MY HOLY GRAIL

 

Seeds of Joy by Yongsung Kim

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 

EMMANUEL

 

His Mighty Hand by Yongsung Kim

Perhaps the greatest of all the prophecies of Isaiah is the birth of Christ:

“Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

There are two significant truths in this sentence, and they both confirm that the Saviour Jesus Christ is the Son of God. The first is that his mother was a virgin which some have discounted, including the Jews, whom He was sent to, and who accused Him of being born of fornication (John 8:41). The definition of ‘virgin’ seems to have become lost over time with modern translators claiming: “Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Holy Bible, Revised Standard Version [1952], Isaiah 7:14) The loss of Isaiah’s precise wording is also the loss of belief that Christ was divine (see also the Old Testament Student Manual Book 2, p 145)

The second truth has to do with the name Immanuel:

“This name is also a title that describes Jehovan’s mission in mortality. The New Testament provides a correct interpretation of its meaning in Hebrew. Matthew recorded: “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God With Us” (Matthew 1:22-23) (Old Testament Student Manual Book 2, p 145)

I have over the years been collecting the names and titles by which the Saviour is known. So far I have found 99 names and 16 titles. My favourite would have to be Isaiah’s name for Him which is “The Holy One of Israel”. I think one of the most known would have to be “The Prince Of Peace” because it is so relatable for people of all dispensations and walks of life. Here is something significant about this title:

“Modern Man sometimes vainly thinks that Jesus’ mission was to wipe out war; and scoffers have cried that since war still curses the earth, Christ’s mission has failed and Christianity is a blight. Yet Christ himself sent forth his Twelve, saying: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.” (Matt 10:34).

“Christ did proclaim a peace – the peace of everlasting righteousness, which is the eternal and mortal enemy of sin. Between righteousness and sin, in whatever form, there can only be unceasing war, whether in one man, among the people, or between nations in armed conflict. This war is the sword of Christ; whatever its form this war cannot end until sin is crushed and Christ brings all flesh under his dominion. Righteousness is peace wherever it abides; sin in itself is war wherever it is found.” (President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., In Conference Report, April 1939, pp 104-5)

Whatever one of Christ’s names appeals to us the best, according to our understanding of Him, the name that should stand out in our minds the most is the one of salvation:

“Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore, with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation…..Praise the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the people, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion; for great is the HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL in the midst of thee.” (Isaiah 12:2-6)

Your arms, so willing and so strong,

Dived into the deep and shattered my sorrow;

The depth was no match for the strength

You gained at Calvary so long ago.

Your saving grace

Has lifted me to Your cross

Becoming my mortal weakness’ greatest foe.

I now walk with You

In paths I dare not walk alone;

In the valley of shadow of death,

I rejoice to be Your own.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

ENDURING THE ROAD

 

And Israel's Daughters Wept Around by Rose Datoc Dall

The road is so rough dear Lord

And I am here all alone.

I don’t know how I will walk

To the end with my burden

Pressing on me so.

 

Yes, I remember, said He,

I walked it myself long ago.

The cross was heavy

But I carried it

Because some burdens

Are meant to be carried alone.

-      CATHRYNE ALLEN

OF OYSTERS AND DIGNITY

I Am the Way by Chris Brazelton

For some reason I became fascinated of late with the saying, “the world is your oyster”. I wondered why people use that saying as something encouraging to propel you forward in your life so I decided to look into the life of an oyster.

The idiom “the world is your oyster” is supposed to mean you have endless freedom, choices, and opportunities to do or go wherever you want in life. It is true that we are free to go anywhere and do anything, however, even though our potential is vast, not all endless possibilities culminate in success.

And here is an interesting analogy. In nature, only about 1 in every 10,000 wild oysters develops a pearl. Pearls form when an irritant like a parasite or a grain of sand enters the shell. The oyster covers the irritant with layers of mother-of-pearl to protect its soft body. In other words, the oyster is stronger than the irritant that comes into its life and it turns that irritant into a magnificent, rare pearl…..it turns its misfortune into a fortune. Honestly, I don’t know who the hero of this situation is, the oyster or the pearl. I’d say the oyster even though the pearl’s value is greater because the oyster is the creator of the pearl. The pearl is the success of the oyster.

Perhaps the oyster teaches us that real beauty cannot be born without the invading forces of opposition. Its resilience in protecting itself must yield beauty of character in the midst of survival. It’s something I am hoping for myself. Like a lot of people, I have had a hard life…..I am in my third major trial. It has been going for two years now. I am struggling with isolation, incapacity, depression and physical pain. Because of it, I have come to view myself in a very lowly way and have looked back on my life as a thing of insignificance. I struggle to put any value to it.

All this has made me reflect on the life of the Saviour and how bleak and unproductive His life seemed to so many when He ended up on the cross. Imagine the Saviour who had just been crucified and suffered an unimaginable death meeting the two disciples on the road to Emmaus who expressed their disappointment that His life did not culminate in redemption of Israel (Luke 24:17,21). They basically said, “we thought this was it”. Never did it occur to them that the Saviour had indeed just redeemed Israel but not in the way they thought.

While the Jews forced the disciples into hiding (John 20:19) and attempted to contain the movement by sealing the tomb (Matthew 27:63-66), Jesus was met with righteous spirits in the spirit world who recognised the triumph of His life and death….”they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand (D&C 138:15). How differently things are viewed from the earthly vantage point to the eternal one!

My lament of late has been the possibility of death devoid of dignity. Here again I have reflected on Christ who was spit upon, rejected, tortured and crucified naked on the side of a highway without any dignity whatsoever. The Romans were brutal with crucifixion seeking not just death but to degrade and humiliate their victims.

I wonder if some oysters think their life has not amounted to much because they never produced a pearl and therefore met with undignified death. I think I’ll focus on the Saviour and the pearl He produced beyond price.

I want to remember the beauty

Of my life like that

Surrendered by the withered rose;

I want to remember all the

moments of my life

Near and far,

I want to take them with me

Like priceless jewels

When I am called to cross the bar.

 

-      Cathryne Allen

HIS LAMBS

Finding the One by Liz Lemon Swindle

 

Behold my lambs, Father,

So dear and priceless are they!

They break my tender heart

When from me they stray.

 

I willingly carried my cross

To Golgotha’s hill,

I would do it again

If it would keep them with me still.

 

I will bring home each lamb

Who are willing to follow

And those who stray

I will keep in my sorrow.

 

-      Cathryne Allen

BEYOND THE VEIL

 

Arms of Faith by Yongsung Kim

To say that the scriptural accounts of those who have had visions of God’s kingdom beyond the veil are easy to comprehend would be an understatement. We have no reference to describe such experiences and we simply lack the language also. The Prophet Joseph Smith provided a perspective on this when he said:

“Could we read and comprehend all that has been written from the days of Adam, on the relation of man to God and angels in a future state, we should know very little about it. Reading the experience of others, or the revelation given to them, can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experience through the ordinances of God set forth for that purpose. Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p 324)

Even the Saviour had difficulty explaining the workings of the universe and the kingdoms that existed within it in a revelation given to Joseph Smith and contained in Doctrine and Covenants 88. You can almost feel His frustration in reading His words: “Unto what shall I liken these kingdoms, that ye may understand?” (v 46) And then His summation of the difficulty of the task: “Behold, all these are kingdoms, and any man who hath seen any or the least of these hath seen God moving in his majesty and power.”  (v 47)

Isaiah endeavoured to describe what he was permitted to see of the celestial sphere in chapter 6 of his book (vs 1-4) by using images and terms with which his readers could identify, but even he sensed how much he fell short of communicating the reality of his experience. The description of his experience is definitely beyond my understanding or appreciation because I cannot relate to it.

Others who have had visions of the celestial realms have cited Isaiah’s somewhat adequate summation of such an experience which readers of all generations and time-lines can understand:

“For since the beginning of the world men have not heard, nor perceived by the ear, neither hath the eye seen, O God, beside thee, what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him.” (Isaiah 64:4)

Paul refined Isaiah’s explanation to the Corinthians by saying: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Perhaps the testimony of the Nephites is the greatest of the glories beyond the veil:

“And no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvellous things as we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive the joy which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.” (3 Nephi 17:16-17)

The joy is an incentive to those who want to experience the reality of the glories beyond the veil…..

Some days, Father, I cannot bear,

The absence of Your touch.

I cannot wait for Your embrace

That I have missed so very much.

 

In this abyss of worldly darkness

I stumble but I fall into the arms of Him

Who lifts me higher than I can go.

 

I fly to You, Father, on my wings of faith,

I sail through stormy skies,

Seeking for Thy face.

Look Father, no hands!

Only trust in these strong arms

Of my Saviour’s loving grace.

 

-      CATHRYNE ALLEN

ZION A PLACE OF REFUGE

 

Jesus Prince of Peace by Danny Hahlbohm

“And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night: for upon all the glory shall be a defence.

“And there shall be a tabernacle for a shadow in the daytime from the heat, and for a place of refuge, and for a covert from storm and from rain.”  (Isaiah 4:5,6)

Elder Orson Pratt suggested that the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy would be literal:

“The time is to come when God will meet with all the congregation of his Saints, and to show his approval, and that he does love them, he will work a miracle by covering them in the cloud of his glory. I do not mean something that is invisible, but I mean that same order of things which once existed on the earth so far as the tabernacle of Moses was concerned, which was carried in the midst of the children of Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness….But in the latter days there will be people so pure in Mount Zion, with a house established upon the tops of the mountains, that God will manifest himself, not only in their Temple and upon all their assembles, with a visible cloud during the day, but when the night shall come, if they shall be assembled for worship, God will meet with them by his pillar of fire; and when they retire to their habitations, behold each habitation will be lighted up by the glory of God, - a pillar of flaming fire by night.

“Did you ever hear of any city that was thus favoured and blessed since the day that Isaiah delivered this prophecy? No, it is a latter-day work, one that God must consummate in the latter times when he begins to reveal himself, and show forth his power among the nations.”  (In Journal of Discourses, 16:82)

It’s the time worth waiting for…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN