You sowed Your
truth
Deep within my
heart;
So deep, the
enemy cannot
Sever us
apart.
You bid me
nurture the seeds of faith
So you can
forever cherish my name,
You are my
keeper of salvation’s flame.
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
Thursday, 15 October 2026
SALVATION'S FLAME
BEAUTY AMIDST THE ASHES
This
event of the Saviour’s ministry would have to have been the lowest point in his
mortal life. Having returned form 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, having triumphantly
overcome the temptations tailored to His godship, the Saviour returned to
Galilee where ‘the fame of him went through the whole region’ as He taught in
their synagogues (Luke 4:13-15).
When
He came to Nazareth on Sabbath day, He proclaimed His divinity in the
synagogue, through the words of Isaiah:
“The
spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of
our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to
give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning……..” (Isaiah 61:1-3)
And
then the words which sealed his fate: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in
your ears.” (Luke 4:21)
What
followed makes you want to weep: “And all they in the synagogue, when they
heard these things were filled with wrath. And rose up and thrust him out of
the city and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built,
that they might cast him down headlong.” (Luke 4:28,29)
Just
as the Jews denied Jesus’ divinity in their day, we in our day sometimes deny His
Atonement, not fully understanding its power and for what it was given:
“We
need to understand the Atonement more fully than we do, both because outsiders
may misperceive our doctrine and because we may view the Atonement too narrowly
in our own lives. For example, Newsweek magazine has stated: “Unlike
orthodox Christians, Mormons believe that men are born free of sin and earn
their way to godhood by the proper exercise of free will, rather than through
the grace of Jesus Christ. Thus Jesus’ suffering and death in the Mormon
view…do not atone for the sins of others.” (Newsweek, 1 Sept 1980, p 68)
“It
disturbs me that Newsweek would miss the point of our core doctrine,
even though the article purported not to summarize our theology but to report
what Latter-day Saints actually believe. It is unfortunate when we convey
incorrect ideas to others; but it is worse when we by our limited doctrinal
understanding, deny ourselves the reassurance and guidance we may
desperately need at pivotal moments in our lives.” (Bruce C. Hafen, Beauty for Ashes: The
Atonement of Jesus Christ, Ensign April 1990)
Elder
Hafen goes on to say that according to Isaiah’s definition of the Saviour’s
role, His Atonement is not only the healing power for sin, but also for
carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness. The Atonement is not just
for sinners but for all who need relief from weaknesses, shortcomings,
disappointment, harmful effects from our ignorance, neglect, sickness, and
heartbreaks that form the deliberate fabric of mortal life. The Atonement’s
effects are meant not only for the Judgment Day but for here and now. It is a
rich source of strength to deal productively with difficulties of mortal life.
It is, in essence, beauty amidst the ashes of mortality.
The
key to activating the power of Atonement in our lives is our understanding of
grace. Nephi wrote, “For we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after
all we can do. (2 Nephi 25:23). Christendom at large believes more in grace
than in the second part of the process whilst some Latter-Day Saints tend to
focus too much on it. Being saved by grace alone in spite of whatever we may
do, tends to deny free will,” implying that God will elect those he will save
without regard to their conduct or even their preference.” (see Elder Hafen’s
quoted article).
Those
who believe in being saved by grace alone tend to exonerate themselves from any
wrongdoing while those who focus on their good works only as a means of
salvation often drop out of the race believing the path to eternal life is just
too hard.
“We
need grace both to overcome sinful weeds and to grow divine flowers. We can do
neither one fully by ourselves. But grace is not cheap. It is very expensive,
even very dear. How much does this grace cost? Is it enough simply to
believe in Christ? The man who found the pearl of great price gave “all that he
had” for it (Matt 13:45,46).
“If
we desire “all that the Father hath, God asks all that we have (D&C
84:38). To qualify for such exquisite treasure, in whatever way is ours, we
must give the way Christ gave – every drop He had: “How exquisite you know not,
yea, how hard to bear you know not (D&C 19:15). Paul said, “If so be
that we suffer with him”, we are “joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).
All of His heart, all of our hearts.”
“What
possible pearl could be worth such a price – for Him and for us? This earth is
not our home. We are away at school, trying to master the lessons of “the great
plan of happiness” so we can return home and know what it means to be there.
Over and over the Lord tells us why the plan is worth our sacrifice – and
His…..Of necessity, the plan is full of thorns and tears – His and ours. But
because He and we are so totally in this together, our being “at one” with Him
in overcoming all opposition will itself bring us “incomprehensible joy” (Alma
28:8).
Activating
the power of the Atonement in one’s life is not just a matter of a simple common
prayer. It is our opportunity to acknowledge and affirm our faith in Jesus
Christ and His power to save…..the words that should be spoken are: “through my
faith in Jesus Christ and the power of His Atonement, I ask…..”
May
you find the pearl of beauty amidst the ashes of your mortal life….
How
vast You are that
You
can fill the immensity of space
Yet
so small You can fit
Into
my heart with eternal grace.
How
small and insignificant am I
Among
the countless children
Of
this earth’s dust and fleeting pace
But
of what importance
To
Your saving grace!
- Cathryne
Allen
Wednesday, 14 October 2026
THE CALL
In need I reach for heaven’s door,
To concede, in spirit, I am forever
poor.
I find Him waiting and knowing all,
No reprimand,
Just grateful I heard His call.
He took my heart into His hands,
The sacred balm, like honey,
soothed my aches.
- Cathryne Allen
THE POWER WE SPEAK
I am passionate about
words. They are an expression of the soulful nature of our being, our
experiences, our attitudes and our cumulative growth. I love words that feed my
soul, like poetry. Consider what the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran said about this
genre of literature: “Poetry is not an opinion expressed. It is a song that
rises from a bleeding wound or a smiling mouth.” Never a greater truth has been spoken. When I
write poetry, I write what I feel, from all my wounds and all my happy moments
of the heart.
Words of poems that touch
me are like seeds that had been sown in my heart. I believe the experiences of
the poets that write them. American poet Sara Teasdale’s poems of love touch
the very nerves of my heart. When I read
her poem about the ‘sensitive, shy years, that strove to sing with voices
drowned in tears’ years before ‘she saw his face’ I tend to believe in love
even though all I know of it is pain but I also know the years drowned in tears
and so I can believe in love too (see her poem “The Years”)
Another poet of my heart
is American poet Emily Dickinson. Her words of life and death and all that’s in
between bring to me the reality of mortal life and the memories of it we will
take with us when we cross the bar. Her poem “Retrospect” dissolves me into
tears just by simple awakening of memories of my childhood. When she says “It
was just this time last year I died. I know I heard the corn, when I was
carried by the farms – it had the tassels on”, I remember the fields of corn of
my childhood.
And who could not be
touched by the lyrical poetry of the Irish W.B. Yeats who wished he had ‘the
heaven’s embroidered cloths’ so he could spread them under “your feet: but I,
being poor, have only my dreams; I have spread my dreams under your feet; tread
softly because you tread on my dreams.” (Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven).
I believe in the beauty
of words and I also believe in their power. They evoke emotion, memory, innermost
beliefs, spiritual awakening, hope and faith. I am enthralled when I read the
scriptures and see examples of words of faith that bring the impossible into
possible. Such is the power of words.
Consider
Enoch who was called to his holy calling when he was ‘slow of speech’ (Moses
6:31). The Lord promised him that He will give him ‘utterance’ and He will
‘justify’ all his words (Moses:32-34). So because Enoch trusted this promise,
given to him by God himself, his weakness turned into his greatest strength,
and he became so powerful that when he spoke the people trembled and could not
stand in his presence (Moses 6:47). That my friends is turning the impossible
into possible.
Worthy spoken words have the power to resonate with the spirit of
God and empower us to achieve things we could not ordinarily do on our own.
An example of this is calling upon the power of the Atonement to enable
us to overcome a certain weakness or to receive a healing. I have had
experience to this end and can testify that the power of the Atonement, when
prayed for, can heal you, as does hearing His word which ‘heals the wounded soul’ (Jacob 2:8). The vibration of words carries with it power that creates
a pathway for manifestation of that which we pray for. Admonition to pray is prolific in scriptures
for exactly this reason.
