THE RISING GENERATION

 

 

It took just three years for the Nephites to begin to forget the signs and wonders which they witnessed heralding Christ’s birth (3 Nephi 1:4; 2:1). Positively chilling, isn’t it???

It is true that following revelation, opposition will always rear its ugly head. No sooner had the night appeared without darkness and a new star given, that Satan increased his influence in spreading lies to ‘harden the hearts of the people that they might not believe in the signs and wonders which they had seen’ (3 Nephi 1:19-22).

The more part of the people did believe and were converted unto baptism, except they had one problem. The Gadiantons who infested the land were so strong that people could not overpower them (3 Nephi 2:27).

By the second year following the signs, they had grown incredibly large in number because of the Nephite dissenters who fled to them in their mountain retreats, and among them…..the rising generation (v 28, 29). And this is the saddest part: the faithful, staunch Lamanites decreased in faith and righteousness ‘because of the wickedness of the rising generation’ (v 30). Such a contrast to the 2,000 stripling warriors….makes you want to weep….

Consider the seriousness of this: “The young people of the Church….hold the future in their hands. The Church has always been one generation away from extinction. If a whole generation were lost, which will not happen, we would lose the Church. But even a single individual lost to the gospel of Jesus Christ closes doors for generations of descendants, unless the Lord reaches out to bring some of them back.” (We Must Raise Our Sights, (Church Educational System conference on the Book of Mormon, Aug 14, 2001; see CES addresses on the Church website).

I know so many young people in the Church who have gone inactive, my daughter included. I have another daughter who is an active member of the Church and a mother of three and I can see her legacy of faith in her children. I have great hopes for them and pray for them daily that they will grow up to bless and honour God’s name. That hope is very much fostered by the faithfulness of their parents.

I also know many adults who have gone inactive and shattered their childrens’ belief in the reality of eternal family. It is difficult to stay the course when your parents negate all the testimonies they have born at the Church pulpit. It is difficult to still believe and keep going when your parents are negative about the Church. I know one such boy who lasted a few years past his parents’ inactivity but in the end abandoned the Gospel himself despite having been a highly successful missionary.

We cannot make our children’s choices for them once they reach the adult years but we can hold up the light of Christ that it may shine unto the world’ and most importantly unto our children and we can be a ‘light on a hill that cannot be hid’ and so many of us today are becoming ‘hid’ (3 Nephi 18:24; Matthew 5:14-16).

So it is up to us, the older generation, to be exemplary in living the gospel we proclaim to be true. It is no guarantee that our children will remain in the gospel but it is our contribution to the future. The plant is strongest when it has strong roots. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art by Jeffrey Hein [1974]

GOD OF LIGHT

 

Samuel the Lamanite could not have possibly given a more apt sign to the Nephites of the Saviour’s birth than the withholding of darkness (Helaman 14:3). His words were fulfilled 6 years later when the day before Christ’s birth ‘there was no darkness when the night came’ and instead, only light reigned (3 Nephi 1:15).

It is only fitting that this sign was given to herald the God of Light coming into the world to save mankind by proclaiming: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life…the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world….the Light that proceedeth froth from the presence of God and giveth life to all things” (John 8:12; 1:7,9; D&C 88:12-13).

Equally fitting was Samuel’s prophecy of darkness that would envelop the American continent for three days as the sign of the Saviour’s death (Helaman 14:20). Thirty-three years later the God of nature suffered and tempests, earthquakes, fires, whirlwinds, and physical upheavals attested to the crucifixion and death of the Saviour of the world and darkness reigned for three days (1 Nephi 19:12; 3 Nephi 8:5-19). The God of Light had withdrawn from the earth.

Such a poignant witness of His death reminiscent of His descent into darkness of hell to gain “the power to carry the lowest of the lowly back up into the light of salvation. Christ placed himself in darkness, not only below the most disobedient of mortals, but below the accumulated darkness of all sins committed throughout the history of time” (B. Grant Bishop, The LDS Gospel of Light, p 96).

When the Saviour comes for the second time, there will be no last-minute warnings, signs or miracles. He will come as ‘a thief in the night’ (1 Thessalonians 5:2). The world will be in commotion and destruction will come upon them but we will not be in darkness because we are ‘children of light’ (v 3-5). Instead of signs and wonders in the sky, we have been admonished to prepare thus that we might ‘be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (v 16-22) :

·        Rejoice evermore;

·        Pray without ceasing.

·        In everything give thanks;

·        Quench not the Spirit;

·        Despite not prophesyings;

·        Hold fast that which is good;

·        Abstain from all appearance of evil.

And when He comes, Zion will rise to a Millenial glory, and the ‘sun shall be no more our light by day; neither for brighteness shall the moon give light unto us, but the Lord shall be our everlasting light….(Isaiah 60:19)’, the true light which lighteth every man (John 1:9), the King of Heaven will be a light unto us forever (2 Nephi 10:13,14), the light and the Redeemer of the world (D&C 93:9).

