HE WHO IS

 

 It all began with His birth….

“Jesus was a Jew; he was of the tribe of Judah. David, the Jew, was his fore-father, and Mary, the Jewess, his mother. He grew up in a Jewish home, spoke the Jewish Aramaic of the day, Learned Jewish customs and traditions, studied in Jewish schools, read Jewish scripture, attended Jewish synagogues, and participated in Jewish worship. From Bethlehem to Calvary, he was a Jew of the Jews.”

-        Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 296

And ended with His death…..

On his final visit to the Temple, prior to His crucifixion, the Saviour once again proclaimed His divine Sonship.  For the last time He cried out loud that He who believes Him, believes Him who sent Him (John 12:44). This was the last call to the Jewish nation to believe in Him as the Son of God but instead of belief, the people questioned Him saying: “who is this Son of Man that you say must be lifted up?” (v34).

He is……

The Son of Man of Holiness, who is God the Father, for Man of Holiness is His name (Moses 5:57); He is the light of the world and whosoever believes in Him will not abide in darkness (John 12:46); He is the Son of God under whose command He came to preach all righteousness and that salvation is through Him and of Him (v49); He is the Father’s servant who came to offer life everlasting to all who believe on His name (v50).

He is the bread of life (John 6:35,41,48,51); He is the light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5); He is the good shepherd (John 10:11,14); He is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25); He is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6); He is the Messiah, the Lord Omnipotent, Alpha and Omega, He is Jesus the Christ, the King of Glory, the King of all kings…….

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Lord and Master by Greg Collins)

A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

 

I often hear members of the Church expressing that the Saviour is bound to come very soon because of the overwhelming wickedness in the world. Certainly, the world is wicked but its wickedness in no way surpasses that of the ancient world in which the Saviour came for the first time.  Consider this view:

“…in the time set apart for our Lord’s coming, corruptions and evils were everywhere. A few righteous souls – a Zacharias here, an Elisabeth there – stayed, as it were, the plagues of destruction, but the wickedness of the world was everywhere and the stench of sin covered the earth.

“Even the covenant people, in the main, had gone astray. No longer were they a leaven to the worldly lump……nothing but a new day of righteousness and light, ushered in by one greater than the prophets, could bring hope again to men”.

-        Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 289-290

Elder McConkie went on to say that such state of the world’s wickedness had not been upon the earth since the flood in Noah’s time. Knowing the condition into which the Saviour was born to bring balance to the world of darkness by His light, helped me understand the Omnipotent Wisdom of God in choosing the proper and right time for the birth, ministry and death of His Son.

All things are done in the wisdom of Him who knows all things, even the planting of His Son on the earth when it needed His saving power the most. The Messiah was meant to come in a dark and dreary day, as the Son of David, to deliver his people and redeem the nation from sin.

When He comes again, He will come at the perfect appointed time; once again, according to the Omnipotent Wisdom of God. Only this time it will be vastly different.

When He returns, the light of His glory will cleanse the world of all unrighteousness. The knowledge of Him will not be contained by one nation but will cover the whole earth.

All who have been free from wickedness and corruption will survive the cleansing and the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea…..and all who live during the Millenium will eventually know the Lord and will join His Church (see Jeremiah 31:31-34; D&C 84:98; also Doctrines of Salvation, 1:86-87; Journal of Discourses, 21:325).

This, however, is in greatest contrast to the Saviour’s first advent:

“When the New Jerusalem is eventually built, and Jesus Christ returns to earth in glory, the need will disappear for the sun and the moon to give light to God’s covenant people. The Lord Himself will be an everlasting light……Zion will not need the sun when the Lord is there, and all the city is lighted up by the glory of His presence.”  (The Institute Manual commentary for Isaiah 60:19-22; Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 14:355-56, see also D&C 133:57-58)

Is this not something we should look forward to??? And we’ll owe it all to the babe in the manger…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Tender Shepherd by Eva Koleva Timothy)

TO BE WILLING

 

 

“When Mary told Joseph that she was with child by the power of the Holy Ghost, his reaction was one not only of shock, of sorrow, and of dismay, but also of disbelief…..That he wanted to believe Mary, but did not, is shown by his determination ‘to put her away privily’ with as little embarrassment as possible.

He planned to give her a letter of divorce in the presence of two witnesses only, as the law permitted, rather than to make the dissolution of their contract to marry a matter of public knowledge and possible gossip. It must have been at this point that Mary sped hastily to Hebron to find comfort in the arms of Elisabeth.” 

(Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 331-2)

Mary stayed with Elisabeth in Hebron for three months. We may well suppose that Joseph struggled with his problem during that time until he received the revelation from angel Gabriel who appeared to him in a dream testifying of the divine paternity of Mary’s expected child.

In Elder McConkie’s words: “As with all men, his [Joseph’s) faith and his willingness to submit to the divine will in all things [had to] be tested.” (ibid)

This submission to God’s will would have to have been Joseph’s greatest trial of faith. That he passed the test with flying colours is evidenced by his guardianship and care of the Christ child and His mother.

What relief and elation Joseph must have felt when he was assured of Mary’s condition. It meant she was still his but he must have envisaged that fathering such an important child that was not his own would mean he would tread a difficult road.

Receiving confirmation of the path we should follow in life is one thing but following that path is another. Receiving is sometimes the easy part and following, the hardest because it means you are conforming to God’s will instead of your own.

On a lesser scale than Joseph’s, but also of eternal significance,  is our commitment to follow the revelations we receive:

“After you have gotten the message, after you have paid the price to feel his love and hear the word of the Lord, ‘go forward’. Don’t fear, don’t vacillate, don’t quibble, don’t whine….with the spirit of revelation, dismiss your fears and wade in with both feet…..

“Therefore, let not your hearts faint….Mine angel shall go up before you…and also my presence, and in time ye shall possess the goodly land (D&C 103:17-20)……What goodly land? Your goodly land. Your promised land. Your New Jerusalem. Your own little acre flowing with milk and honey. Your future. Your dreams. Your destiny.”

-        Jeffrey R. Holland, Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence, BYU Speeches ,  March 2, 1999

Next time you hear the voice of revelation, do not retreat, because you might just discover how very important you are…..to yourself….and to someone else.

 

When God called,

So willing was your spiritually tender heart

No forces of hell could sever you

from your appointed path.

 

The guardian of my youth,

The obedient servant of the Lord,

Thou art Joseph

The valiant son of God. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Mary and Joseph by Rose Datoc Dall) 

THE IMPOSSIBLE

 

There were once two women whose sons were to change the history of the world. One was a young virgin called Mary and the other her cousin, advanced in years and past the bearing age, called Elisabeth. They together proved that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).

 

Elisabeth and her husband Zacharias walked blamelessly before the Lord and even though they prayed many years that Elisabeth would bear a son they arrived at the autumn of their lives childless. It was in the year of his appointed priestly service that Zacharias travelled to the temple in Jerusalem from their village of Hebron to perform sacred rites and ordinances.

 

Just as Zacharias was burning incense inside the temple, the multitude were outside praying for redemption of Israel from the Gentile yoke (Luke 1:10). As the timely prayers ascended, angel Gabriel stood on the right side of the altar of incense and spoke: “Fear not Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard: and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Luke 1:11,13).

 

Six months later the same angel appeared to young Mary advising her she too will bear a son, also of a miraculous birth (Luke 1:30-33). No doubt a young girl like Mary was amazed to receive angel Gabriel's announcement that she shall be the mother of the Son of God. Every woman in Israel hoped for the privilege of becoming the mother of the expected Messiah.

 

Gabriel explained to Mary how the baby would be conceived and no doubt perceiving the alarm that must have arisen within her, he quickly told her about her cousin Elisabeth who also was a recipient of a miraculous conception. What comfort that would have been to such a young girl to know she did not stand alone in the realm of hard to explain miracles. But there was another, her cousin Elisabeth, who had conceived by a miracle so this too was possible.

 

Elizabeth, who languished for years in 'the waiting room' with her husband Zacharias, longing for a child, must have at times wondered what her purpose on earth was for she was being denied the role all women were appointed to before this world began.

 

As years passed and motherhood eluded her, she must have felt worthless and forsaken somehow not knowing the important role she was to play, that of being the mother to the forerunner of the long-awaited Messiah. Elizabeth's role of giving birth to and raising John the Baptist was not her only purpose. Her other purpose was to be proof of God's miraculous power so that people might believe if one miraculous conception was possible, the other was also.

 

One can only imagine how Mary felt when she came to Elisabeth’s side for refuge and validation, to hear the witness born of the Holy Ghost issue from Elizabeth’s lips: “Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:42). Blessed indeed…..

