BEAUTIFUL MORTALITY

 

 

I was in tears watching the recorded live performance of Benedictus by 2CELLOS. It was as if the cellos were speaking to my soul under the magnificent skill of the two most talented musicians I have come across. I am amazed at the beauty which exists in our humanity despite all the evil acts we seem to be capable of. I am amazed at this life with the full spectrum of experiences and emotions that enrich us and lift us to higher ground amidst sorrow, pain and suffering.

 

I was perusing one of my old journals the other day and I came across a list I had written in 1996 entitled “The Simple Things That Make Me Happy”. Here are some of them: a new leather bound book; the shade of a tree; the smell of freshly cut rosemary; poetry; receiving a letter; reading in bed; a new pen; writing; a warm room in cold weather; libraries; beautiful stationery; wearing perfume. As I read this list I realised I have lost sight of what I enjoyed about mortality. Over the years I got lost in being too serious dealing with my trials and too zealous in striving to ‘rise above the world’. I wonder how many joys I have missed. I know that somehow I need to ignore the bad that is happening in the world and cultivate a more sincere gratitude for my mortal imperfect experience. One day my life here will become a distant memory and I don’t want it marred with regret.

 

I stand in awe of the God of creation. I marvel at the magnitude of this planet and the complexity of human body that could only come into existence through the hands of His power but I marvel more at His sacrifice at Calvary without which this creation would be in vain. I don’t know how He did it but I stand in awe that He did. I stand in awe and give glory to His name for all that I am and all that He has made of me in this life of diversity. 

 

May the memories of our sojourn here be sweet and may we ‘wish that life should not be cheap but sacred….the days to be as centuries, loaded, fragrant’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

 

I wish that I could silence

The murmurings of my heart;

I wish I could be joyful

Despite this temperamental life.

I wish I could be grateful for

Every fallen tear

And accept my trials

Without a trace of fear.

I want to remember the beauty

Surrendered by the withered rose

And never let it drift too far;

I want to take it with me

Past the grave

When I am called to cross the bar.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Consider the Lillies by Eva Koleva Timothy)

THE WORTH OF A WOMAN

 

 

This is for women and the men who love and honour them.

 

There is a story in the Old Testament that would no doubt enrage the feminists of our day. It is the story of Esther. This story unfolds in Babylon around 478 B.C. under the rule of Persian King Ahasuerus, known in history as Xerxes. After showing off the wealth of his kingdom to all the princes and nobles of Persia and Media in the third year of his reign, King Xerxes made a seven day feast for everyone that was found in Shushan palace, both great and small (Esther 1:5). After seven days of limitless drinking  (Esther 1:8), the King commanded that Queen Vashti present herself and show her beauty to all present. The Queen did the unthinkable, and for some unknown reason, refused. Perhaps she felt it was beneath her to parade herself in front of a bunch of unruly drunkards or maybe the feminists among us would suggest she did not support objectifying  of women. There could be another side to this story however. This King was obscenely rich, so much so that it took him 180 days to show off the riches of his kingdom (Esther 1:4). It could very well be that he valued his queen above all that he had and saved the best for last. In his mind he was probably paying her a compliment by showing her off and maybe even feeling proud that he could have a wife such as this.

 

Vashti's stuborness did not do her any favours. What followed next could by today's standards be deemed the worst case of suppression of women. The story goes on to say that seven princes, which sat first in the kingdom, realised that if the queen refused to obey her husband, that all the women in the kingdom would follow suit so they decided to make an example of Vashti and convinced the king to do away with her (Esther 1:15-22). By one act of assertion she became a whole new threat to the patriarchal order of life. Once the Queen was done away with and the King came to his senses he realised he no longer had a queen. His servants however, came up with a solution. They suggested that all the 'fair young virgins' be paraded before him to select another queen. Here is another case of objectifying of women, because they were chosen for their beauty. Could it be, however, that it was considered that a man's value increased by being married to a beautiful and pure woman? When we read ancient records contained in scripture, it is plain to see that men's worth was calculated by how many children he had, sons in particular who could carry on the paternal lineage but that lineage could not be continued without women. Would it not then make sense that mothers of those children were equally valued as were the wives of those sons?  The more I study the scriptures the more convinced I become that women of old were valued for their womanhood because without them there would not be a human race. 

