Spirit here and now and to be inheritors of eternal life hereafter – such people need to be gathered together to strengthen each other and to help one another perfect their lives.

“Secondly, those who are seeking the highest rewards in eternity need to be where they can receive the blessings of the house of the Lord, both for themselves and for their ancestors in Israel who died without a knowledge of the gospel, but who would have received it with all their heart had opportunity afforded.”

-       - Bruce R. McConkie, “Come: Let Israel Build Zion”, Ensign May 1977, p 117

No concept of the Gospel ignites my heart more than the House of Israel as the chosen people of God who has favoured Israel above all the nations of the world, the great Jehovah who has proclaimed: "I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my firstborn" (Jeremiah 31:9).

The proclamations of Saviour’s love for Israel are prolific in the scriptures. Perhaps the greatest of them is this: “O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine….I have loved thee… Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east and gather thee from the west…..I will say to the north, give up; and to the south, keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth….” (Isaiah 43:1-6)

Numerous scriptures refer to Israel as Jehovah’s jewels (Exodus 28:17-21; Malachi 3:17; D&C 60:4; 101:3) and ‘the apple of His eye’  (Deut 32:9,10; Zechariah 2:8). These are incredibly intimate and loving expressions.

It is simply not enough to physically be of the House of Israel. One must be so spiritually to be the 'apple of His eye'. Love is a two-way street. He loves us because we are the believing, the repentant, the obedient. And if not, then we should be.

We have accepted the Holy One of Israel to be our God. We are gathering from among all nations to be one people and one day we will kneel together at His feet and acknowledge Him as the God of miracles who has preserved us, loved us and brought us home to the kingdom of our God.

Thy love for Thy people is beyond compare,

Thy mercy affixed forever more.

Thy power delivers us and

Thy loving kindness gathers us;

We are restored by Thy merciful might,

We are Israel, children of light.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Love Everlasting by Youngsung Kim)

BE SANCTIFIED

 

“It is the right of all members of the house of Israel to see their King and enjoy His presence. This is a specific promise to those who will sanctify themselves (D&C 50:45-46; 67:10; 93:1). Since the scriptures teach that no unclean thing can dwell in His presence (see Moses 6:57), it is clear that the Saints who are caught up to meet Him must be sanctified.”  (Doctrine & Covenants Student Manual, p 336)

Sanctification is the second step in our preparation for the Second Coming as per D&C 133:4. The purpose of sanctification is to have our minds become single to God, through our repentance, so that we can be purified by the power of the Holy Ghost (D&C 88:68). Without sanctification we cannot be in Christ’s presence or the presence of the Father.

The Book of Mormon states that we can be ‘sanctified in Christ by the grace of God’ and that sanctification comes as a result of yielding our hearts to God through prayer, fasting and humility (see Helaman 3:35 and Moroni 10:33). However, repentance plays a major part in this  process because it leads to forgiveness which leads to sanctification. But not just any repentance:

“To every forgiveness there is a condition. The plaster must be as wide as the sore. The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. There must be ‘sackcloth and ashes’. There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil, confession of the error to properly constituted authorities of the Lord. There must be restitution and a confirmed, determined change of pace, direction and destination.”  (Spencer W. Kimball, “The Miracle of Forgiveness”, p 353)

A broken heart and a contrite spirit means ‘godly sorrow’ and not just abandonment of sin. It is going through godly sorrow that we lose the inclination to sin (see Alma 13:12 and 2 Nephi 4:31). Not that temptation no longer exists, because that is the nature of this fallen world, but we no longer seek it or are attracted by it (D&C 20:33-34). Because our hearts have been changed we have ‘no more disposition to do evil’ (Mosiah 5:2)

Imagine living in your finest outfit for a long time without changing. Imagine the collected dirt. Even though you realise where you’ve gone wrong and have made that outfit dirty, and you now try all you can to avoid adding more dirt, you are still dirty. The outfit needs to be washed to match your new life-style. This is what sanctification does. It washes you clean so you can be the new you.

Grant me the strength dear Saviour

To embrace the grandeur of my eternal goal,

That I might sin less and obey more.

Thou who art the deliverer of my soul,

May glory be Thine forever more.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)