Should the stars fall

from heaven,

And the sun refuse

to give its light;

Should the earth become

the darkest night,

You will ever be

My only guiding light.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: The Bridegroom by LDS ART)

A LAMANITE

 

 

I was anxious to get to Samuel the Lamanite in the Book of Mormon. I have always admired his tenacity in preaching to the Nephites. It’s the only point in their history where the tables were turned and a Lamanite was fired up by the missionary zeal. I scoured a couple of reliable sources that would give me an insight into this man. Of course, I found nothing.

Samuel appeared suddenly in 6 B.C. from nowhere and disappeared the same way (Helaman 12:2; 16:7,8). No parentage, no conversion story, no place of abode, but what a valiant Lamanite! It sends shivers up my spine.

And then this…..my eyes were opened and I saw the man. Samuel had a pure heart. On his way back to his own land after the Nephites cast him out of Zarahemla, the voice of the Lord instructed him to return and to prophesy ‘whatsoever things should come into his heart’ (Helaman 13:3). Mormon reiterated twice that Samuel prophesied whatever the Lord put into his heart (v 4,5).

The Scriptures speak a lot about the heart as a conduit of the spirit. God looks on the heart and not on the appearance and thereby chooses His servants (1 Samuel 16:7). There are numerous scriptures that verify that the Lord works with the heart of the children of men such as: ‘I will tell you in your mind and in your heart’ (D&C 8:2) or ‘Speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts (D&C 100:5).

The Lord who knows the hearts of all men (Acts 1:24) would not put prophecies, revelations, and words of holiness into any heart that was not pure. In Samuel’s heart He placed four important points of His message to the Nephites: 1. Know the judgments of God; 2. Know the conditions of repentance; 3. Know the coming of Jesus Christ; 4. Know of the signs of His coming.

Samuel’s dedication and obedience at all cost reminds me of Alma who was cast out of Ammonihah and who returned upon the Lord’s instruction. So determined was Alma to deliver his message that he found another way to enter the city unnoticed (Alma 8:18).

Such was the determination of Samuel who returned to Zarahemla and climbed upon the wall of the city and ‘prophesied whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart’ even as the stones and arrows flew with no effect as ‘the Spirit of the Lord was with him’ (Helaman 13:4; 16:2).

It amazes me how the Saviour will not cease to warn people of their impending doom. While the Nephites were reveling in their unrighteousness just six years before the prophecies of the birth of Christ were fulfilled, He ensured that He had valiant servants who would cry repentance unceasingly.

When Samuel left Zarahemla, some who believed his words went to Nephi for baptism, who was frantically crying repentance, showing signs and working miracles among the people so they would believe that Christ was coming (Helaman 16:3,4).

I have often thought that the Saviour’s tolerance and mercy toward us is excessive but as I reflected on it a thought came to me that He could have never subjected himself to such an unjust death if He was any other way. For this I will be eternally grateful. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Samuel the Lamanite by Briana Shawcroft)

THE TRIAL OF PLENTY

 

Not many of us would consider prosperity to be a trial. We all want it and we all aspire to it in different degrees. We usually consider poverty, war, illness, death and lack to be trials of this life. Prosperity, however, can be a trial like no other. Consider how President Harold B. Lee compared the test of ‘luxury’ with other tests of life:

“We’re tested and we’re tried. Perhaps we don’t realise the severity of the tests we’re going through. In the early days of the Church, there were murders committed, there were mobbings. The Saints were driven out into the desert. They were starving, they were unclad and they were cold…..Today we’re basking in the lap of luxury, the like of which we’ve never seen before in the history of the world. It would seem that probably this is the most severe test of any we’ve ever had in the history of this Church” (Larry E. Dahl, “Fit for the Kingdom”, in Studies in Scripture, 5:369).

President Ezra Taft Benson warned what prosperity can do: “While every test of righteousness represents a struggle, this particular test seems like no test at all, no struggle, and so could be the most deceiving of all tests. Do you know what peace and prosperity can do to a people – it can put them to sleep” (Larry E. Dahl, “Fit for the Kingdom”, in Studies in Scripture, Volume Five: The Gospels, edited by Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet [1986], 5:369).

The sleep that President Benson refers to is the forgetting of our God and His goodness, for when people ‘harden their hearts they forget the Lord their God, and do trample under their feet the Holy One – yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity’ (Helaman 12:2).

In D&C 59:21 we read: “And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments”. We take many of our ‘luxuries’ for granted. It is difficult to relate to a life before washing machines, supermarkets, electricity and life-saving medical attention.

Recognition and gratitude for prosperity that is within our fingertips can be the easiest thing to overlook but there is hope for remembering: “We need the Spirit daily to help us remember daily. Otherwise, memory lapses will occur when we are most vulnerable. It is not natural to the natural man to remember yesterday’s blessings gratefully, especially when today’s needs of the flesh press steadily upon him” (Neal A. Maxwell, Lord, Increase Our Faith [1994] 101-2).