 

ODE TO MARY AND ELIZABETH

 

Among valiant sons of God

Who were chosen rulers to be

Stood the daughters so fair

They echoed throughout eternity.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Mary and Elisabeth by Mandy Jane Williams)

FORERUNNERS

 

 

In the ancient world there were men who held an important job. They were required to go ahead of a travelling party to clear the path of fallen trees, rocks, undesirable persons or any obstacles that would prevent the travelling party from finishing their journey. They prepared the way. They were called 'forerunners'.

 

The most famous 'forerunner' to whom this title was applied symbolically was John the Baptist. Not much is known of John's personal life besides the role he played in the accomplishment of Christ's mission, but this much we do know. He was born to two elderly people according to God's promise to be 'the voice crying in the wilderness' to herald the arrival of one greater than he, as prophesied by Isaiah (40:3) and Malachi (3:1). Like Mary and Joseph, he was another noble son of God entrusted with an important earthly mission long before the world began.

 

When John the Baptist was two and a half years old a decree went out from Herod the king that all boy children two years and younger should be slain. John escaped this deadly fate because of the selfless courage of his father Zacharias who caused his wife Elizabeth to take him to the desert where he was raised to manhood. This move cost Zacharias his life.  (See Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 261; Matthew 23:35).

 

So apart from his miraculous birth and a rough upbringing what we know most from the scriptures is that John's life was solely focused on being the 'forerunner' of the long-awaited Messiah. One might ask why the Son of God would need anyone to prepare the way before Him?

 

We know that first and foremost there needed to be a person with proper priesthood authority that could baptise Jesus, even though He needed no baptism. John had this priesthood power and authority from his righteous father who was a priest.

 

John's ministry also provided a nucleus of faithful baptised believers from whom Jesus could call His apostles. These were men already converted and ready to serve, hence their ability to walk away from their professions and families the instant the Saviour called them. Such was the power of John the Baptist, a martyr, who valiantly testified, taught and prepared the way and whom Jesus characterized as "a burning and a shining light" (John 5:35).

 

In my patriarchal blessing there is an interesting sentence that goes like this: "As you remain faithful to your trust, your guardian angels will never forsake you. They will go before you to 'prepare the way' and will be close to you and give you strength to resist evil."

 

As I studied about John the Baptist one year my thoughts were cast upon this sentence and I realised I had 'forerunners' in my life. I wondered how much harder I would have struggled in my life had not an obstacle been removed from my path here and there, a temptation repressed, a disaster averted, a hurtful incident prevented. I realised that I could very well have come this far more on the merits of my forerunners than on my own strength.

 

I believe we all have forerunners; those who have gone on before us who are invested in our success, our ancestors, who cry when we cry and rejoice when we rejoice, who are whispering to us when the jaws of hell try to destroy us, what Elisha of old said to his servant who trembled at the sight of the approaching Syrians:

 

"Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they 

that be with them"

 

And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee,

open his eyes, that he may see.

And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man;

and he saw:

and behold, the mountain was full of horses and

chariots of fire....."

 

2 Kings 6:16,17

 

Next time life overwhelms you, open your eyes and see your chariots of fire…..

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Ministering Angels by Wendy Keller)

A TENDER PLANT

“He shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground.”   (Isaiah 53:2)

“Our Lord, King Messiah – born of Mary and begotten by Elohim – grew up before His Father as a Tender Plant; as a Vine of whose fruit men may eat and never hunger more; as a Tree from whose branches the fruit of eternal life may be plucked.

“But he grew up also as a Root out of dry ground; as a Vine in arid and sterile soil; as a Tree for which there was little soil and sun and water in the dry garden where he had been planted by His Father.

“Our Lord, King Messiah, grew up in the arid soil of a spiritually degenerate society – in a Holy City that had become like Egypt and Sodom; among a people who chose darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil; and in the midst of a people who had a form of godliness but denied the power thereof.

“He grew up in the arid and sterile soil of a Judaism where the priesthood was bought and sold; where his Father’s house had become a den of thieves; where sacrifices and feasts and fasts and Sabbaths all testified of a then-unknown Jehovah.”

-        Bruce R. McConkie, The Mortal Messiah Book 1, p 1

As Christmas approaches, I am always reminded that Christ came to be The Suffering Servant of the Father that Isaiah so eloquently prophesied of: a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, who had borne our griefs and carried our sorrows, who was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, who was oppressed and afflicted (Isaiah 53:3-7). It makes me want to weep for that baby in the stable.

Knowing He was planted in ‘the arid soil of a spiritually degenerate society’ makes it even worse. No wonder He wept over Jerusalem, a people He led out of captivity to be a royal priesthood, the children of the covenant, a privileged people above all others, yet the only nation on earth who would crucify their God  (Luke 13:34; 2 Nephi 10:3).

I have to remind myself of the second part of the Isaiah’s Messianic Prophecy which heralds the coming of the King of Glory who shall come to assume the government of the world upon His shoulder, whose name shall be Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). This is the time I yearn for; when He shall reveal His glory to all the ends of the earth.

The Messianic Prophecy is such a significant prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah that it can be found in all the books of scripture (see Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Acts 3:22; 3 Nephi 20:23-24; D&C 133:63; Joseph Smith-History 1:40). It fills all who cling to it with hope for the peaceful reign we have been promised. A time of no sorrow, sickness or death. A time to wait for with bated breath.

Now more than ever we need to keep our eyes on the prize. As we focus on the baby in the stable this Christmas may we see in Him the King of Glory also, coming to bless this earth with a Millenial peace such as we have never known before.

In the words of John the Revelator who responded to the Saviour’s claim that He shall come quickly:

“Even so, come Lord Jesus…..”    (Revelation 22:20)

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In Clouds of Heaven by Chris Brazelton)

 

A MILLENIAL DUTY

 

In his revelatory vision, John saw a woman clothed with the sun about to give birth to a child (Revelation 12:1,2). This woman represented the ecclesiastical Church of Jesus Christ as we know it today. The child represented the kingdom of Christ that will be established when He returns. This kingdom will have ecclesiastical and political power over all the people of the earth. This is called theocracy.

And this is what we should note most of all. John says the dragon ‘stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to DEVOUR her child as soon as it was born’ (12:4). This suggests only one thing. Satan is watching and waiting for Christ’s return as eagerly as we are but with a different motive.

He seeks to destroy the Kingdom of our Christ and therefore foil the Millenial plans. The days this chapter of Revelation speaks of are the last days prior to Christ’s coming and the vengeance that the devil will unleash on us, His followers, to destroy Christ’s power.

I once asked a scriptorian friend why Lucifer is called ‘a son of the morning’ (D&C 76:26; Isaiah 14:12; 2 Nephi 24:12). He answered that most likely Lucifer was one of the first spirit children of God, born in the morning, as in the very beginning.

 

He also said something highly interesting. He said that Lucifer might even have been second born, Christ being the first, and that He sought to usurp Jehovah’s throne and inheritance of the firstborn, much like we see throughout earthly history where the second born seeks to overthrow his brother for the crown. This theory could be supported by Satan’s last-minute push to dethrone ‘the Lamb who sits upon His throne’ at the end of the Millenium (D&C 88:111-115).  

 

We of the last hour before midnight, have a great duty to pave the way for the Millenial reign. Satan is persistent, constant and consistent. Here are the tools he uses to derail us:

 

HIS THREE DOCTRINES:

No punishment for sin

Nothing after death

He does not exist

 

HIS LIES THROUGH RATIONALISATION:

Just once won’t hurt

No one will know

Everybody is doing it

 

HIS VALUE SYSTEM:

Selfishness

Self-indulgence

Immediate gratification

 

HIS SALES TECHNIQUES:

Pacifying

Flattering

Lulling

 

HIS GOAL:

To steal our spiritual identity

To kill our faith in God

To destroy our commitment to Christ

 

In the words of Terri Savelle Foy: Satan might be marching with his armies to steal, kill and destroy but he does not have the power on his best day to take you out on your worst day....the only power he has is what you give him.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Parting the Veil by John McNaughton)

A HUMAN STORY

 

I watched a short video yesterday on the Church website about the birth of Jesus called “Light the World”. What I saw sent me into an emotional appreciation for two humans, a young girl and a man who stood by her side, enabling the Creator of the Universe and the Saviour of all mankind to enter the world of mortality.

It reminded me of the Jews who spat His birth into the Saviour’s face by calling Him ‘a child of fornication’ (John 8:41). What an incredible insult to the purity of a woman who put everything on the line of her reputation to enable the salvation of the very people who would crucify the fruit of her womb!

Christ’s condescension and His willingness to implement the Plan of Salvation at such a high cost has me in awe. However, the credit to the success of that plan rests not only on His shoulders but on the shoulders of many of us who have covenanted before the world began that we would be yoked with Him to uphold His work.

Girls in the meridian of time married young so historians claim that according to the traditions of the day, Mary was a young girl of 15 when she gave birth to Jesus. To take on such a responsibility of raising the child of so much importance would make many of us retreat. But Mary accepted long ago and she saw it through.

We don’t know much about Joseph, but we know this. He was a just man (Matthew 1:19). He was also an obedient son of God who took Mary for his wife under instruction from God, not fearing any man (Matthew 1:24).

To say that Joseph took his responsibility as Jesus’ guardian seriously would be an understatement. He followed every instruction he received, fearing nothing. When instructed to protect Jesus from Herod’s edict, he took the family to Egypt (Matthew 2:12-15).

The third time an angel appeared to Joseph, he advised him that Herod was dead and that he should take Jesus back to Israel. Joseph was not only obedient but over-cautious in protecting his charge, and instead of Judea, he took his family to Galilee (Matthew 2:21-23).

The Pearl of Great Price tells us that after much planning God created all things spiritually before they were created physically. Abraham points out that the hosts of heaven were involved in sustaining His plans. Many noble and great ones were chosen to be rulers (Abraham 3:22,23).

Abraham was chosen to be the father of the faithful and the keeper of the covenant, Moses was chosen to be the law giver of Israel, Mary was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God; Joseph, His protector. Joseph Smith, the restorer of the Church…..and so on.

We, likewise, have been chosen, if for nothing else but to be the pegs that hold up the tent of Christ’s church throughout the world. It goes without saying that God’s Plan of Salvation for his children, could not succeed without His children.

We are mere humans but of the highest importance. We stand in our place in this world to ensure the success of a story of all stories. Each righteous soul shining forth to light the world……

As miraculous and amazing as was that baby in the stable, Mary and Joseph were second to Him.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: On To Egypt by Rose Datoc Dall)

THE ENEMY

 

The most profound thing that Mormon uttered which also summed up his earthly life was said in exhortation to his son Moroni: “….for we have a labour to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness” (Moroni 9:6)

Is there anybody that has ever fought the enemy of all righteousness more than Mormon? I cannot fathom atrocities such as he was exposed to in the most-evil of all societies (Moroni 9:8-10).

Mormon described his people as brutal, strong in their perversion and delighting in everything that is not good. He went on to say that ‘tongue could not tell, neither could it be written’ of the suffering among the women and children (Mormon 9:19).

I cannot fathom it. I live in a peaceful country where the worst I have seen are street protests. I hear of crimes in the news but I have not witnessed anything evil. Mormon did. He was exposed to it all to the point where he cried to God to ‘hide their sins, and wickedness and abominations from before His face!” (Moroni 9:15).

Mormon knew the enemy and he knew him well. He wrote the whole Book of Mormon in such a way that we will come to know the enemy and ‘be more wise than they have been’ (Mormon 9:31)

I might not be a witness to his atrocities but I know that the enemy is working today in secret ways, in corridors of power and in personal battlefields. He seeks our destruction and when he succeeds, he laughs and he and his angels rejoice (3 Nephi 9:2).

We are on the spiritual battlefield today. We are fighting an enemy that cannot be seen. We cannot fight him with ammunition. Our line of defense is to fortify ourselves against the powers of darkness so that we might be endowed with the power of God that Nephi saw in his vision of us (1 Nephi 14:14).

We must stand up for righteous values by shunning the wrong and promoting the right. As we do so our efforts will reverberate throughout the earth. Even though small in number, we will 'come forth out of the wilderness of darkness, and shine forth fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners" (D&C 109:73; 105:31). Evil can only be fought with righteousness.

The adversary knows us. He observes our behaviour and our choices and our words. He knows what buttons to push.  He sees those moments when we are the weakest. He waits for those moments. He lives for those moments.

Very often we refer to Satan as our foe but I propose that we are HIS foe. He has no power but what we give him. Therefore, we are more powerful than him. We, the strong, the valiant, the noble sons and daughters of God are the foe of evil and destructive forces of faith because we bear the image of the Son of God in our countenance.

We are the children of Christ. We are the warriors of today, called at such a time as this to prepare the way for Him to crush the enemy under His feet….

There is a desire in my soul

That wants to conquer Goliath

And watch him fall….

This warrior within me never sleeps

And yearns to hear the angels’ call,

A call to battle to make the devil fall.

And when Christ comes in clouds so holy

He will conquer that enemy

And we will confess His glory.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

THE LONELY ROAD

 

 

I am facing Christ Day alone this year. I experienced this in 2022. Circumstances dictated I would have no family, friends, gifts or festivities to focus on.

I was ok with it. In fact, I looked forward to it resolving it would be the most spiritual Christmas of all: Church, intense study of the Saviour’s life, listening to Handel’s Messiah, watching Passion of the Christ. I was going to have the greatest connection to the Saviour yet.

Christmas Day came and found me in bed sick with a heavy head cold, too sick and unmotivated to carry out my good intentions. My aloneness and the state of being, however, gave me more insight than all the planned inspiration that never eventuated.

As I faced the day alone without any distractions, a vista of Christ’s life presented itself to my mind from the humble and unceremonious birth to the horror of Golgotha and Calvary, and in between I saw….loneliness.

This is what I came to understand: the lonely road that the Saviour travelled whilst here would have been fraught with longing for what He had left behind…….something nobody else could understand with their mortal, finite minds.

Even though some believed Him to be the Son of God and supported Him, they would never have understood what it meant to leave His throne; they would have never understood the glimpses He had into eternal worlds He could not speak of; they would have never related to the higher ground He stood on; and they would never have grasped the agony awaiting Him.

In short, the Saviour travelled a lonely road. One, in fact, paved with many tears. It is true that once He had full knowledge of who He was, He would have had Father’s comforting spirit and the company of angels, nevertheless, these moments of reprieve must have made His feelings of isolation even more acute once they were withdrawn. The thought that comes to mind: so close, yet so far.

I do know one thing. The Saviour would have yearned for His true home whilst He walked this primitive earth. He would have yearned for the constant presence of the Father He so loved. The eternal life with Him that awaited Him would have been more of a reality to Him than mortality. 

When we come to the stage in our lives where this world becomes less of a ‘reality’ and the prospect of the eternal becomes what is more real, we get a glimpse of the Saviour’s mortal life. This is the point where the longing for the Father’s presence sets in.

It is the moment to live for, because then we leave the world behind do everything necessary to make it back home. We abandon sin and we seek Christ’s living water that gives us life and power of endurance. We abandon the enticing lustre of this world and yearn for the God who awaits us…..

Did you miss Your godly robes

That you traded for

The swaddling cloths of Calvary?

Was the ground rough beneath

Your feet as You traversed

The dust of Galilee?

The baseness of This earth,

So willingly suffered despite hostility.

Yet, You came:

The Father to reveal

And to Him forever

Our yielding hearts to seal.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jerusalem O Jerusalem by Greg Olsen)

THE DESTINATION

 

 

I was telling my friend at Church today of my struggle with bad health and how I didn’t expect something in my life that would challenge my Church attendance. I have been a devout Latter-Day Saint for 49 years with a perfect Church attendance record. It has been troubling to me that I am now not at Church every Sunday.

My friend replied with something very significant. She said:

“You know how the Jaredites were set upon by the mighty waves and turned upside down over and over again? I think this is an allegory for mortality. Ether tells us that all the tumult came about because of the powerful winds that the Lord sent.

“It’s easy to wish that the winds would stop, especially when they’re coming from One who is meant to love us so very much. Had He not sent them, however, those barges wouldn’t have made it where He wanted them to go.”

I reflected on this and realized never a greater truth has been said. The Lord will send us challenges and we will have to hang on for dear life until we have passed the test. Without those challenges which stand to refine us and prove us, He cannot ensure that we will arrive to our ultimate destination.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell noted the value of trials when he said:

“Spiritual refinement is not only to make the gross more pure but to further refine the already fine!”

-        (Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds, Ensign, May 1991, 90)

Now here is something interesting about the destination of the Jaredites. The Lord did not blow those barges to just any other land. He blew them to ‘a choice land above all other lands’ (Ether 2:15).

And so it is for the elect of God who have been given the truth and the ordinances of His house…..the elect are destined for the Kingdom where God dwells, a ‘choice kingdom, above all other kingdoms’. Your challenges and trials might be great but look who’s in charge of your barge…..

You warned me

there would be mountains to climb

But promised there would be

resting spots along the way;

You warned me of the subtle pitfalls

And how deep and wide

the waters I would wade.

But you promised me

Your hand in mine

Every minute of the day

And that You would meet me

at the finish line

When I had conquered

all there was to pay.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: AI Generated)

THE SILVERSMITH

 

“There was once a group of women studying the book of Malachi in the Old Testament. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.”  This verse puzzled the women, and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the idle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot – then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver. She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered “Yes”, and explained that he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be damaged.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy. When I see my image in it.”

If today you are feeling the heat of this world’s fire, just remember that God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ are refining you. “You are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ.”

-        Author Unknown

“…….have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenance? ”  

-        (Alma 5:14)

I have been through some refining fires in my life. I am presently going through one now. I am learning about endurance….an endurance I am determined to get through with dignity. I used to say to myself, “I HAVE to endure to the end” but I have realised on a deeper level that life is all about choice. It was so in pre-existence and it remains so. Now I say to myself, “This is but a moment. I CHOOSE to endure to the end.”

“I choose to” speaks commitment whereas ‘I have to’ speaks compulsion and compulsion breeds resentment. Reflecting on my life and all the decisions I have made showed me that in fact they were choices. My agency has been exercised.

I bow at the Saviour’s feet in gratitude for the refining fires of my life and I look forward to seeing His face when in the mirror I look one day.  All honour and glory be to the Saviour of my soul who has made my choices possible…..

May all who hear, praise Thy holy name

And seek Thy mercy and Thy grace;

And may those found worthy

Be endowed with Thy image

In the countenance of their face.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Peace I Give Unto You by B. Laura Wilson)

A SACRED LOVE

 

 

Moroni’s discourse on love is legendary. And not just any love but a love without which we are nothing; a love that survives hatred, animosity, harm, racism, sin, abuse, evil and all the inhumanity we are capable of; a love that ensures salvation at the last day (Moroni 7:44). Moroni called this love charity (v 47).

This love is unique to Christ and cannot be developed by others. It is therefore a gift bestowed upon those who are true followers of Christ and it must be sought through prayer (Moroni 7:48) . This love ensures that we become the sons and daughters of God so that when He appears, we shall be like Him (v 48). This love is the foundation of the glories of heaven and the cradle of eternity.

This love is the pure love of Christ, a love that endures forever and ever (v 47).

I have been praying for this love for some time now. I knew I was on the right path when I started seeing people as God’s children in the literal sense. Being a parent myself, I could relate to this and I began to understand why it is sinful to disparage anyone. I know how I would feel if someone thought ill of my children or considered them of little or no worth. So I began to understand and I began to think and feel differently about people around me.

I didn’t, however, expect to have a foretaste of the pure love of Christ through my own child. I thought I already loved her. Let me explain the difference between the two.

Over a year ago my daughter, who is no longer active in the Church, estranged herself from our family for no known reason. She merely said she needed space. She lives in another state so we could not understand this need. I went through bewilderment, sorrow, anger. And then an unexpected understanding of where she was standing came to me and all of a sudden I entered the space of forgiveness and compassion and I forgot about myself. She became more important than my feelings.

When Moroni identified its’ characteristics, he said that charity ‘seeketh not her own’ (Moroni 7:45). This means charity is not self-centered but is selfless. It puts the welfare of others before oneself. Christ exemplified this love through His atoning sacrifice.

When the Saviour came forward in pre-existence and said, “Here am I, send me”, He asked for nothing for himself. His only desire was to preserve the Father’s glory and to bring each one of us to His own station of perfection, glory, power and dominion. His motive was our salvation. He had no hidden agendas for self-advancement. His love was not contaminated with self-interest. It was pure. Unlike Lucifer, He did not seek to elevate himself through the work of salvation.

Without this selfless love the Atonement would not have been possible.  

When we are in possession of this love, we are able to by-pass our egos and bless each other's lives with its' power that makes a difference to the struggling other. Through this difference we start to assume the role of ‘saviours on mount  Zion’.  

May we reach across boundaries, limits and fears and shrink not from the love that will bind us together and lift us to  that place where we will at last, once more, once again and forever, see the face of God. Without this love, we cannot abide in His presence.

I long to be where I once was,

A child in my eternal home.

I long to see the God of love

And with Him walk the heaven’s floor.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: He Lifts Me Up by Danny Hahlbohm)