I looked up to You
When in my beginning.
I saw Your strength,
Your care, Your undying love,
And I knew only You
Could make up for what
I alone could not do.
You are my Shepherd,
You are my King,
You are my Holy Grail,
You are my everything.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
“Conversion means consecrating your life to
caring for and serving others who need your help and sharing your gits and
blessings….Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your
spirituality.
“God would use you to bless others. Your
continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in
your relationships – in how you treat others…… The person who does only those
things in the Church that concern himself alone will never reach the goal of
perfection. Service to others is what the Gospel and exalted life are all
about.” (Elder Robert J. Whetten, Strengthen
Thy Brethren, in CR April 2005, p 96, Ensign May 2005, p 91)
There was a king in the Book of Mormon who lived in ancient Americas by the
name of King Benjamin who delivered a powerful sermon about service to his
people. The premise of his sermon has several elements:
1.
His
first reasoning is simple gratitude for the life that God has granted us to
live and his preservation of us from day to day (Mosiah 2:20,21,23);
2.
God
asks service of us in return for the debt we owe for our lives so he can bless
us (Mosiah 2:24);
3.
Through
serving one another we come to know God (Mosiah 5:13);
4.
By
going above and beyond to serve those we do not deem worthy, we overcome the
human inclination to judge and we grow in humility recognizing that we are all
beggars before God, that all we have has been granted us by Him and not our own
ability (Mosiah 4:19);
5.
All
that we have belongs to God, therefore none of our possessions are ours to keep
hence we have an obligation to impart of our substance to the needy among us (Mosiah
4:22);
6.
We
measure the state of our hearts by our willingness to serve and help others.
Even when we cannot help, the desire to do so should be in our hearts. It is
the desires of our hearts that will one day be judged as much as our acts
(Mosiah 4:24);
7.
By
giving of ourselves and our substance we break our attachment to the things of
the world. All that we are attached to in this life will one day perish when we
leave, nothing is ours to keep (Mosiah 4:23);
These seven elements are sound reasoning for
our obligation to care for each other. But besides all these reasons, the
greatest reason is this…..by serving our fellowmen, we become like the greatest
servant of all. King Benjamin assured his people that if they are ‘steadfast
and immovable, and always abounding in good works’, that they will be called by
the ‘name of Christ’ (Mosiah 5:9). In fact he mentions the importance of this
10 times in his sermon (Mosiah 5:7-12).
Why is this important? Because it guarantees that
we shall in the end be found on the right hand of God (Mosiah 5:9). To be found
in such a prestigious place for eternity means that we have to become like the
man whose name we bear…..the Greatest Servant of all, the Christ. We can only
become like Him, if we act like Him and do the works that He did. We are
nothing without His example and His power to enable us to reach such heights.
I have always thought I would be on the giving
side of service. I considered the giving part ‘noble’ but the receiving part ‘weak’…..until
two years ago. I have an aversion to feeling weak but God thought He would show
me otherwise. Since I have been sick and have become more and more dependent on
others, I have realized one thing. Service cannot be noble in any way, if there
is no one to receive. And if there is no one to receive, the givers miss out on
becoming like the Greatest Servant.
Now when someone helps me achieve the smallest
task I cannot do myself, I cry…..when strangers at the supermarket assist me
with my groceries, I cry…..when someone makes me feel good about myself despite
my incapacities, I cry….I cry all the time these days, from gratitude. I cry
because of the givers.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
“The Book of Mormon has much to say about
earthly and heavenly treasures, in the same sense in which the newly found
apocrypha do. Of course, the image is also found in the New Testament.
“The Book of Mormon prophets explain many
references to heavenly treasures in the Bible. Helaman is fondest of treasures:
“And even at this time, instead of laying up for yourselves treasures in
heaven, where nothing doth corrupt….ye are heaping up for yourselves wrath
against the day of judgment” (Helaman 8:25).
“This is the correct concept of what is meant
by a treasure, it is a very common idea in the early apocrypha. We find in the many
treasure passages that the treasure is the wisdom and knowledge we left behind
us when we came down to this earth. In the premortal existence, we left our
treasure in God’s treasury, in His keeping.
“There it is, and by our good works here we can
add to it; more will be waiting for us when we go back….In the Jewish
apocrypha, God orders, by his word, the lights in the heavenly height, and by
the utterance of His mouth He opens the treasury, where the righteous have a
store of good works preserved…..everything we add to our credit is being preserved
in God’s treasury.”
-
Hugh
Nibley, Temple and Cosmos, p 232-3
Your truth pierces my soul
And binds me to Your loving heart.
Your teaching moments
Find my hungry mind
And feed me like a bird in flight
Searching for a morsel
That gladdens its hungry heart.
Your mysteries are laid at my feet
And I, I come to you Father
Clutching these treasures
that are mine to keep.
- CATHRYEN ALLEN
Then said a rich man, Speak to us of Giving.
And he answered: You give but little when you
give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may
need them tomorrow?
There are those who give little of the much
which they have – and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire
makes their gifts unwholesome.
And there are those who have little and give it
all. These are the believers of life and the bounty of life, and their coffer
is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy
is their reward. And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their
baptism. And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they
seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; They give as in yonder valley
the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. Through the hands of such as
these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.
It is well to give when asked, but it is better
to give unasked, through understanding; And to open-handed the search for one
who shall receive is joy greater than giving.
You often say, “I would give, but only to the
deserving.” The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your
pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. Surely, he
who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else from
you.
And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean
of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream. And what desert
greater shall there be, than that which lies in the courage and the confidence,
nay the charity, of receiving?
And who are you that men should rend their
bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their
pride unabashed? See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an
instrument of giving. For in truth, it is life that gives unto life – while you,
who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.
And you receivers – and you are all
receivers – assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself
and upon him who gives. Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on
wings; For to be over-mindful of your debts is to doubt his generosity who has
the free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father.
- Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet - A Timeless Masterpiece
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13). There is no greater giving than this. A complete submission of oneself with no thought of oneself but only for another.
I
kept my love close to my heart
Until
it became too heavy to bear.
It
overflowed my weakened arms
And
scattered along humanity’s path.
Like
crumbs from the table it fed a few,
The
lonely, the weak and the weary
And
gladdened my giving heart.
I
spread my arms wide
And
fed a throng for many years
Until
each cared for soul
Paved
the trail of my happy tears.
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
How
commendably patient Thou art
With
the slow progress of
My
proud heart;
How
great Thy wisdom,
How
great Thy mercy,
How
great Thy love
That
fills my joyful heart;
How
very great Thou art!
- Cathryne Allen
At times it seems easier to believe in
the prophets who have passed on than to believe in the living oracles and
follow the counsel and direction they give for our day and time yet we do have
a living prophet on the earth today and this is why. Each dispensation of time
presents itself with different needs relative to social, cultural, and
technological advancements of existing civilisations. Times change and so do
the people. New warnings are needed pertinent to evils of the day and the
prophecies of the Second Coming.
“With the restoration of the priesthood
in 1829, there was a restoration of prophets in this dispensation. Living
prophets are leading this church today. The greatest security of members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints comes from learning to listen to
and obey the words and commandments that the Lord has given through living
prophets.
"If we listened to the prophets of
this day, poverty would be replaced with loving care for the poor and needy.
Many serious and deadly health problems would be avoided through compliance
with the Word of Wisdom and the laws of sexual purity. Payment of tithing would
bless us and we would have sufficient for our needs. If we follow the counsel
given by the prophets, we can have a life in mortality where we do not bring
upon ourselves unnecessary pain and self-destruction.
“This does not mean we will not have
any challenges. We will. This does not mean we will not be tested. We will, for
this is part of our purpose on earth. But if we will listen to the counsel of
our prophet, we will become stronger and be able to withstand the tests of
mortality. We will have hope and joy. All the words of counsel from the
prophets of all generations have been given so that we may be strengthened and
then be able to lift and strengthen others." (Robert D. Hales, Hear
The Prophet's Voice and Obey, Ensign, May 1995, p 17)
We, members of this glorious Church of
Jesus Christ get somewhat complacent about all the blessings our membership offers.
May we never be like this member who was reminded of this very thing:
"She couldn't stand still. The
mention of a living prophet had aroused in her a great enthusiasm. As I
continued the lesson, the woman was up again and again, her hands flying as she
asked for clarification and elaboration. She wanted to know everything she
could about David O. McKay and his calling.
'He's a prophet', I repeated. 'Like
Jeremiah or Moses or Peter'. The concept was powerful and she wanted
desperately to understand.
'How does a man get to be a prophet?'
she asked.
"I spoke then of years of preparation,
and talked to her of obedience and faithfulness and study and prayer and
service - those qualities that enabled a man to fulfill such a calling.
'But the most important requirement is
that he be called of God' I explained, 'because he receives revelation from the
Lord and delivers it to the people. He speaks to us the words and the will of
God.'
'How?'
'Pardon me?'
'How does he speak to you?' she asked.
'I mean, how does he let you know what the Lord says and what he expects? When
he has a message, how does he deliver it?'
"This was a missionary's dream. In
nineteen months of proselyting and teaching I had never seen anyone so excited
about the restoration of the gospel and the idea of a living prophet. She
seemed aflame with a need to know the present word of God.
'Every six months, the Church holds a
General Conference' I said. 'People attend from all over the world, and
President McKay speaks, usually three or four times, during the three days of
the conference'.
"I could see in her eyes a great desire
to sit and listen to the living words of a living prophet.
'But does everyone attend?' she asked.
Then thinking of herself, she added, 'What about those who can't come to
conference?'
“I smiled. This woman was a joy to
teach. 'The Church publishes a magazine called the Improvement Era', I
responded. 'A month or two after conference, the entire proceedings of the
conference are published in one of the issues. Everyone who wants to can get a
copy and read the talks'.
"But there was more, and speaking of the
magazine had reminded me. 'That isn't all'. I was nearly as excited as she was
now. 'Every month President McKay writes the editorial in the Improvement Era.
Every month we get a written message from the Prophet of God'.
'That's wonderful!' she exclaimed, and
I agreed. In my mind the faucets were running, the baptismal font already
filling. She said she had one more question. I didn't mind. After nineteen
months as a missionary, I could answer any question about living prophets that
an investigator could ask. Any question, that is except this one. As she spoke,
I saw the plug being pulled, the water draining from the font.
"Her eyes shining with delight and
anticipation, she said: 'What did he say last month?'
"I could not answer her question. I knew that President McKay had been writing the editorials for the Improvement Era during most of the years of my life. But I had never read a single one of them."
- Ted Gibbons
- CATHRYNE ALLEN
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