In Helaman 12, Mormon pointed out, in five verses, the pride and foolishness of men who do not remember God unless He visits them with misfortune (v 3-7). He then expounded on His greatness and power in thirteen verses: from His voice that can make the mountains and hills tremble and quake, to drying up the waters of the deep, to raising up a mountain to fall on a city, to accursing people forever,  to cutting them off from His presence (v 9-21)…but then the mercy….always the mercy….for those who will repent….. (v 23).

Such is the goodness of our God and Saviour. For our sake He has created this earth and made it flourish. For our sake, He has prepared all things for the benefit and use of man (Moses 2:9). For our sake, He has hung on the cross to pay for all our sins, our inadequacies, our weaknesses, our ungratefulness, should we forget. May we remember today and always to bow in gratitude for such merciful blessings of the God we love.

His gift, the beauty of the earth,

To soften the blow of turbulence

So relentlessly near;

With every movement of the trees

And the rustle of its leaves,

He whispers:

“I am here”

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Creator by Greg Olsen)  

HEAVENLY PRAYER

 

In my last post I wrote about the Lord’s trust in 3^rd Nephi whom He gave power over the earth and over the people. So great was His trust in Nephi that He promised He would obey his instruction to smite the people if Nephi deemed it necessary (Helaman 10:10). It gets interesting from there.

The wording of the promise of power made to Nephi does not instruct Nephi to ask God to smite the earth with famine, but rather it just gives Nephi power to do so himself. When the time came in seventy and third year of the reign of the judges for the people to be saved from annihilation by the sword, Nephi, however, importuned the Lord to stir them up in remembrance by a famine instead (Helaman 11:4). No exercise of his power, but supplication to God in acknowledgement of His power.

And when the people repented, again a supplication for an ending to the famine (v 10-16). In verse 14, Nephi does not remind the Lord that He promised He would do whatever Nephi told him to, but he makes a point in reminding Him that He said He would save the people if they repented. Can you see? The power given him never went to Nephi’s head.

In his October 1944 conference talk, President Marion G. Romney spoke of two necessary components of a righteous prayer. He said that first, submission to God’s will is paramount and second, we should live so righteously that we will enjoy the companionship of the spirit which will dictate what we ask for.

Nephi followed this perfect formula. When he asked for the famine, in just one verse, he made no demands but rather submitted to God’s will by saying ‘let there be a famine’ (Helaman 11:4). He pleaded with Him to end it in seven verses, four of which were laced with ‘wilt thou’ (v 10-16). No demands, only exceeding humility and submission to God’s will. No wonder the Lord trusted him.

And this is the proof that Nephi prayed under the direction of the spirit. He and his brother Lehi had many revelations daily (v 23). It is simply not possible to have the spirit with you to such an extent and not have it dictate to you what you should pray for and when. I’d say Nephi followed the formula to the letter.

We can be given utterance for heavenly prayers if we have the companionship of the Holy Ghost on a daily basis. If we are serious about receiving the blessings that the Father would have us receive, we will pray in such a way.

Sometimes we are afraid to submit to God’s will in our prayers because we think His will is bound to be contrary to our desires, so we continue to pray for what we want instead. The key to receiving our desires, however, is very often our willingness to submit, no matter what.

And if we have the companionship of the spirit, our earthly desires will become less important anyway. Faith is another component of receiving what we pray for under the influence of the Holy Ghost. God cannot give us something we do not believe He will give.

Consider the Lord’s prayer. Jesus did not tell us what to pray for but He taught the ‘manner’ after which we should pray (Matthew 6:9-13). Manner here insinuates a pattern: first came acknowledgement and praise, second came submission to God’s will, third came humility in expressing dependance on God, fourth came the petition for forgiveness, fifth came the petition for protection, and the conclusion was as the beginning, acknowledgement of God’s superiority and power.

Even Jesus, a God in His own right, acknowledged the higher power than himself and prayed to the Father incessantly during His time on earth. That’s humility and that’s submission.  

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Advocate by David Bowman)

THE SEER OF THE SOUL

 

When I read about 3^rd Nephi, I am convinced that righteousness is always rewarded with special blessings. It is not surprising to me that 3^rd Nephi was placed in America’s history at such a time when the Saviour would grace that continent with His presence following His resurrection and appoint him as one of His Twelve Disciples  (3 Nephi 12:1). If anyone deserved to have that privilege out of all the prominent leaders of the Book of Mormon, 3^rd Nephi did.

Consider the Saviour’s description of this man: “Blessed art thou Nephi, for thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee….thou hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments…and because thou hast done this, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will (Helaman 10:5).

Imagine the Lord trusting you to such an extent that He would say to you: “Ask for what you will and it shall be given you”. Now imagine one step further, that God would obey you and do whatever you TOLD Him to do, because this is the promise he gave Nephi, a promise He lived up to. After He gave Nephi power to smite the earth with famine, with pestilence and destruction ‘according to the wickedness of the people’, He took this power to the next level when He told him He shall smite the people if Nephi tells him to (v 6,7,9).