Spoken word
and faith are inter-related. The great exemplar of this is the
Saviour himself, who created the world by the power of His word (Jacob 4:9;
Mormon 9:17; Genesis 1; John 1:1). I believe when the Saviour spoke the words
of creation, He spoke by the power of faith. This is obvious to me through a
small incident in His mortal life when He came upon a fig tree that had no
fruit to feed His hunger. He cursed the tree and the tree withered the moment
He spoke (Matthew 21:18-21). When His
disciples marvelled at what they saw, Jesus told them that if they had faith
and doubted not, if they said the word for mountains to move, it would be so
(v21).
I have to speak of Enoch
again. During
his interlude with God, Enoch pleaded with Him that God would have ‘mercy upon
Noah and his seed’ (Moses 7:50) but he did so in the most powerful way that a
prayerful plea should ever be uttered. He said: “I ask Thee, O Lord, in the
name of thine Only Begotten, even Jesus Christ, that thou wilt….”(v50). In
other words, he did not use Jesus' name as an ending afterthought, like we are
accustomed to do so at the end of our prayers. He began with the Saviour’s name
as an acknowledgement of his faith in the source of power through which his
petition can be granted.
As a result of his faith in the
Saviour and the power of His name, God could not withhold from covenanting with
Enoch that He would grant his petition (v 51). So powerful did Enoch become in
speaking ‘the word of the Lord’ that the earth trembled and the mountains fled
(v13). Without a doubt, he commanded the mountains to flee in the name of Jesus
Christ. Likewise, the mountains of our lives can crumble at the mention of His
name. Believe in the power of your faith in Him at whose appearing the
mountains will flow down at His presence, the elements will melt with fervent
heat, the waters will boil and the sun will hide its face in shame (Hebrews
12:29; D&C 133:40-44, 49). Is this not power greater than any mountain on
your path?
Dare to create the life
that God would want you to have by becoming your best self. Aim higher than you
have ever aimed before. The Saviour wants you to be like Him, in every way. He
would have you learn to harness the power of faith that you might rise to
godhood through your power of manifestation. That power is already in you……He made sure of
it. So speak the power…..
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
LONELINESS
Some days You
seem so near
And some days
so far.
I long to see
Your face,
To walk the
clouds with You
With poise and
godly grace.
I know You are
there keeping at bay
The darkness
of despair,
And gifting me
memories of You
To fill the
loneliness that I tearfully bear.
-
CATHRYNE ALLEN
THE SEVENTH DAY
“If
thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy
day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and
shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor
speaking thine own words:
“Then
shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the
high places of the earth and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father:
for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.”
(Isaiah 58:13,14)
“Keeping
of the sabbath as a day of surcease from ordinary toil was a national
characteristic, by which the Israelites were distinguished from pagan peoples,
and rightly so, for the holiness of the Sabbath was made a mark of the covenant
between the chosen people and their God. (James Talmage, Jesus the Christ,
p 203).
This
characteristic of Sabbath observance lives with us still as a commandment within
the House of Israel to be a standard and an ensign to the world. In Hebrew the
term Sabbath means ‘rest’. This rest constitutes quiet tranquillity,
peace of mind and spirit, however, the main benefits promised by Isaiah
regarding the Sabbath are three-fold:
·
Sanctification:
It is called a holy day because ‘holy’ means set apart or sanctified for the
work of God (see also Exodus 31:13);
·
Revelation
and communion with God (I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the
earth);
·
Exaltation
(I will feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father)
Other
promises are ones of temporal plenty, divine protection and spiritual power.
The
most important of these three is sanctification. So important was this
sanctification that violation of the Sabbath was a capital crime punishable by
death under the Mosaic dispensation and this is why….. it impressed upon
ancient Israel the seriousness of spiritual death (see Numbers 15:32-36).
Without sanctification you cannot have eternal life but instead suffer
spiritual death. Whereas eternal life means a life with God, spiritual death
means to be cut off from His presence (Alma 42:1-9; D&C 29:41).
“Alma
taught that certain early Saints entered the “rest of the Lord” after being made
pure through a process of sanctification (Alma 13:12). In other words, God’s
work is the sanctification of His children to the point where they can enter
into the ultimate rest, which is the fulness of His glory.
“Once
each week man is commanded to cease his own labours and allow God to perform
His work of sanctification on him. Resting on the Sabbath, then, implies far
more than taking a nap or stopping normal activities. Mankind must enter into
the Lord’s work on that day. This work involves making themselves and others
more godlike, another way to speak of sanctification.
