This phrase---"the greatest of all"---appears seven times in scripture. Seven times only. Each time it points us to the same answer. How do you answer the question, "Who or what is 'the greatest of all'?"
It may serve us well to take a cryptic path in discussing this. To speak in headlines and terse telegram language so as to give you a chance to arrive at the correct conclusion.
Perhaps we should just pose the question and leave it to germinate in your mind. And then come back to it after a suitable season of plodding around it. Surely it is of interest and importance to know what the scriptures say is "the greatest of all."
Perhaps we can identify the greatest of all, and then leave it with you to work out the seven places where this four-word phrase appears, and see for yourself the context of them.
Too much like a homework assignment? I agree. But then it is good to do our homework.
In a talk given to a Young Adult audience in San Diego in 1977, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland --- he was simply "Jeff" to thousands of us back then --- spoke of the untold value of the scriptures.
"Do we get books from angels every day?" he asked. "And yet we can't even give it away." Speaking, of course, of the Book of Mormon.
In a stake conference, he asked, would it really be expecting too much if the stake president said, "Laura, would you come up and speak for ten minutes on the theme that runs through the Book of Hebrews, please?" Brother Holland wondered aloud if that is really too much to expect from a Latter-day Saint youth. He was, and is, of the mind that we all should know our scriptures, and Him of whom they speak. He invited all those in the audience who had read the Old Testament from cover to cover to meet him outside after the meeting in a phone booth . . . !
Ironically, the theme that runs through the Book of Hebrews answers our basic question here: What or who is the greatest of all? --- although the phrase itself does not appear there.
Surely by now it is obvious that the Greatest of All is Christ. For He is.
We'll illustrate our point with just one of the scriptural instances where we find the phrase.
The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian Saints: "And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity."
Now, as we have observed before, a text without a context is a pretext --- an excuse to make anything say what we want it to say. The correct context of these words from Paul is found in Mormon's sermon on the subject delivered in a Nephite synagogue.
There Mormon taught: "Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail---
"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever . . . ."
So, what is charity? It is the greatest of all. Meaning what? Charity is the pure love of Christ. That is why it is the greatest of all. Because it originates and proceeds from Him who is the Greatest of All.
The mistake we have made is in thinking that the key word in this phrase is "love" --- or "pure" --- or "charity". Not so. The gospel does not deal in abstract things. We are not following an abstraction, or a list of principles or doctrines. We are following a Person. And that person is the Christ. And He is the greatest of all, so the pure love that proceeds from Him is rightly called the greatest of all.
It is a simple idea, but one that has evaded most of us. So that we have followed the philosophies of men and adopted the half-baked idea that love is the greatest of all, and that All You Need Is Love.
We'll visit this again another time, with illustrations of the other places in scripture which speak of Christ as the greatest of all.
In the meantime, we'll conclude with this remarkable description from---of all people---Napoleon Bonaparte whose main virtue is that, for all his vanity (he crowned himself emperor because he judged the Pope of the day to be unworthy to do so), he knew truly Who it is that is the Greatest of All.
Napoleon's words:
"From first to last Jesus is the same, always the same---majestic and simple, infinitely severe and infinitely gentle. Throughout a life passed under the public eye, He never gives occasion to find fault. The prudence of His conduct compels our admiration by its union of force and gentleness.
"Alike in speech and action, He is enlightened, consistent, and calm. Sublimity is said to be an attribute of divinity. What name then shall we give Him, in whose character were united every element of the sublime? I know men, and I tell you that Jesus Christ is not a man. Everything in Him amazes me. His spirit out-reaches mine, and His will confounds me.
"Comparison is impossible between Him and any other being in the world. He is truly a being by Himself. His ideas and His sentiments, the truth that He announces, His manner of convincing are all beyond humanity, and the natural order of things.
"His birth and the story of His life; the profoundness of His doctrine, which overturns all difficulties, and is their most complete solution. His gospel, the singularity of His mysterious being; His appearance; His empire; His progress through all centuries and kingdoms---all this is to me a prodigy, an unfathomable mystery.
"I see nothing here of man. Near as I may approach, closely as I may examine, all remains above my comprehension---great with greatness that crushes me. It is in vain that I reflect---all remains unaccountable! I defy you to cite another life like that of the Christ."