One might think that a person could only earn such trust from God if there was enough evidence of submission to God’s will in his life. And that evidence certainly existed in Nephi’s life for the Lord had seen it but there is something much deeper to this. The evidence was in Nephi’s past actions but the trust of what he would do in his future teaches us of the omniscience of God. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught that omniscience is one of the characteristics of God:

“The Lord in a revelation for John Whitmer spoke of that which was in the latter’s heart, which only the Lord and John Whitmer knew, witnessing that God was omniscient concerning the needs of that individual (D&C 15:3).

“Paul said to the saints at Corinth, ‘And again, the Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain’ (1 Corinthians 3:20). In the period just before the flood God saw not only the wickedness of man in the earth, but he saw also, ‘every imagination of the thoughts’ of men’s hearts (Genesis 6:5). He knows ‘the things that come into your mind’ (Ezekiel 11:5). Jesus himself said before we pray, ‘Your father knoweth what things ye have need of (Matthew 6:8). Indeed as Nephi said, ‘God… knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it’ (2 Nephi 9:20).” (Things As They Really Are [1978], 22)

It was the omniscience of God that Christ possessed that enabled Him to honour Nephi’s every word of command. Because He knows all things, can perceive all things, can see all things in the past, present and future, God can form His judgment of us at any given time. He knows what is in our hearts and in our minds. He knows us at all times and in all situations. To Enoch He said: “I can stretch forth mine hands and hold all the creations which I have made, and mine eye can pierce them all…..” (Moses 7:35,36).

Who is a God like Thee

Jehovah, our King?

Who sees our frailties

And knows our needs.

 

Who is a God like Thee

Jehovah, our King?

Who knows our sins,

And pierces our souls

With eyes of mercy

His commands for us to heed.

Who is a God like Thee?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

WHEN HE COMES

 

I started to read Helaman 7 this morning and could not believe my eyes. It was like I was reading the latest news of 2024: secret works of darkness, corruption of the law, murder, deceit, pride, tolerance and promotion of evil, calling bad good and good bad, unrighteous laws and imprisonment of the innocent (v 4,5; 8:2-4,6,7). Never before in my study of the Book of Mormon had I seen our present day like I have done this year.

The year of this awful state of the Nephites was 21 B.C. How smug they were in their iniquities, not knowing they were ‘ripening for an everlasting destruction’ (Helaman 6:40) and that they were only 21 years away from the birth of Christ who would be born to judge the world, and only 54 years before they would receive Him on their continent.

I reflected on our world being the same as America 21 B.C. and wondered if we have to wait 54 years yet for the Saviour’s Second Coming. I know many of us believe it will be sooner. I tend to believe otherwise because there is yet so much more that needs to be put into place before He appears but I am  happy to be wrong. There is one thing, however, amongst all the others that need to yet happen, that will decide the right time of His coming. When Elder Christofferson was in Melbourne, Australia, last year, he conducted a leadership meeting in which he was asked by a sister during a question and answer segment how much more wicked the world has to get before the Saviour will come, to which he replied: “The world is already wicked enough for His coming, the Father is waiting for more covenant keeping saints to welcome Him.” In his talk, “Preparing for the Lord’s Return” given in April 2019, Elder Christofferson elaborated: “First, and crucial for the Lord’s return, is the presence on the earth of a people prepared to receive Him at His coming.” 

We read of Zion, we talk of Zion, we look towards Zion, but how often do we assess ourselves to see if we are ready to live a Zion life? How can the Saviour come to establish a Zion society amongst us if there are no Zion people to inhabit it??? So you see, it’s up to us.

Enoch’s city was called The City of Holiness, even Zion (Moses 7:19). And this is the reason: Enoch and all his people walked with God and He dwelt with them for 365 years before they were taken into heaven (v 68,69). We are promised the Saviour will be amongst us and our Zion for 1,000 years. Should we not start to walk with Him now, in our everyday lives, through our repentance, through our righteous endeavours, through our service, through our hearts….??? Should we not be ready when He comes to take our rightful place by His side??? His kingdom is here, ready to train us for such a day…..

 

I knelt before the throne of God

And asked of Him today:

Lord, when will I become like Thee?

To my feeble self He answered:

When you start to walk with me.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Second Coming by Jechoon Choi)

SPIRITUAL WARRIORS

 

 

Just as you finish the war chapters of the Book of Mormon, you wonder if anyone thereafter will be able to match the war heroes that have found their way into your heart. But then the spiritual warriors begin to emerge. Such were two brothers who hailed from a rich heritage: from Alma came his unconquerable great-grandsons, Nephi and Lehi, the valiant sons of their father Helaman who gave them names of their forefathers in remembrance of their good works. Helaman was big on remembering and in his discourse to his sons, he used the word ‘remember’ 12 times (Helaman 5:5-12). Nephi and Lehi certainly did remember and they kept the commandments to a tee (v 14).

30 B.C. became the defining year of the good works of these valiant brothers. Things were not good on the home front. Nephi became so weary of the iniquity of his people that he ‘delivered up the judgment-seat to a man whose name was Cezoram’ and chose instead ‘to preach the word of God’ with his brother Lehi….and not just to preach until they had some converts but ‘all the remainder of their days’ (v 1, 4). Their missionary work was legendary, taking them through all the Nephite cities and culminating in their labours amongst the Lamanites (v 16). Have you noticed how the greatest missionaries of the Book of Mormon never omitted to wade into dangerous waters to also  preach to their enemies, the Lamanites? That my friends, is real missionary work….

The brothers had amazing success in the land of Zarahemla where they baptized 8,000 Lamanites (v 18, 19). But the Lamanite territory of the land of Nephi found them imprisoned where they languished for many days without food (v 22) until a spectacular spiritual experience granted them their freedom. As the threat of death approached, the heavens intervened and encircled the brothers by fire, the Father’s voice broke the spell of darkness that overshadowed the witnesses ‘and angels came down out of heaven and ministered unto them’ (v 43, 48). The witnesses numbered no less than 300 souls who took the power of their testimonies throughout all the regions converting many (v 50).

The missionary labours of these two brothers didn’t stop there, the effects of which were far more reaching: the majority of the Lamanites became more righteous than the Nephites (Helaman 6:1); the Lamanites began to preach the gospel to the Nephites (6:4); there was peace in all the land (6:7); the Lamanites and Nephites had open travel and free trade with one another (6:8).

Not many years hence, however, the Nephite nation rejected the word of God and all the preaching and prophesying among them fell on deaf ears leading the nation into spiritual decay (Helaman 6:2).  By year 23 B.C., their extreme greed for riches made way to secret combinations allowing the Gadianton secret society to become the governing body of the day (v 17-19). The spirit of the Lord began to withdraw from the Nephites and began to be poured out upon the Lamanites (v 35,36). The Nephites were ripening for destruction (v 40).

When Nephi returned to the land of Zarahemla from his mission in the north, and saw the great iniquity that had come upon his people ‘in the space of not many years’, ‘his heart was swollen with sorrow within his breast and he wept in the agony of his soul wondering why he was consigned to live among ‘the wickedness of his brethren’ (7:1,6-9). It made me reflect on the condition of the world we live in. I came to understand that God sends His most valiant spirits to earth at the time of gross wickedness to give balance to the world in the hope that their righteousness will reverse the tide. Such was the calling of the spiritual warrior called Nephi, the son of Helaman, and his brother Lehi.

Nephi’s greatest accomplishment was to remember his father’s admonition to build his foundation ‘upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ’ (Helaman 5:12). This admonition he passed on to his son, Third Nephi, whose faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was so great ‘that angels ministered unto him daily’, who, in the name of Jesus, cast out devils and unclean spirits ‘and even his brother did he raise from the dead….’ (3 Nephi 7:18,19)…..and who witnessed the greatest event of the American history, the coming of the resurrected Christ. It sends shivers up your spine, does it not?

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Clouds of Glory by Greg Sargent)

HEAVENLY DELIVERANCE

 

There existed in ancient America a secret society which proved to be the cause of affliction to the Nephites and the Lamanites alike. The founder of this society was a man called Gadianton but the principles that upheld his society were of a far more ancient date (3 Nephi 3:9, Moses 5:29-31). Indeed the mastermind behind the whole operation was far more clever, apt and evil than Gadianton could ever hope to be. We know this personage as Lucifer, Satan and the Devil. We see him in the obviously destructive paths but also in more subtle ways as he moves in respectable circles and hides behind deceptive and seemingly good elements that form the fabric of a society.

Just eight years prior to Christ's visit to the ancient America, this band of Gadianton robbers, under the leadership of Giddianhi, sought to annihilate the Nephite nation. Under the guise of politeness and goodwill, and using flattery, feigning concern and making false promises, he wrote to Lachoneus, the governor of the land and demanded the surrender of the Nephites and their lands. Lachoneus refused and proceeded to prepare his people for impending battle. Lachoneus was a man of God so even though he prepared his people physically, his wisest move was to prepare them spiritually (3 Nephi 3:15,16). The people obeyed and when Giddianhi descended upon them with his armies, their immediate reaction was to 'lift their cries to the Lord their God, that he would spare them and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies' (3 Nephi 4:8). 

When the battles were won and deliverance assured, Nephites' cries once again ascended to the heavens but this time in praise and gratitude knowing 'it was because of their repentance and their humility that they had been delivered from an everlasting destruction' (3 Nephi 4:33).

This particular portion of Nephite history is important because it provides us with the perfect formula for deliverance from the enemy who seeks to destroy our peace. This formula runs in this sequence: humility - repentance - supplication - deliverance - gratitude.

We live in a world ruled by the Prince of Darkness.  Like Nephites of old, we should know that there is only one sure place where we can find salvation from his destructive forces robbing us of peace and his intended eventual destruction. The recognition of the Lord's power to deliver and our dependence on Him, should be the precursor of putting our lives into order sufficiently enough to qualify for the powers of heaven to be released on our behalf.

Sometimes we may wonder how we can repent of the very thing that is beyond our capability to forsake and that we are supplicating the Lord for. Repentance might not always mean discontinuance of the wrong things we are doing but the right things we are omitting to do, such as more regular and fervent prayer, seeking the spirit, having faith, regular scripture study, or more committed Church attendance. In other words, we must be found doing what we can to qualify for heavenly help. There has to be effort and exertion towards righteousness and yielding our hearts to God…..the omittance of which, by the way, can also be classed as sin. How? Because it is in violation of the first and greatest commandment to love God with all our heart, mind and strength (D&C 59:5).

The times are dark but we are brighter still……

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Jesus In The Midst of Serenity by Ivan Guaderrama)

HE KNOWETH ME

 

My favourite woman in the scriptures is Hagar, the handmaiden of Sarah. You might think this is an odd choice. I have considered Hagar’s life from many points of view. Her life of hardship  rends my heart….from the time she was given to Sarah to the time she was banished with her child. We know nothing of her life after that banishment but to me she is a perfect example of how God sees us and has mercy on us. Let me explain.

The Genesis account of the Old Testament simply states that she was Egyptian and that she was Sarah's maid but one other source gives more insight into her life. It claims that Hagar was one of the daughters of Pharaoh and that she was given to Sarah when she and Abraham left Egypt to continue their journey to Canaan (Ginzberg, Legends of the Jews, 1:223). Considering the riches that Pharaoh showered Abraham and Sarah with as they left Egypt (Genesis 12:16), this claim seems very plausible.

Imagine a young girl of royal birth, sent away from her home to be the property of total strangers. But there was more. According to Bible scholars and modern day revelation (D&C 132:34), it was the law for a woman who could not provide children for her husband after ten years of marriage, to give him another wife to ensure continuation of his family line. Sarah decided that Abraham's next wife would be Hagar. I don’t know if Hagar had much choice in the matter, being in the situation she was in. What we do know is that Hagar was very young, being of child bearing age, while Abraham was 86 years old (Genesis 16:16).

The Old Testament records that Hagar became insolent towards Sarah once she knew she was pregnant (Genesis 16:4). Inexcusable I know, but maybe for once she felt she was worth something more than being a maid. She was now a wife of a rich man and she was going to be a mother, but not really....she was only a second wife with no rights and her child would by law belong to Sarah. She was a concubine. Imagine being of such lowly station for one of royal birth.  When she couldn't take Sarah's correction of her behaviour Sarah fled in search of freedom. And understandably so.

Sarah was the wife of the covenant and honoured by God for her righteousness but Jehovah is a protector of women and He knew Hagar and her life. When the angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness he told her, "the Lord hath heard thy affliction" (Genesis 16:11); that she will not be overlooked by Him and that her posterity will not be able to be numbered for multitude (Genesis 16:10). In other words, "I will make it up to you Hagar for the life you are required to live". Hagar was astonished and in response called the Lord, "Thou God seest me" (V 13). What incredible difference that must have made to one woman who felt insignificant and 'unseen'. There was a God who saw her life, who saw her soul and understood it all. No condemnation for her behaviour……just mercy.

When God revealed himself to Moses, He was shown every particle of the earth and every inhabitant thereof individually, and he discerned them all by the Spirit of God (Moses 1:27,28). This power of discernment was the crucial component of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. In that hour of agony in the garden of Gethsemane, He understood each mortal life which expanded the caverns of His heart with infinite mercy. No mass suffering for humanity as a whole, but individual yielding of His heart to all the children of God. He is a God who sees all and makes up for it all to those who love Him and accept Him as their God (1 Nephi 17:40).  He is not just our God but He is my God and your God.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: He Knoweth Me by Greg Sargent)

GROUNDED IN CHRIST

 

I was reading the war chapters of the Book of Mormon with such alacrity that I grieved when I came to the end of the book of Alma. The more I read, the more my eyes were opened to the reality of that time: the hardships, the vast numbers of perished people, the longitude of the wars. It seared my heart and my soul. And yes, I did cry when Helaman and Moroni died (Alma 62:52; 63:4).

Something that really touched me was the undeniable bond of brotherhood and love between the men who captained the armies and fought for liberty and freedom of their country. Who can forget Pahoran’s reply to a passionate, strongly worded letter? Not only was there an absence of offence taken, but only endearing address such as, ‘my beloved brother Moroni’ (Alma 61:14,21). Helaman’s letter to Moroni detailing his warfare also addressed the recipient as ‘my beloved brother Moroni’ (56:2,45; 58:41). This kind of unity during such an acutely distressing time can only exist between men of God.

I have stood amazed at the calibre of these men (Helaman, Moroni, Teancum, Lehi, Gid, Teomner,  Antipus) who fought alongside each other, devised incredible warfare strategies and shared triumphs. The proof of their spiritual tenacity lies in the fact that they always referred to the Lamanites as ‘our brethren’ and always offered them a chance to enter into the covenant of peace before they would consider ending their lives. Reading, ‘I am Helaman, the son of Alma’ at the end of his letter to Moroni, does something to me every time (58:41). It might have been the way to end letters as the custom of the day but to me it reinforces the spiritual root of who Helaman was. It has made me wonder who Moroni’s parents were….they would have to have been amazing parents grounded in their faith of Christ to have raised such a son.

And now the greatest lesson we can learn from the war chapters, from the real heroes…..Helaman’s 2,000 ‘little sons’ (56:27,30,39,44,46). Helaman recounted to Moroni that there was not one of them that didn’t receive many wounds yet not one of them perished (57:25). He attributed this to their faith that if they did not doubt, they would be spared (v 26). I think, however, there was one other contribution to their safety: ‘they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness’ (21). Obedience always goes hand in hand with the rewards of faith.

So it is with us, we can receive many wounds in this life but death will in the end escape us because of our faith in Christ and His triumph over the physical and spiritual sting of death. And during those wounds and the unrest we face in this world, we can still have inner peace:

“If all the world is crumbling around us, the promised Comforter will provide His peace as a result of true discipleship…We can have His peace with us irrespective of the troubles of the world. His peace is that peace, that serenity, that comfort spoken to our hearts and minds by the Comforter, the Holy Ghost, as we strive to follow Him and keep His commandments….Just as Helaman discovered in the midst of battle that ‘he did speak peace to our souls’ (Alma 58:11)….., all sincere seekers can have that same peace spoken to them. (Elder Dennis E. Simmons, in Conference Report, April 1997; or Ensign May 1997, 31)

ODE TO THE HOLY GHOST

You are the witness,

The Testator of truth,

The illuminator of my path.

Like a salve,

You bring solace to my heart.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Artist Unknown)

FAREWELL MY STRIPLING WARRIOR

 

 

A couple of days ago I did a post entitled “Hearts of the Mothers”. I posted this picture of the painting entitled “Farewell My Stripling Warrior” by Del Parson. I get highly emotional whenever I think of the inspiration which the artist used for this painting. This inspiration came to him when he watched his wife and his son say their goodbyes at the airport as his son was leaving for his mission. His wife was struggling to let go while the son, who was hugging her, was looking past her at the plane that was waiting for him. He was ready to go.

Del Parson said this farewell of his son made him remember the 2,000 Stripling Warriors (Alma 53:17-22). It is always difficult to watch your children move on but sending them off to war is another level of apprehension and anxiety. My daughter had a turbulent teenage-hood so when she went on her mission, it was the best eighteen months of my life. I knew where she was, what she was doing and who was watching over her. And she was on home soil. My worries about her completely ceased. She is now inactive again and the worries have returned as she navigates her journey through this perilous life.

This painting has made me reflect on our time on earth. I have wondered how the tender feelings of our heavenly parents were affected as we ‘looked towards the plane’, eager for new experiences, eager to prove ourselves, eager to be ‘grown up’. Did we feel we had outgrown our heavenly home? The question, however, that begs to be asked even more is, do we feel eager to return? When I reflect on this question, I remember Alma recounting his conversion story to Helaman during which he saw God sitting upon his throne and he said, his soul longed to be there (Alma 36:22).

And now that we are here, are we being Stripling Warriors exercising faith in God worthy of our return? In his book, “But A Few Days”, Elder Neal A. Maxwell, spoke of our home coming in these terms:

“If there is an imagery upon which I would focus, it is two scriptures from the Book of Mormon. The one in which we are reminded that Jesus himself is the gate keeper and that ‘he employeth no servant there’ (2 Nephi 9:41). I will tell you…out of the conviction of my soul…what I think the major reason is (why he ‘employeth no servant there’), as contained in another Book of Mormon scripture which says he waits for you ‘with open arms’ (Mormon 6:17). That’s why He’s there! He waits for you with open arms. That imagery is too powerful to brush aside….It is imagery that should work itself into the very center core of one’s mind – a rendezvous impending, a moment in time and space, the likes of which there is none other……”  (Neal A. Maxwell, “But A Few Days”, p 7).

Can you imagine such a reunion? The crimson drops of Calvary would become the happy tears of home coming……

 

I yearn to see the dwelling of Thy heart

And remember the splendour of my home;

I yearn to feel the closeness of Thy presence

And the warmth of Thy embrace.