“Doing
the work of the Lord (sanctification) often involves great activity on the
Sabbath day, and the day may not be restful in the usual sense. One can assume
that if doing good to an animal on the Sabbath is approved by the Lord (see
Matthew 12:11; Luke 13:15), then doing good to men is an even higher good. The
two commandments for the Sabbath are rest and worship (see D&C 59:10). The
Hebrew verb la-avodh, “to worship”, means also “to work” and “to serve”.
This holy work then creates a new and holy man;
so the Sabbath is tied into the work of creation.” (Old Testament Student Manual Book 1, p 130)
Sometimes
I fear that we have lost the holiness of the Sabbath in our day and age. When I
was growing up in Croatia, our Catholic community was very observant of the Sabbath.
Nobody worked, nobody partied. We usually made the best meal on Sunday with the
only dessert of the week, usually a cake or a slice that could be shared in
case any guests should come by. My mother would not allow us girls to even knit
on Sunday. It was a peaceful, calm day of the week when we went to Church and sometimes
met with extended family or friends but it was a meeting devoid of any
entertainment. I always felt a special
spirit on Sunday. I felt it was God’s day. This is the Europe I remember of
some 50 years ago.
The
Australia of today where I live now is vastly different. Consumerism has
destroyed a lot of values we once used to have, children’s parties are rampant
on Sundays as are sporting events and competitions. Sometimes I feel like we
observe the Sabbath day if there isn’t anything else going.
We,
modern-day Israel have a higher obligation than just abstaining from work and
frivolity. We are to turn away our foot (the symbol of following or obeying)
from doing our own pleasure on the Sabbath and to remember the Lord’s work
which is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man (Moses
1:39). If we did so we would be drawn to God in the greatest way possible (see
The Old Testament Student Manual Book 1, p 181). It would be the beginning of
our path to eternal life. And when we came to it, we would hear God say: “Well
done thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
Monday, 12 October 2026
ANGELS
Angels are you near me
To catch me if I fall?
Do you stand guard at the entrance
Of my heart
On God’s errand and sentinel’s call?
Do you pave the way
And steady my feet,
And ensure my enemy’s defeat?
You are unsung heroes
Of every journey’s flight
You are phantoms of love
Concealed from mortal sight.
- Cathryne Allen
THE SHIELD OF CHRIST
“Is
not this the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo
the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free….is it not to deal thy
bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy
house?
“Then
shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health hall spring forth
speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord
shall be thy rereward. “ (Isaiah 58:6-8)
“Rereward
is an older word meaning “rear guard”. The Hebrew word asaph has the
root meaning of “to gather” and, as used
in Isaiah 58:8, “it is applied to the gathering up of the scattered rear of an
army, or the keeping it from straggling, and defending it from the attacks of
an enemy” (William Wilson, Old Testament Word Studies, s.v. “rereward”.)
“A
better translation would be “the glory of Jehovah will gather thee, or keep
thee together, i.e. be thy rear-guard” (C.F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Commentary
on the Old Testament, 7:2:390)
“When
Israel is diligent in the performance of works of compassionate love, it is
like an army on the march or travelling caravan, for which righteousness clears
and shows the way as being the most appropriate gift of God, and whose rear is
closed by the glory of God, which so conducts it to its goal that not one is
left behind” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 7:2:390)
PROMISES
OF FASTING (Isaiah 58:8-12):
·
You
shall have light within, physical health, righteousness and the Lord will
answer you and His glory will gather you;
·
God’s
providence in time of lack (satisfy thy soul in draught);
·
Physical
health (Make fat thy bones – as in marrow in the bones that manufactures
blood);
·
Inspiration
and wisdom (like a spring of water whose waters fail not);
·
Strength
and foundation for posterity and restoration of others (raise up the
foundations of many generations and be a restorer of paths to dwell in)
When
fasting has genuine spiritual purpose, its power breaks the bands of
wickedness, sets free the spiritually oppressed, and provides bread for the
hungry and covering for the naked Isaiah 58:6,7). Fasting without spiritual motivation only
engenders discomfort and irritability (Isaiah 58:4b – footnote)
“Fasting cures disease, dries up bodily tumours, puts demons to flight, gets rid of impure thoughts, makes the mind clearer, the heart purer, and the body sanctified, and raises man to the throne of God.” (Athenaeus, Greek Physician)
Jesus fasted 40 days: Matthew 4:2
Moses fasted 40 days twice: Deuteronomy
9:9,18,25
Elijah fasted 40 days: 1 Kings 19:8
Esther fasted 3 days: Esther 4:16
Paul fasted 3 days: Acts 9:9
Alma Senior fasted 2 days and two
nights: Mosiah 27:23
Alma the Son of Alma fasted 3 days: Alma 36:16
“Mortals
can never attain the unity with Deity that it is their privilege to gain
without fasting and prayer.” ( Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah Book 2, p
59)
“Then
shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say,
Here I am….” (Isaiah 58:6-8)
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
Sunday, 11 October 2026
THE SUFFERING VIEW
As I watched from heaven
Your slowly climb to that fateful hill,
I flew on angel’s wings
To gather the blood that You would
spill.