Powerful testimony. . . . And Napoleon was only speaking of Christ's character and life. . . . No mention, nor perhaps insight, into His Atonement and His mission. Profound indeed.
More later on this.
Steve
[Dedicated to Charlie Leavitt.]
Friday, July 15, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Sabbathought: President Boyd K. Packer: "Who had it harder, the pioneers or us?"
At Christmas 1997 I was privileged to attend President Boyd K. Packer's ward for sacrament meeting. Apparently he speaks in his home ward once a year, and this was it.
That year (1997) was the sesquicentennial (150th anniversary) of the pioneer Saints arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. Throughout the year sacrament talks had centered on pioneer journals and anecdotes to focus us on that salutary event in our history.
In his talk that day President Packer asked a profound question: "We know how hard it was for those brave pioneer Saints to trek across the plains---1500 miles---to Zion. We have heard, throughout this year, of frostbite and feet amputated, of makeshift graves on the plains, of unspeakable heartache and hardship. Question: Who had it harder, the pioneers back then, or us today?"
After a long pause, he continued: "Without any question, we---our young people---have it immeasurably harder. Considering the array of evil that surrounds them and all of us today, it is much harder to fight the adversary and adversity today."
Allow me to share an account which will tend to verify President Packer's statement.
I tuned in to the BYU devotional on the Tuesday following last April's general conference. The speaker was Derek Marquis, managing director of KBYU TV. His talk was centered around the miracle of technology we see today: ipods, cell phones, satellite technology---the whole gamut of it all.
He repeatedly asked, "What's on your playlist?" as he developed his remarks. And then he shared this profound story to illustrate the warning he was eager to impress on the BYU students he was addressing.
Here is the story, in Derek's own words:
Several years ago I was visiting with a friend—Dale Andersen—from Mesa, Arizona. At the time Dale was serving as a stake president in Mesa, and he shared a personal experience with me that, with his permission, I’d like to share with you this morning. He said:
I was preparing for our stake conference and having a bit of a stupor of thought on what I should share with the members of my stake. On the Friday night prior to conference I had a most peculiar dream—one of those dreams that was as real as any experience I have ever had while awake.
I dreamed I was at a family reunion with my entire family—my wife, my children, and my grandchildren. We were all gathered in the backyard of our home and enjoying a wonderful spring afternoon together.
And then I saw a most amazing and beautiful sight. It was a flock of blackbirds—but not an ordinary flock of blackbirds. This was one of those flocks that must have had tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of birds, all flying gracefully in perfect unison.
The birds would dart one direction, and then, as if cued by their leader, they’d immediately dart the other direction. Not a bird missed a beat. I stood there with my family—eyes transfixed. It was beautiful and captivating.
President Andersen continued:
As we watched this spectacle, the birds came closer and closer to us. It was all very exciting to see. And as we watched, we noticed the birds were pairing off two by two, and it appeared as though they were landing in the yards of all of the homes in my neighborhood. I thought this was rather peculiar. And then, as they got closer to my own backyard, the scene began to come into focus, and I realized in an instant that these were not blackbirds after all. These were dark, evil spirits!
Immediately I panicked and yelled to my family to run into the house and to lock the doors and windows. I was frantically trying to make sure all the members of my family were accounted for and safe—my sweetheart, my children, and their children. We ran through the house slamming the windows and shutting the doors and locking them tight. I gathered everyone together in our family room, where we would be safe, but then, as I turned around, there they were. I found myself standing between these two terribly evil beings and my precious family.
President Andersen said:
A window had been left ajar in the basement, and they had found their way into our home.
You know and I know that the adversary and his evil spirits are descending upon our families and trying to find their way into our homes, our apartments, and our dorms. At first they appear to be beautiful, enticing, and captivating—even to the point that, if we are not careful, our families will stand right in their path gazing upon them as though we were extending an open invitation to them to enter our homes.
So again I would ask that you consider the question “What’s on my playlist?”
-------------------------------------------------
As Elder Holland has said: "Two cheers for the internet. . . ."
President George Albert Smith, President of the Church from 1945 to 1951, hailed what he called "the age of inventions." On a flight from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles he dropped a message to a friend as they flew over Saint George (one of the first airmail deliveries?!). Amazingly, the friend got the message! After an overnight stop in Las Vegas President Smith continued on to Los Angeles the next day.
Air travel has improved since those days. President Smith was clear in saying that "the Book of Mormon heralded the age of inventions." As we look closely at the pattern of pushing back the frontiers in science, technology, and every area of human endeavor since the Book of Mormon opened up the work of establishing the Church and kingdom of God in the earth, who can doubt his observation?
And yet, two cheers---not the full three cheers!---for many of the inventions. What is on my playlist indeed! President Packer in a multi-stake conference broadcast from BYU's Marriott Center in December told of many missionaries entering the MTC in Provo with a serious addiction to texting. They need extensive therapy to help them break the habit.
Two cheers . . . only.
These tools, revealed by the Lord in these Last Days to "hasten my work in its time", to speed up the flooding of the earth with the Book of Mormon (see Moses 7:62), all to gather covenant Israel in preparation for His coming, and all in fulfillment of ancient prophecies, these tools are good servants but bad masters. Just look around at the vast number of hours young people spend, or rather waste, on video games, texting, tweeting and the rest.
The enemy has hijacked this wonderful technology for his own evil ends.
For a long time the number one destination on the worldwide web has been the LDS Family History site, with millions of visitors. In second place is an evil virus in its many forms.
The battle is heating up, the battle lines are clearly drawn, and we are in the Last Days.
Was it harder for the pioneer Saints or is it harder for us today? The evidence is clear that we must be extremely vigilant over what we allow---invite?---into our homes and into our minds.
The Lord says repeatedly in our Doctrine and Covenants for us to stand in holy places . . . to watch and be sober and vigilant, for "I come quickly". Note His warning and His promise in December 1830:
"Keep all the commandments and covenants by which ye are bound; and I will cause the heavens to shake for your good, and Satan shall tremble and Zion shall rejoice upon the hills and flourish;
"And Israel shall be saved in mine own due time; and by the keys which I have given shall they be led, and no more be confounded at all.
"Lift up your hearts and be glad, your redemption draweth nigh.
"Fear not little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold, I come quickly. Even so. Amen."
He also said, "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."
It is easy for the faithful to see why Brother Packer said in the early 1980s that there is no geographical safety for what is coming, and now---a generation later---is here among us. "The only safety is in the scriptures," he said.
There are those of us who do not believe and act upon this, lulled away into a false sense of carnal security by the enemy and his well-organized host of blackbirds. See 2 Nephi 28.
We exaggerate not.
God bless! Have a lovely weekend and Sabbath Day.
Pass this on to others you know that I don't. Give me your thoughts.
Steve
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Sabbathought: Independence Day---" . . . Awake to a Sense of Your Awful Situation . . . ."
Independence from whom? I often would ask my American seminary students or Sunday School youth when the subject came up, or at this time of year. Independence from what or from whom?
Very few had a ready answer.
Measured against the original Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of King George and the rule of Great Britain it seems past time for a return to the founding principles of this once great nation. We need a declaration of independence again today.
"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Note the condition: "If" . . . .
There is an appalling ignorance, even among Latter-day Saints, of the founding origins of America. Today, 2 July, it has been sad to read even LDS-website and e-mail messages that celebrate the Constitution. The founding document of this nation was in fact the Declaration of Independence, written principally by Thomas Jefferson and finally approved by Congress on 4 July 1776. That is the focus of this celebration.
The Constitution of the United States---the foundation of laws for this new republic---was adopted after much deliberation and divinely inspired diligence by the Founding Fathers in September 1787, eleven years after the Declaration of Independence from Britain. We get confused because we don't know our stuff.
The details of these events, and the documents themselves, do not get examined, explored, and taught in the schools and colleges of America very much anymore---certainly not in their true inspired context and with the awe and reverence that they deserve. As we say, even among the Saints there is a deficiency, a lack of clarity of vision and understanding on these vital matters.
The prophet-historian Moroni, writing some sixteen centuries ago, warned us of the secret combinations and spiritual wickedness in high places that would abound across the globe in the Last Days, and specifically on this choice land of the Americas when he wrote to us:
"Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you . . . ."