 

As we know a Jewish girl by the name of Esther was chosen for her outstanding beauty to marry King Xerxes. I doubt very much that she had any say in whether she wanted to marry this man but I dare say this opportunity would have been considered a stroke of fortune in the ancient world. Which would have been better? Being a Jewish captive in a foreign land or the queen of that land? Now here's the interesting thing....Esther was marrying outside the covenant which was a big no no for Jews. There is a heart wrenching story in Ezra 10 about the exiles who returned to Jerusalem from Babylon and who started inter-marrying with the heathen women of the land. When Ezra got there with the second party of returning exiles and discovered this he was so horrified he pulled the hair out of his head and wept and cast himself before the temple (Ezra 9:3, 10:1). Why so distraught? Because men who married outside of their faith followed the religious convictions of their wives and Ezra knew this would lead his people back to idolatry. Even King Solomon was not exempt from this weakness and succumbed to his wives' idol worship in his old age (1 Kings 11:1-10). So strongly did Ezra fear this that he convinced these men to give up their heathen wives and even the children they had by them (Ezra 10).  But in Esther's case, the roles were reversed. She was a God fearing woman and the man in her situation was of the heathen. Esther did not seem to be at risk of abandoning her faith. She kept her religion and continued to worship the God of heaven. She did not adopt her husband's religious practices. 

 

Esther saved her entire nation from annihilation (Esther 8). And now here is the greatest lesson for us women....Esther did not rely on her beauty and her womanly wiles to convince King Xerxes not to kill her people. She could have done that. The King was clearly smitten by her to the point that he would have granted her every wish and given her even half of his kingdom (Esther 5:3,6; 7:2). Instead of relying on her womanhood, Esther employed the inherent spiritual nature of women and turned to God for assistance in her influence over the king. It's a rather lengthy story but a highly entertaining one. 

 

Because of our emotional nature, we women are more susceptible to the workings of the Spirit. For this reason, Jehovah, the God of creation,  placed within a woman’s heart the power to subdue and compliment the heart of the man. With this comes a great responsibility.  Our influence knows no bounds. We can tear down or build up. We can inspire or degrade. We can soften men's hearts or lead them to destruction. We can lead them away from truth or bring them to God. 

 

The crowning glory of godhood is posterity that goes on forever. Cherished in the bosom of the Father are His noble daughters who are at the heart of this eternal increase. We, the mothers of today and eternity, are harnessed with the Saviour to bring about  the ‘immortality and eternal life of man’ (Moses 1:39). We are the morning stars who sang ‘together when all the sons of God shouted for joy’ (Job 38:7) accepting His sacrifice and covenanting with Him to come to this earth to support, love and influence our husbands, our sons and our brothers to be the sons of God now and forever. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Annie Henrie Nader)

THERE IS NONE ELSE

 

I was filled with His majesty and my spirit soared as I read His words through the penmanship of Isaiah this morning. This, after a week littered with lowly moments.....a testimony of His power and His presence in my life was unmistakable as I read His testimony of Himself:

• I am the Lord and there is none else, there is no God beside me (Isaiah 45:5)
• I am the Lord and there is none else (v6)
• I am the Lord; and there is none else (v18)
• There is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me (v21)
• I am God and there is none else (v22)
• I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me (46:9)

How can I tell you

What my mortal lips cannot say?

How can I show you

What my mortal heart cannot hold?

All that I feel

And all that I am

I owe to you.

I give you my all

Because a heart can give no more.