I remembered Your godly suffering
In lonely Gethsemane
So I flew there too to search for tears
Scattered amongst the flowers in sacred
agony.
I saw the empty bitter cup
I saw Your will all swallowed up
I saw the man, the God of love
The testament of grace divine.
- Cathryne Allen
CHILDREN OF CHRIST
“And
now I say unto you, who shall declare his generation? Behold, I say unto you,
that when his soul has been made an offering for sin he shall see his seed. And
now what say ye? And who shall be his seed?
“Behold,
I say unto you, that whosoever has heard the words of the prophets, yea, all
the holy prophets who have prophesied concerning the coming of the Lord – I say
unto you, that all those who have hearkened unto their words, and believed that
the Lord would redeem his people, and have looked forward to that day for a
remission of their sins, I say unto you, that these are his seed, or they are
the heirs of the kingdom of God. (Mosiah 15:10,11; Isaiah 53:10)
“The
seed of Christ are those who are adopted into his family, who by faith have become
his sons and his daughters. They are the children of Christ in that they are
his followers and disciples and keep his commandments” (4 Nephi 17; Mormon
9:26; Moroni 7:19). (Bruce R. McConkie, Mormon Doctrine, p 700).
King Benjamin of the Book of Mormon spoke at great length to his people about the importance of becoming children of Christ. The setting of King Benjamin’s speech was the occasion of his son Mosiah's succession to the throne. This was however, a coronation with a difference.
It was common practice anciently for a new king ascending the throne to be given as many as five names or titles by which he was distinguished among the people; to acknowledge his greatness and his achievements; and to establish him as the link between the people and the divine. (See Scripture Central Post of October 17, 2019, Know Why 536). King Benjamin, however, did something extraordinary at his son's coronation. Instead of using this occasion to bring prominence to his son, he mentions Mosiah only twice. Once to announce him as the new king and once again to affirm that he will act under the direction of God for the benefit of the people (Mosiah 2:30,31).
Rather than proclaiming his son as the divine king as was expected anciently, King Benjamin solidified his people's reliance on The Heavenly King (Mosiah 2:19) by enumerating His endless goodness and honouring Him with names worthy of His station as the promised Messiah, such as: Jesus Christ, The Son of God, The Father of Heaven and Earth, The Lord Omnipotent and The Creator of all things from the beginning. But King Benjamin didn't stop there. He bestowed upon his people a new name that would bind them to the Heavenly King forever. He proclaimed that they be known by the name of Christ rather than by his son's name which would have been the usual protocol.
Mosiah’s subjects entered into a covenant of obedience to Christ and His Gospel and thus became ‘spiritually born’ of him and were known as 'the children of Christ' (Mosiah 5:7). Today we become spiritually born through the covenant of baptism as we take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. We become CHRISTians.
King Benjamin mentioned the importance of having Christ’s name 11 times in 6 verses of Mosiah 5 (V 7-12). Why is this important? Because when we are born physically, we take upon ourselves our earthly father’s name and just as we are genetically predisposed to inherit their physical and mental traits, so we, when we take upon ourselves the name of Christ, and live his teachings, inherit His spiritual qualities. In other words, we become like Him by the virtue of our newly acquired parental bond (Moroni 7:48). This gives a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘you’re just like your father’, does it not???
I have written about this personal experience before but will repeat it
here because it fits the narrative of this post rather well. My baptism into
the Church was a traumatic experience for my family. I was 18 and my father was
strongly opposed to me changing my religion. I was told that I had to choose
between my family and the Church. I chose the Church which meant I had to leave
home. My parents were devastated and refused to have any contact with me for a
whole year. It was the most stressful event of my then young life.
Shortly after my baptism I had an unusual and highly symbolic dream. I
was in a high rise building with my parents when there appeared a lot of
commotion on the street below. We hurried down to see what was happening, but
when we reached the street level a white matter akin to snow fell on top of us.
We dug our way up to the top, but I was the only one that emerged. As I
surveyed the street, I saw whiteness everywhere. I looked to my right and saw
the Saviour coming towards me with outstretched arms saying: “Where are my
children?” I did not understand that dream straight away, but the understanding
came as I studied the scriptures and came to see that my baptism was the
gateway to new birth.
When through the water’s gate
I was given the Saviour’s name,
His law was written in my heart
Forever there to remain.
I offered love, I obeyed,
I followed the paths He had me take;
I’ve endured all my trials
For His name’s sake.
And when in clouds of heaven He appears
And I stand in the shadow of His frame,
I want to hear the Saviour say:
I love what you have done with my name!
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
Saturday, 10 October 2026
HOLY KISS
One
day soon Father,
when
I kneel at Your throne
I
will bring you my deeds
from
my earthly home.
Because
of Thy Son’s mercy,
Consider
them bliss,
And
greet me joyfully
With an holy kiss.
- Cathryne Allen
LOOKING BEYOND THE MARK
“While
serving in the Seventy, Elder Dean L. Larsen explained that the Israelites in
ancient times ‘got themselves into great difficulty’ because they ‘placed
themselves in serious jeopardy in spiritual things unwilling to accept simple
basic principles of truth.
“They
entertained and intrigued themselves with ‘things that they could not
understand’ (Jacob 4:14). They were apparently afflicted with a pseudo-sophistication
and a snobbishness that gave them a false sense of superiority over those who
came among them with the Lord’s words of plainness. They went beyond the mark
of wisdom and prudence and obviously failed to stay within the circle of
fundamental gospel truths, which provide a basis for faith.
“They
must have revelled in speculative and theoretical matters that obscured for
them the fundamental spiritual truths. As they became infatuated by these
‘things that they could not understand’, their comprehension of and faith in
the redeeming role of a true Messiah was lost, and the purpose of life became
confused. A study of Israel’s history will confirm Jacob’s allegations (In
Conference Report October 1987, 11-12 or Ensign November 1987m 11) (as quoted
in Book of Mormon Student Manual p 121)
To
understand how the Jews came to ‘look beyond the mark’ it is worthy to ‘mention
that by the time Jesus came among them, they had convoluted the Law of Moses
into 613 rabbinical laws which they lived by. So obsessed they were with these
laws that they considered them more important than the Law of Moses itself. These
laws became their distraction from the fundamental gospel truths.
When
one of the Pharisees, who was a lawyer, asked Jesus ‘which is the great
commandment in the law’, He answered there were really only two and all the others
stem from them: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On
these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matt 22:34-40)
In
essence, Jesus was saying, compared to your 613, ‘the yoke of my gospel is easy
and my burden is light, come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest’ (see Matt 11:29,30). The Jews chose the 613 laws
instead and accused Him of being a sinner because He would not conform to the
traditions of the Elders. His refusal became one of the main accusations the
Jewish Council had against him that led to His death.
When
I was studying for my University degree some years ago, I undertook a subject in
philosophy. I was very excited to study the Greek philosophers, the cream of
the top according to the wisdom of the world. I actually thought I would become
wise. It was my worst subject. So much so that my professor called me to ask me
if I understood what I was learning. And no, I did not understand one iota of
the ridiculous theories regarding the meaning of life that I was being fed. In
comparison to my clear understanding of the simple Plan of Salvation that I
knew, the theories of these philosophers were ludicrous. The simple gospel of
Christ with its Plan of Salvation was what attracted me to the Church in the
first place. It was all the meaning of life I needed.
Philosophy
of men is the cradle of the Great Apostasy. Within mere 30 years following
Christ's ascension into heaven, the profound and simple truths of the Gospel of
Jesus Christ started to be blended with philosophies of men and eventually 'the
wisdom of God was rejected as foolishness. The miracles of the Atonement, the
Resurrection, and the ordinances were diluted and deleted. Men, blinded to the
wisdom of God by their own intellectual conceit, added and subtracted at will
from the truths revealed by God. Gradually and inevitably, these precious
truths were changed, perverted, and lost. The simple was embellished, the holy
corrupted, the truth falsified' (see The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His
Apostles, p. 229).
Under
the Saviour's admonition to take the Gospel to other nations, Paul and the
Apostles took the Gospel beyond the walls of Jerusalem to dispersed Jews, then
Samaritans and then the Gentiles, more specifically, the Mediterranean world
ruled by the Roman Empire. The Gospel which they preached was grounded in the
eyewitness testimony of Jesus for many had seen the Saviour following His
resurrection, therefore, their testimony and message was not based on Christ's
teachings alone but more importantly, on their witness of His resurrection
which left no room for speculation.
This
non-speculative nature of the Christian faith conflicted with the philosophical
conjecture in the Mediterranean which was heavily under the Hellenic influence,
meaning Greek philosophy. Where Jews sought signs, Greeks sought wisdom and it
is the wisdom of men which they revered more than the simple truths of the
Gospel. With time the Christian resistance to Greek philosophy broke down and
the strange admixture of Christian truth with pagan philosophy and practice
constituted the Great Apostasy (see The Life and Teachings of Jesus and
His Apostles, p 233).
Unfortunately,
the ‘pseudo-sophistication’ persists today. Some of us are learning and never
coming to the knowledge of the truth….mostly because we think there is greater
truth out there than we already possess.
Some
years ago a friend from my ward told me he was invited into a newly formed LDS
study group. He was an educated man, in a managerial position, who loved to
study theology. The man who issued the invitation to him made it clear that the
study group was exclusively for educated, professional people in the Church. My
clever and unpretentious friend replied: oh you mean no lowly skilled labourer
is allowed? Nobody for instance like……a carpenter…..?!?!?!?
Friday, 9 October 2026
PEOPLE LIKE YOU
(Artist Unknown)
If you give a little more than you take
And if you try to fix more than you break
If you're the kind who takes the time
To help a stranger in the rain
There's a place for people like you.
If you stand up for those down on their knees
And lend a voice to those who cannot speak
If you shine a little light, give sight
To the ones who've lost their way
There's a place for people like you.
I've heard up there the streets are made of gold
And when you get there, there's a hand to hold
I believe when your days down here are through
There's a place up there for people like you.
If you walk around with your heart on your sleeve
And if you try to be the change you want to see
If you lay down your life for love
So someone could be saved
There's a place for people like you.
I know you're out there
So keep doing what you do
Cause there's a place up there
for people like you.
(Song lyrics by John Kirkland Reid)
BELIEVING BLOOD OF ISRAEL
“To the missionaries of the
latter-days the Lord has said: “Ye are called to bring to pass the gathering of
mine elect, for the Lord explained, ‘mine elect hear my voice and harden not
their hearts’ (D&C 29:7). For theirs was a ‘believing blood’. What then is
believing blood? It is the blood that flows in the veins of those who are the
literal seed of Abraham – not that the blood itself believes, but that those
born in that lineage have both the right and a special spiritual capacity to
recognise, receive, and believe the truth.
“The term is simply a beautiful,
a poetic, and a symbolic way of referring to the seed of Abraham to whom the
promises were made. It identifies those who developed in pre-mortality the
talent to recognise the truth and to desire righteousness.” (New Witness,
38-39)
-
(McConkie and Millet, Doctrinal Commentary On
The Book of Mormon, Vol 2, 61)
I
remember coming to You
Long
ago through the water’s gate,
So wide
open for my soul to embrace.
You
flowed through my heart since that day
Showing
me the wonder of You;
I
have seen Your agonizing sacrifice,
And
Your spilt blood too.
I
hear You, I am Your sheep,
I
know You and Your sacrificial pains
For
the believing blood of Israel
Runs
through my veins.
-
Cathryne Allen
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