Grant me Father eyes that I might see,

And a heart that it might understand

The power of Thy love and Thy eternal grace.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Farewell My Stripling Warrior by Del Parson)

HEARTS OF THE MOTHERS

 

“Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death…..yeah, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.”   (Alma 56:47)

“The reliance, of course, by these young men on their mothers is touching and profound, but the mothers first had to know ‘it’ in such a way that the young men, observing them closely and hearing them (as is always the case with children observing parents), did ‘not doubt’ that their mothers knew that ‘it’ was true.”  (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, That My Family Should Partake, p 59)

There is only one way that a woman can be an example of such staunch faith to her children and that is for her, herself, to be grounded in the firm foundation which is in Christ. Her knowledge and her conviction of His help and deliverance from any adverse situation in life has got to come from experience and her partnership with Christ, and not just from theory. In the most challenging role on earth, we as mothers, should desire and seek this partnership above all else. He is the protection, He is the power, He is the source of all wisdom, knowledge and foresight that our children will invariably need in their lives. We want them to have this and it starts with us and this is how:   

“Rely on Him. Rely on Him heavily. Rely on Him forever. And ‘press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope’. You are doing God’s work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you and He will bless you, even – no, especially – when your days and your nights may be the most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master’s garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and sometimes weep over their responsibility as mothers, ‘Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole’. And it will make your children whole as well.”  (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Because She Is A Mother, April 1997 General Conference).

From the mother’s heart comes the love, the care, the self-sacrifice akin to that of the Saviour’s.  I know not of a mother who would not step in and give her life for that of her child. Not physically nourishing her children is beyond comprehension but feeding her children with ‘the bread of life’ is the next level of accomplishment she will be crowned for forever. The mother whose child recognizes Christ in her has succeeded in her God given role.

Victor Hugo’s 1874 novel “Ninety-Three” explored the counter-revolutionary revolts which occurred during the period of the French Revolution. At the beginning of the book, a group of military men encountered a woman with her baby and her two young children who were starving. The sergeant took some regulation bread from his pocket and gave it to the mother. She broke the bread into two fragments and gave them to her children.

“She has kept none for herself”, grumbled the sergeant.

“Because she is not hungry”, said a soldier.

“Because she is a mother”, said the sergeant. 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Farewell My Stripling Warrior by Del Parson)

SINS OF THE FATHERS

 

 

Marching across the pages of the Book of Mormon, is a group of young men who came from the land of Jershon, a land given to their converted Lamanite fathers by the Nephites in 90 B.C. These young men were men of valour and courage, men of truth and soberness, "men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted'' (Alma 53:20). These young men chose the prophet of God to be their military leader  whom they regarded and addressed as 'father' for the duration of their military service (Alma 56:5). These young men were 'stripling warriors' who fought Nephite battles with such conviction and trust in the power of God's deliverance that not one of the 2,000 of them was lost (Alma 58:39). These young men stand today as a testament of good parenting.

 

It is remarkable to note that not one of the Lamanites who were converted through the preaching of Ammon and his brethren ever did fall away from the truth (Alma 23:6). Rather they went on to raise a righteous generation which became a blessing to the Nephite nation. This generation was taught at their mothers' knee the power of God's deliverance, a conviction which gave the rest of the Nephite army 'great hopes and much joy' (Alma 56:17; 47,48). Whereas their mothers taught them about God, the sins of their fathers and their subsequent conversion offered an invaluable lesson to these young men and it does to us also.

 

Because of their past sins, and their covenant of repentance, the fathers of the stripling warriors had to rely on their teenage sons and Nephite's mercy to provide them with protection they could no longer give to their families. Instead they were ‘compelled to watch their brethren wade through their afflictions’ and with trepidation send their young men off to war to fight in their stead (Alma 53:15). Such was their keen sense of responsibility, and I would imagine guilt, that they considered breaking the covenant which they had made to never again shed human blood. Enter Helaman, and his fear they would lose their souls should the covenant be broken, that prevented that disaster (v 15).

 

I have at times reflected on our actions and subsequent impact of them on our children. I have been troubled by the fact that I have not been a better parent to my children and also that my parents were not better parents to me.  I have agonized over the issues and hang ups that have followed me from my childhood and weaknesses, incorrect teachings and false thinking that have been passed down to me by my parents.  Likewise, I have worried about all the bad 'stuff' I have passed on to my children.  I read many years ago about 'inter-generational sins' and how easily we can pass them on to generations of our posterity; seemingly innocent weaknesses and false traditions that somehow end up being serious stumbling blocks to someone down the line.  In other words, how we live not only affects us but many others whose lives we impact.

 

Would it have been better for the stripling warriors if their fathers had never sinned? Of course, but a sinless life is something that escapes all of us in mortality. I see hope when I read about the Stripling Warriors because I see how they have removed their stumbling block and ended the inter-generational sins with them.

 

Now I look at my daughter and see the spiritual guidance and teachings she is giving to her children that I never received in my childhood from my parents and I think, I have done a bit better and she is doing better still. The covenant of obedience that I made with the Saviour when I was baptised and entered the hallowed walls of the temple, stand as an example of hope to my daughter who has followed in my footsteps and my grandchildren who are following in hers. That hope is in Christ, who has overcome the effects of sin for all human family. It is because of Him that our hearts can be turned to our fathers with forgiveness and love that endures forever.

 

Your life has come and gone

But your footprints remain

And your blood courses through my veins.

I know your smile and your frown

Though we have never met.

They are worn by my children

As gems in family diadem;

You are the root

That reaches the branches,

I am the stem that paves the way.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Stripling Warriors from the LDS BOM Seminary Student Manual)