You have fed me from the banquet of your love;

Your arms have cradled me

in the eye of the heaviest storm;

You have led me to reach the heights of faith

to me unknown.

You are my Sovereign,

My wings of protection from the cold,

My eagle in flight

To pilot me home.

• CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(ART: Come Unto Me by Yongsung Kim)

BABYLON THE GREAT

 

I was so eager to once again start studying the return of the Jews from Babylon to Jerusalem 70 years after their captivity began, as predicted by Jeremiah in his book, 25:11,12; 29:10. I got as far as the first chapter of Ezra before I was overcome with emotion. 

 

Behind the fulfilment of this prophecy was a Persian king that Jehovah prepared who conquered Babylonians by the name of Cyrus. It is suggested by historians that when Cyrus conquered Babylon that he found Daniel there in his governmental capacity,  and that Daniel  pointed out to him the prophecy of Isaiah that was given 140 years before the fall of Jerusalem, that the Lord would raise up a mighty king who would free the Jewish captives in Babylon and allow them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple and the holy city. Isaiah even named Cyrus by name.....210 years before he even appeared in Babylon. Astonishing isn't it? It certainly was to Cyrus because he sent out the proclamation amongst the Jews in Babylon that ‘the Lord God of heaven….had charged [him] to build him a house at Jerusalem’ (Ezra 1:2) and asked who among all of God’s people wanted to return. He actually offered freedom to anyone who wanted it.

 

Now this is the most astonishing bit. Approximately 50,000 people chose to return to Jerusalem while MOST chose not to return having been absorbed into the Babylonian way of life. It tells you where their heart was, does it not? Scripturally, Babylon is a symbol of worldly wickedness. The opulence and extravagance and decadence of this ancient city at the peak of its grandeur is hard to describe. A historian, Will Durant, wrote that ‘even Alexander the Great who was not above dying of drinking, was shocked by the morals of Babylon’ (Our Oriental Heritage, The Story of Civilization, vol 1, p 244). Enrichment G in the Old Testament Student Manual will give you an overview of this city that will amaze you. 

 

As I read this first chapter of Ezra, I couldn’t help but think how easy it is to become caught in the world’s web of wickedness. It reminded me of Alma who said: “Come ye out from the wicked, be ye separate, and touch not their unclean things” (Alma 5:57). It made me reflect on how much of the world is in me and to what extent am I entangled in its’ web. If I was in Babylon at the time of Cyrus, I hope that I would have been one of the returned eager to re-build His temple that I might worship Him, the one and only true and living God, the God of Israel, the God of my heart.  

 

I lift, I lift,

Above the reach of the world below;

To Thee in praise I sing,

My God that I adore. 

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Guiding Them Home by Yongsung Kim)

HEAR THE WARNING

 

This is my gratitude for the Church…..it goes way back to ancient Israel and a very important lesson I learnt from them.  In 721 B.C. Assyria was a thorn in their side. Assyria was a war machine. The main god they worshipped was Mars, the god of war. They believed the more people they killed the more joy they brought to their gods. They were not only masters of war but of also of brutality. They not only killed but oppressed, maimed and tortured all the people they conquered. Just to be real, here are some examples: they blinded children in front of their parents; routinely cut off hands and feet of prisoners; flayed men alive roasting them in kilns; chained prisoners in cages for the amusement of the populace and then sent survivors off to execution (OT Student Manual, p 113). Their reputation of evil was huge and well known far and wide.

 

This is what amazes me. The nation of Israel knew all this. Prophets were sent routinely to call them to repentance. At the peak of their idolatry and wickedness, Isaiah came and specifically warned them that the Lord will send Assyria to punish them for their sins (Isaiah 10:5). We all know the outcome….the warning went unheeded and Israel fell into Assyrian’s hands. 

 

We have prophets among us today. We have an Isaiah at the head of our Church. He is issuing a warning to us today. The warning came in a simple way to Hear Him through a scripture study programme called Come Follow Me. The scriptures testify of Christ, they point to Christ, they prophesy of Christ. They speak of Him who will return and when He does, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ (D&C 76:110; 88:104). The warning is to listen, obey and cleave unto Christ….the source of our protection from the calamities of the world that are coming upon us, and the source of our salvation from evil that surrounds us. Let us put away our idols of this world and prepare for that glorious day when He will appear in the clouds of heaven to save His people Israel.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Parting the Veil by Jon McNaughton)

ELISHA AND THE POWER OF THE PRIESTHOOD

 

This is for the men and the women who sustain them and their God given priesthood. As I studied the life of Elisha this year I became aware of the privilege of this gifted power. It became obvious to me that being endowed with the priesthood is not the same as manifesting the power associated with it. The true power of the priesthood can only be manifested in men with purity of heart and mind devoted to God. 

 

Consider Elisha’s purity of heart when Elijah called him to the ministry. At the time of the call Elijah found Elisha ploughing his fields with twelve oxen (1 Kings 19:19). Men who had two oxen in ancient Israel were considered well off, the fact that Elisha had twelve suggests that he was a wealthy man. The minute of the call, Elisha killed all the oxen and distributed the meat among the people (1 Kings 19:21). This was an amazing sign of denouncing his wealth and forsaking the world. 

 

Now consider Elisha’s commitment to his calling. He stayed by Elijah’s side even though Elijah’s life was wanted far and wide by King Ahab. His assurance was: “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee” (2 Kings 2:2,4,6). When Elijah was about to depart, he told Elisha to make a request of him and all Elisha asked for was that a ‘double portion of his spirit be upon him’ (2 Kings 2:9). This he received and proceeded to perform 10 recorded miracles showing forth faith such as has not been shown before (2 Kings 2:14,22; 4:2-6; 16-17,32-35, 40-41, 42-44; 5:14; 6:4-6, 18). 

 

Elisha’s miracles, his prophecies and the goodness of this man is too lengthy to recount here but can be gleaned by study of his ministry. This, however, is true evidence of the greatness of this man. As the Moabites were invading Israel after Elisha’s death, a dead man, during his burial, was lowered into Elisha’s sepulchre in haste. When the dead man’s body touched the bones of Elisha, he revived and came back to life (2 Kings 13:21). How is that for the legacy of a man of priesthood? 

 

The miraculous priesthood power of Elisha reminded me of the Apostle Paul who sent handkerchiefs and aprons to the sick and ‘their diseases departed from them’ (Acts 19:11,12). Likewise, the sick were brought out into the streets so that the mere shadow of Peter passing might heal them (Acts 5:15). Does it remind you of someone else who performed the greatest miracles of all? From turning water into wine, to raising the dead, to feeding 5,000 with few loaves and fishes, to His own resurrection, the Saviour outperformed them all. It is by His priesthood power that the worlds were created and the salvation of man assured. Elisha, Paul and Peter were men of God because of the allegiance they paid to the God of heaven, Jesus of Nazareth, the God of Israel. Without Him the priesthood would not be available to the men of this earth. Without Him, the earth would not be possible…. The God of Creation, the God of Light, the God of Salvation…..may we stand in awe of His power now and forever.

 

The truths of heaven distil upon my soul

Like petals fluttering in autumn breeze;

My heart is full of thoughts of Thee

As I stand in awe of Thy majesty.

The magnitude of worlds

And the stars of heaven

That roll upon their wings praising Thee;

But none greater than this:

The creation of man, a crowning glory

To Thy priesthood and Thy throne

In endless praise of Thy name

In the splendour of Thy celestial home.

 

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Artist unknown)

HE KNEW WHO WOULD

 

I recently reflected on my life and all the trials I have endured and I was somewhat amazed. My ego told me that God knew I could do it but then a higher truth presented itself and that was that God knew that I WOULD do it. 

 

Some years ago I was feeling burdened with my life and I wept as I prayed asking for forgiveness that I wasn’t a better person. A voice came into my mind that said this: “I knew you would struggle in this life and because you were so valiant in your testimony of Me in your pre-existence, I gifted you my Atonement”. Some years before this revelation, I had undergone the biggest trial of my life that drove me to study about the Atonement and call upon its power to rescue me. My petition was granted, my heart was healed and I was gifted the power to forgive and love the person who changed the course of my life. My life has never been the same since. The trials did not stop but the source of power to survive them has always been undeniable. 

 

It is my conviction that God is more concerned with our willingness than our capability because by His Atonement He has provided access to strength to overcome, endure and triumph. He makes up for what we cannot do of ourselves to survive our testing ground. I was only a youth when I joined the Church against my parents’ wishes. It cost me the security of my family as I was forced to leave home. Following my mission I married a returned missionary in the temple. Eleven years later I was a divorced mother of two. What followed was a thorny path of single motherhood with a wayward child which took me to hell and back. Now my children are gone, I am alone facing continuous difficulties but I am in the best place spiritually I have ever been in my life. I know I was given this life because the Saviour knew I would find Him here. I am not telling you this because I am wonderful but because HE is.

 

The Saviour knew His sheep long before they graced this earth. He knew who would honour His sacrifice and receive His saving grace. He knew who would be WILLING to do it. We, the willing sheep, did not flinch when we sustained Him as the power of our deliverance. We knew very well that we did not have the capacity to survive mortality on our own. We carried this conviction with us into physical birth. Stand strong and be willing and He will enlarge your capacity to endure and then you will sing praise to His holy name and the pains He suffered for you. Embrace your cherished heart, you were worth it.

 

I pledged my life into Thy hands

When by example You showed me how;

You promised me strength my trials to endure

When I was with You and even now.

You dried my tears when I barely coped

And carried me when I could walk no more;

You fed me truths I needed to know

And nurtured my flight into the unknown.

I found You at every turn

In the shadow of my heart;

With eager haste I approach Thy throne

And offer my meagre part.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: The Lamb by Stephen Sawyer)

THE MESSIANIC HOPE

 

I recently studied, for the second time, the concept of “Messianic Hope”. I am amazed that the Jewish component of the House of Israel  ‘missed’ the Messiah when He came. In short, this is why: The Messianic Hope was taught from the beginning of time. Basically, the prophecies of Him portrayed the Messiah in a dualistic manner. He was to be the ‘suffering servant’ as prophesied in Isaiah 53 who would be a ‘man of sorrows’ (v3); one who stands ‘as a sheep before her shearers’ (v7); and one who takes our transgressions upon Himself. The other picture of the Messiah paints Him as the “King of Glory”. This title promises deliverance, political power, and the destruction of Israel’s enemies. Of course, the “suffering servant” foretells His mortal life and spiritual deliverance of His people. The “King of Glory” prophecies foretell His second coming when He will subdue all Israel’s enemies under His feet; put down all kingdoms; will sit on the throne of David; and ‘the government shall be upon his shoulder’ (Isaiah 9:6). The Jewish nation missed these two time periods and here is why.

 

As Israel toiled under the oppression of different ruling powers such as Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Ptolemies and Seleucids from 586 B.C. until 70 A.D., they hungered for liberation and their hope of Messiah gained political overtones. They wanted a Moses and a David, both of whom had delivered them from their enemies and thus they discounted the prophecies of the ‘suffering servant’. When Jesus came they recognised Him as the rightful heir of David’s throne due to His lineage but when He refused to take up the sword against the Roman Empire, they used His refusal as proof that He could not be the promised Deliverer.

 

This is what blows my mind: the mortal life of Jesus was prophesied in such detail that it is hard to believe the Jews were so blinded that they ‘looked beyond the mark’ (Jacob 4:14) awaiting another Messiah. And who was ‘the mark’? The Saviour Jesus Christ. Among many here are some details of His mortal life contained in ancient prophecies: he would be born in Bethlehem; He would be preceded by a forerunner; His ministry would begin in Galilee; He would teach in parables; He would perform miracles;  His message would be rejected; He would enter Jerusalem in triumph on the back of an ass;  He would be sold for thirty pieces of silver; smitten, spat upon and rejected. And the details of His crucifixion in ancient prophecies are staggering. All this foreknowledge could not have been given to the children of men unless it had come from God who knows all things from beginning to the end and who had revealed it to prophets throughout the ages by the power of the Holy Ghost. 

 

The Messianic Hope lives still. The Jews await the Messiah who they think will come for the first time. We await the true King of Kings who will RETURN. We are told that ‘the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy’ (Revelation 19:10). It is by this spirit that we can gain the sight to see the signs of His return as they “are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy’ (2 Nephi 25:4). We cannot afford to ‘miss the mark’….because if we do we will be unprepared. The extent of our eagerness to do this and to await His coming is a good indication of our love for Him and our testimony of His divinity.

 

The parable of The Ten Virgins is about us. Christ is the bridegroom and we, the members of His Church, are the bride, because we, the House of Israel, are the covenant people. The parable tells us only half of us will be prepared to meet Him. Put on thy wedding garments O Israel for the bridegroom cometh (D&C 88:92) and prepare to meet your Everlasting King!

 

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Divine Dignity by Stephen Sawyer)

BATTLE FOR OUR SOULS

 

This is a story for those of us who want to be heroes. There was once a king by the name of Ahab who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel from 885-874 B.C. He was the most wicked king Israel had ever had for he married a Phoenician princess by the name of Jezebel and established the worship of Baal as the religion of state (1 Kings 16:30-33). Ahab and Jezebel killed all the prophets and persecuted Elijah to the point of madness, seeking his life. Ahab teaches us a very profound lesson in the manner of his death. When he led his army against the forces of Syria, he took every precaution to avoid being injured, even disguising himself so that the Syrians would not recognise him and focus on his destruction.  The only thing he didn’t do was wear enough armour so someone drew his bow at random and hit the king between the sections of his armour. By night time he had bled to death (1 Kings 22:30-35). When I read the story of Ahab, I always feel that the manner of his physical protection from danger equalled the negligent spiritual protection he provided for himself. Where did Ahab go wrong spiritually? He eradicated the worship of Jehovah not only in his kingdom but more importantly, in his life. So it is with us…..The degree of protection we have from the adversary is directly proportional to the diligence and heed we give to the Lord's commandments.  The extent and strength of our armour is a good indication of how valiant we are in our testimony of Jesus.  We cannot afford to choose which commandment we will obey and which we will let slide because each commandment provides a section in our armour against sin.  

 

If you ever wanted to be a hero, this is the time and the place.  Examine the cracks in your armour and sharpen your sword of righteousness.  President Ezra Taft Benson said: "You will never have a better opportunity to be a greater hero in a more crucial battle than in the battle you will face today and in the immediate future. Be warned that some of the greatest battles you will face will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.  David's battles in the field against the foe were not as critical as David's battles in the palace against a lustful eye.  We will each find our own battlefield". (Ezra Taft Benson, "In His Steps", 1979, Devotional Speeches of the Year, 60).

 

We are engaged in a battle of all battles. The most important battlefield we will ever get to fight is the battle for our souls. The adversary will use every tactic to bring us down. When Joseph lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript, the Saviour told him that if he had been faithful and not feared man He would have supported him against all the fiery darts of the adversary (D&C 3:7,8). The foundation of our faith in Christ and our obedience to Him is the strength of our defence. When the war is over and the battle won, whose side will you be found on?

 

He is the Captain of our souls:

 His arms are our shelter,

His heart is our home,

Our only hope

For protection 

from the battle’s storm.

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN