AT CALVARY

 

I continue to glean lessons from the Saviour’s suffering during His Atonement, not theological but personal. I was given one such lesson this week.

As I was praying one day, I was given a picture in my mind of the Saviour on the cross. It stunned me to the point that I stopped praying and I just listened to the understanding that kept coming. I will attempt to share with you just one thing that I feel is needful for all of us in this divisive world we live in.

Sometimes we pray for Christ-like qualities we want to have and we imagine that heaven’s wand will be waved over us and we will magically have what we asked for. I happen to have a very strong sense of justice to the point that it has at times robbed me of mercy towards others. I was very aware of this and thought it most unattractive so I have prayed a long time to become merciful. I wanted that wand!

As I saw the Saviour on the cross experiencing everyone’s pain, I understood that because He experienced and knew our suffering personally that He obtained the depth of mercy He might not have had before.

Alma proves my point here: “And He will take upon him death, that He may loose the bands of death which bind His people; and He will take upon Him their infirmities, that His bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor His people according to their infirmities” (Alma 7:12).

This deep sense of mercy the Saviour acquired through His Atonement will also be the defining attribute He will employ to make a righteous judgment and satisfy the demands of justice on judgment day. The balance between justice and mercy will be so perfect that we will not be able to question it.

How did this experience apply to me? I have been suffering physically for over a year now. Of late I have prayed that I will learn the lessons I am meant to learn from it. My above-mentioned experience helped me to understand that I need to view my fellowmen through the lense of mercy because everyone suffers in some way. We don’t know each other’s lives. We only know what we see and what we project to the world. I am hoping that as I am merciful towards others, I will be endowed with the pure love of Christ as Moroni promised (Moroni 7:48). This too is my desire.

I am amazed what we can learn from the life of Christ. His teachings and His mortal life, His example and His pure love and mercy toward us in this fallen world should provide life-long lessons for us, so that we ‘may become the sons of God; that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him….” (Moroni 7:48).

Today as I communed with Thee

You took me all the way to Calvary.

My heart stood still, the lessons came

And taught me what in words

I could not name.

I bow the knee and in thanks

Ascend to Thee

For all I learnt at Calvary.

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Redemption's Burden by Greg Collins)