He went on to describe the origins of evil in this combination, and its purpose, "to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies."
Some clear doctrinal background is necessary:
We know from scripture that it was the purpose of Satan "to destroy the agency of man . . . to deceive and to blind" mankind, "to lead them captive at his will." Satan "knew not the mind of God" and God's plan for man's happiness and salvation, "wherefore he sought to destroy the world" (see Moses 4).
"Satan . . . sought to destroy the agency of man"
We most often think that Satan's design was one of compulsion, of force, of intimidation to obey. An idea of, "I'll beat you up if you don't do it. I'll compel you to obey."
Think of it: Can you imagine one in three of our Father's children voting for such a plan of coercion?
Neither can I.
Agency is the power to act, far more than just the power to choose.
The root word agency produces this family of words: agent, act, action, actor, actual, and active. Far more than a passive choice, a mental assent, a nod of the head, a raise of the hand in a vote of approval, agency has to do with action. Positive action. Doing. Acting, or being true, loyal, showing through active works where your heart lies and who you truly are.
All Satan had to do to destroy the agency of mankind would be to deny them the privilege of acting on their own initiative, of working by the sweat of their brow, of diligent obedience, of seeking excellence by their own will.
"I'll take care of it," says he. "You won't have to struggle and sweat at all. In this way I'll save every one of you. And surely I will do it!" he said, "and the glory and the credit will come to me."
And thus he would have destroyed the agency of man, the liberty of man to act in his own best interests, the freedom to work out his own salvation in fear and trembling, always relying on the merits and mercy and atoning blood of the Redeemer.
As you look around you today at the growing dependency society that has dominated in Europe for decades and which is now well advanced in the great nation of the United States, does something look and sound familiar when you measure it against the doctrine? . . .
Free lunch? Entitlement society? Dependence on the government? Social plan of safety and security? Guaranteed benefits? . . .
Mankind's best plans for a utopian society are not the same as the Lord's for Zion. The two are not the same---not even close.
Can you see the great pressing need to know "the very points of [the Savior's] doctrine", so that even the humble followers of Christ, the elect according to the covenant, will not be deceived by the father of all lies?
From our observation most of us are not very aware of these things: of good sound doctrine, of the truth that is in Christ, even the doctrine of Christ, of the reason and purpose for the founding of this nation, for the Declaration of Independence from tyranny and despotic laws, for the Constitution---"And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land," said the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ [see Ether 2:12], "by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood"---, and the sequence and the order, and the vital necessity of it all.
These things are not incidental . . . nor coincidental, nor random, nor by caprice. They all belong together. So that we see in 1877 the Founding Fathers of these United States and other eminent men and women appearing to Wilford Woodruff in the Saint George temple to claim their temple blessings at the hands of the priesthood of God:
"Every one of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence, with General [George] Washington, called upon me as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George, two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the House of God for them" (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 160--6).
Which he did.
-----------------------------------
President Ezra Taft Benson taught: "The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention. (See 2 Nephi 3:12.) It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day. . . . God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time" (A Witness and a Warning [1988], p. 3).
Shall we be subtle here or shall we be bold? . . . As Joseph said, "Truth cuts its own way."
Most of us in the Church do not know much about the Book of Mormon---its purpose, its doctrine, its value, its message. We should know it inside out. We don't.
We are for the most part in the same standing on the Book of Mormon as we are on the founding of this nation. Profoundly ignorant.
The enemy has succeeded in keeping us a good distance from a clear understanding of the founding doctrines and documents of both the Church and this nation.
Our hearts and minds are riveted on other things.
At the bicentennial celebration of the founding of America and its Declaration of Independence, in July 1976, the prophet and President of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball, gave us an article in the June 1976 Ensign entitled, "The False Gods We Worship".
In it he said: "I use the word 'idolatry' intentionally. . . . This I find to be a dominant theme in the Old Testament. Whatever a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god, and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true and living God of Israel, that man is laboring in idolatry."
Is it time for me and you to wake up? It is past time. Past time to "awake to a sense of your awful situation."
God bless us all to do so.
Feel free to share this with others, and to send me your thoughts.
Steve
Very few had a ready answer.
Measured against the original Declaration of Independence from the tyranny of King George and the rule of Great Britain it seems past time for a return to the founding principles of this once great nation. We need a declaration of independence again today.
"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." Note the condition: "If" . . . .
There is an appalling ignorance, even among Latter-day Saints, of the founding origins of America. Today, 2 July, it has been sad to read even LDS-website and e-mail messages that celebrate the Constitution. The founding document of this nation was in fact the Declaration of Independence, written principally by Thomas Jefferson and finally approved by Congress on 4 July 1776. That is the focus of this celebration.
The Constitution of the United States---the foundation of laws for this new republic---was adopted after much deliberation and divinely inspired diligence by the Founding Fathers in September 1787, eleven years after the Declaration of Independence from Britain. We get confused because we don't know our stuff.
The details of these events, and the documents themselves, do not get examined, explored, and taught in the schools and colleges of America very much anymore---certainly not in their true inspired context and with the awe and reverence that they deserve. As we say, even among the Saints there is a deficiency, a lack of clarity of vision and understanding on these vital matters.
The prophet-historian Moroni, writing some sixteen centuries ago, warned us of the secret combinations and spiritual wickedness in high places that would abound across the globe in the Last Days, and specifically on this choice land of the Americas when he wrote to us:
"Wherefore, the Lord commandeth you, when ye shall see these things come among you that ye shall awake to a sense of your awful situation, because of this secret combination which shall be among you . . . ."
He went on to describe the origins of evil in this combination, and its purpose, "to overthrow the freedom of all lands, nations, and countries; and it bringeth to pass the destruction of all people, for it is built up by the devil, who is the father of all lies."
Some clear doctrinal background is necessary:
We know from scripture that it was the purpose of Satan "to destroy the agency of man . . . to deceive and to blind" mankind, "to lead them captive at his will." Satan "knew not the mind of God" and God's plan for man's happiness and salvation, "wherefore he sought to destroy the world" (see Moses 4).
"Satan . . . sought to destroy the agency of man"
We most often think that Satan's design was one of compulsion, of force, of intimidation to obey. An idea of, "I'll beat you up if you don't do it. I'll compel you to obey."
Think of it: Can you imagine one in three of our Father's children voting for such a plan of coercion?
Neither can I.
Agency is the power to act, far more than just the power to choose.
The root word agency produces this family of words: agent, act, action, actor, actual, and active. Far more than a passive choice, a mental assent, a nod of the head, a raise of the hand in a vote of approval, agency has to do with action. Positive action. Doing. Acting, or being true, loyal, showing through active works where your heart lies and who you truly are.
All Satan had to do to destroy the agency of mankind would be to deny them the privilege of acting on their own initiative, of working by the sweat of their brow, of diligent obedience, of seeking excellence by their own will.
"I'll take care of it," says he. "You won't have to struggle and sweat at all. In this way I'll save every one of you. And surely I will do it!" he said, "and the glory and the credit will come to me."
And thus he would have destroyed the agency of man, the liberty of man to act in his own best interests, the freedom to work out his own salvation in fear and trembling, always relying on the merits and mercy and atoning blood of the Redeemer.
As you look around you today at the growing dependency society that has dominated in Europe for decades and which is now well advanced in the great nation of the United States, does something look and sound familiar when you measure it against the doctrine? . . .
Free lunch? Entitlement society? Dependence on the government? Social plan of safety and security? Guaranteed benefits? . . .
Mankind's best plans for a utopian society are not the same as the Lord's for Zion. The two are not the same---not even close.
Can you see the great pressing need to know "the very points of [the Savior's] doctrine", so that even the humble followers of Christ, the elect according to the covenant, will not be deceived by the father of all lies?
From our observation most of us are not very aware of these things: of good sound doctrine, of the truth that is in Christ, even the doctrine of Christ, of the reason and purpose for the founding of this nation, for the Declaration of Independence from tyranny and despotic laws, for the Constitution---"And for this purpose have I established the Constitution of this land," said the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ [see Ether 2:12], "by the hands of wise men whom I raised up unto this very purpose, and redeemed the land by the shedding of blood"---, and the sequence and the order, and the vital necessity of it all.
These things are not incidental . . . nor coincidental, nor random, nor by caprice. They all belong together. So that we see in 1877 the Founding Fathers of these United States and other eminent men and women appearing to Wilford Woodruff in the Saint George temple to claim their temple blessings at the hands of the priesthood of God:
"Every one of those men that signed the Declaration of Independence, with General [George] Washington, called upon me as an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Temple at St. George, two consecutive nights, and demanded at my hands that I should go forth and attend to the ordinances of the House of God for them" (Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 160--6).
Which he did.
-----------------------------------
President Ezra Taft Benson taught: "The Book of Mormon exposes the enemies of Christ. It confounds false doctrines and lays down contention. (See 2 Nephi 3:12.) It fortifies the humble followers of Christ against the evil designs, strategies, and doctrines of the devil in our day. . . . God, with his infinite foreknowledge, so molded the Book of Mormon that we might see the error and know how to combat false educational, political, religious, and philosophical concepts of our time" (A Witness and a Warning [1988], p. 3).
Shall we be subtle here or shall we be bold? . . . As Joseph said, "Truth cuts its own way."
Most of us in the Church do not know much about the Book of Mormon---its purpose, its doctrine, its value, its message. We should know it inside out. We don't.
We are for the most part in the same standing on the Book of Mormon as we are on the founding of this nation. Profoundly ignorant.
The enemy has succeeded in keeping us a good distance from a clear understanding of the founding doctrines and documents of both the Church and this nation.
Our hearts and minds are riveted on other things.
At the bicentennial celebration of the founding of America and its Declaration of Independence, in July 1976, the prophet and President of the Church, Spencer W. Kimball, gave us an article in the June 1976 Ensign entitled, "The False Gods We Worship".
In it he said: "I use the word 'idolatry' intentionally. . . . This I find to be a dominant theme in the Old Testament. Whatever a man sets his heart and his trust in most is his god, and if his god doesn't also happen to be the true and living God of Israel, that man is laboring in idolatry."
Is it time for me and you to wake up? It is past time. Past time to "awake to a sense of your awful situation."
God bless us all to do so.
Feel free to share this with others, and to send me your thoughts.
Steve
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
GIFTS: The Lord Did Not Give Us a Social Gospel
The Lord did not give us a social gospel.
The gospel plan restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith is not first and foremost a social or a collective endeavor. It is a plan of individual salvation, made complete and meaningful through the family.
This is well illustrated through the ordinances of salvation. Each ordinance comes to us on an individual basis. We do not baptize groups of people all at the same moment, but one by one. . . . We each receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost individually, separately, one at a time.
We receive the covenants, the tokens, individually. And we go through the veil individually.
When we have in place all that is necessary we meet as a couple at the altar to be sealed together and start a family.
The ordinance of holy matrimony is the crowning ordinance, of course, but it is only meaningful as we cleave to the covenants we have already made. And then we may with full trust cleave to each other, with the Lord as a third partner, since we have by this time made solemn and sacred covenants with Him, separately and individually.
True religion first looks up to God, not sideways to others.
The first and great commandment, as reflected in the first four of the Ten Commandments, centers on God and our love for Him, our duty to Him first and foremost, our sacred obligation to Him. Only when this relationship is fixed and firm and deeply set can we consider our duty and obligation to others.
It is easy to put others---those we can see and hear and feel close to us---first, and the invisible God of our fathers fades into the misty background.
How is it done? How do we put Him first?
In a real sense it is a simple matter, for one thing is needful. . . . We simply learn how to do it from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, our great example in this as in all other things.
Notice:
"Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked," said a certain woman to Him one day, paying honor to Him by praising His mother, Mary, and His upbringing.
"But he said, Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." This was His reply. He corrected her, refocused her, realigned her thinking. First things first.
-------------------------------------
"Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
"But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."
Did Jesus later apologize for those rough words to Peter? He did not. He was first and foremost always loyal and true and fiercely protective of the mission given Him of His Father---the Atonement.
--------------------------------------
Again, "While he yet talked to the people, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. . . .
"But he answered and said . . . Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
"And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
"For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Do you see it? In this last example where was His loyalty and first allegiance? To His mother, Mary? To His half-brothers in Joseph and Mary's family? To His disciples, His followers, the "people"? Or was it to Someone Else? It was to Someone Else---again---it was to His Father.
He is our example of how to do it. Of how to put God first, to love God with all our heart, might, mind, will, strength, and soul. This is the path and the pattern that He has given us. And it is not first and foremost a social gospel.
No, we are not teaching a social gospel, nor an ethical gospel. We are teaching a redemptive gospel. Where a law was broken (the Fall) in an ordinance in a Garden long ago, and which can only be fixed and repaired in another ordinance called by us the Atonement---also in a Garden---by Him who alone could perform it. And we remember it all in another ordinance called the sacrament.
And all of this is to redeem us, to ransom us from all of the effects of the Fall. This is the redemptive gospel. This is the reason and purpose of the sacrament, of the gospel, of the Church, of the holy Sabbath day.
But if our time and thoughts and attention are centered on others and not on Him, we will miss the point of the sacrament, and of the Sabbath, and still think we have fulfilled our purpose in being to church because we have seen our friends, the people we know and love, have sung and prayed with them, have greeted them, and left satisfied.
But we have been given not first and foremost a social gospel. Our religion is centered on a redemptive gospel, with Jesus Christ and His exquisite sacrifice, bleeding at every pore, at the center. "Could ye not watch with me one hour?"
It is for us, for our eternal salvation and happiness, but it is not first and foremost about us. It is about Him. That is true religion. That is our context. That is the very point of His doctrine when it comes to our priorities, as He showed us by example in His life and in His death.
"Our affections should be placed upon God and His work more intensely than upon our fellow beings," taught the Prophet Joseph Smith.
And from the thirteenth President of the Church: "The world largely ignores the first and great commandment --- to love God --- but talks a lot about loving their brother. They worship at the altar of man. Would Nephi have slain Laban if he had put the love of neighbor above the love of God? Would Abraham have taken Isaac up for sacrifice if he had put the second commandment first?
"The attitude of the world is reflected in a phrase of falsehood that reads, 'Presume not God to scan, the proper study of mankind is man.' But only those who know and love God can best love and serve His children, for only God fully understands His children and knows what is best for their welfare. . . .
"When we fail to put the love of God first, we are easily deceived by crafty men who profess a great love of humanity, while advocating programs that are not of the Lord" (President Ezra Taft Benson, CR, Oct 1967, p. 35).
First things first.
"When our priorities are out of order, we lose power."
Our priorities should be, must be, the same as the Lord's. His life and ministry are the great example for us of how to put God first in our lives. It may well come to offending family or friends (see Matthew 19:29). But if we are going to offend anyone, let us not offend the Lord.
If friends or distant family arrive unexpectedly from out of state just as we are leaving for sacrament meeting, we have two choices: "Please come with us to church. We'd love to have you join us." If they prefer not to come with us: "Well, it's good to see you! There's the fridge, help yourselves; make yourselves at home. We'll be back in a couple of hours."
Is there a third option? To stay home from sacrament meeting so as not to offend the visitors who have traveled a long way to see us?
If we are going to offend anyone, let's not offend the Lord.
Righteousness comes before relationships. (Thanks for that, Jack.)
We are not teaching a social gospel, we are teaching and living something that goes far beyond social and temporal considerations.
That same prophet, President Benson, taught: "Social, ethical, cultural, or educational converts will not survive under the heat of the day unless their taproots go down to the fulness of the gospel which the Book of Mormon contains."
Our job is to learn that fulness, and get it so deep into our souls, into our consciousness, that it comes out spontaneously in our every-day thinking and actions and habits. And the Book of Mormon is where we start.
Elder Packer once said, "This is not the Church of the Comfortable Chapel."
You see, we are being tested, proved, to see if we will stay true at all hazards. It is a greater thing to be trusted than it is to be loved. Can you see it from His point of view? We are not the center of it all. . . . He is. That is good doctrine, good religion.
I would love to hear from you who read this. Does it resonate with you? Can you sense something different---something deeper, grander, and finer---than what we usually think of in the Savior's example and habits? Now that we are halfway through our study of the New Testament in Sunday School do you sense yet a different Jesus than the one you thought you knew before?
This Jesus says to us: " . . . If you keep my commandments you shall have power to build . . . .
"If you keep not my commandments, the love of the Father shall not continue with you, therefore you shall walk in darkness."
Let me hear from you.
God bless,
Steve
The gospel plan restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith is not first and foremost a social or a collective endeavor. It is a plan of individual salvation, made complete and meaningful through the family.
This is well illustrated through the ordinances of salvation. Each ordinance comes to us on an individual basis. We do not baptize groups of people all at the same moment, but one by one. . . . We each receive the laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost individually, separately, one at a time.
We receive the covenants, the tokens, individually. And we go through the veil individually.
When we have in place all that is necessary we meet as a couple at the altar to be sealed together and start a family.
The ordinance of holy matrimony is the crowning ordinance, of course, but it is only meaningful as we cleave to the covenants we have already made. And then we may with full trust cleave to each other, with the Lord as a third partner, since we have by this time made solemn and sacred covenants with Him, separately and individually.
True religion first looks up to God, not sideways to others.
The first and great commandment, as reflected in the first four of the Ten Commandments, centers on God and our love for Him, our duty to Him first and foremost, our sacred obligation to Him. Only when this relationship is fixed and firm and deeply set can we consider our duty and obligation to others.
It is easy to put others---those we can see and hear and feel close to us---first, and the invisible God of our fathers fades into the misty background.
How is it done? How do we put Him first?
In a real sense it is a simple matter, for one thing is needful. . . . We simply learn how to do it from Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Savior of the world, our great example in this as in all other things.
Notice:
"Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked," said a certain woman to Him one day, paying honor to Him by praising His mother, Mary, and His upbringing.
"But he said, Yea, rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." This was His reply. He corrected her, refocused her, realigned her thinking. First things first.
-------------------------------------
"Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.
"But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men."
Did Jesus later apologize for those rough words to Peter? He did not. He was first and foremost always loyal and true and fiercely protective of the mission given Him of His Father---the Atonement.
--------------------------------------
Again, "While he yet talked to the people, behold his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. . . .
"But he answered and said . . . Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?
"And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!
"For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."
Do you see it? In this last example where was His loyalty and first allegiance? To His mother, Mary? To His half-brothers in Joseph and Mary's family? To His disciples, His followers, the "people"? Or was it to Someone Else? It was to Someone Else---again---it was to His Father.
He is our example of how to do it. Of how to put God first, to love God with all our heart, might, mind, will, strength, and soul. This is the path and the pattern that He has given us. And it is not first and foremost a social gospel.
No, we are not teaching a social gospel, nor an ethical gospel. We are teaching a redemptive gospel. Where a law was broken (the Fall) in an ordinance in a Garden long ago, and which can only be fixed and repaired in another ordinance called by us the Atonement---also in a Garden---by Him who alone could perform it. And we remember it all in another ordinance called the sacrament.
And all of this is to redeem us, to ransom us from all of the effects of the Fall. This is the redemptive gospel. This is the reason and purpose of the sacrament, of the gospel, of the Church, of the holy Sabbath day.
But if our time and thoughts and attention are centered on others and not on Him, we will miss the point of the sacrament, and of the Sabbath, and still think we have fulfilled our purpose in being to church because we have seen our friends, the people we know and love, have sung and prayed with them, have greeted them, and left satisfied.
But we have been given not first and foremost a social gospel. Our religion is centered on a redemptive gospel, with Jesus Christ and His exquisite sacrifice, bleeding at every pore, at the center. "Could ye not watch with me one hour?"
It is for us, for our eternal salvation and happiness, but it is not first and foremost about us. It is about Him. That is true religion. That is our context. That is the very point of His doctrine when it comes to our priorities, as He showed us by example in His life and in His death.
"Our affections should be placed upon God and His work more intensely than upon our fellow beings," taught the Prophet Joseph Smith.
And from the thirteenth President of the Church: "The world largely ignores the first and great commandment --- to love God --- but talks a lot about loving their brother. They worship at the altar of man. Would Nephi have slain Laban if he had put the love of neighbor above the love of God? Would Abraham have taken Isaac up for sacrifice if he had put the second commandment first?
"The attitude of the world is reflected in a phrase of falsehood that reads, 'Presume not God to scan, the proper study of mankind is man.' But only those who know and love God can best love and serve His children, for only God fully understands His children and knows what is best for their welfare. . . .
"When we fail to put the love of God first, we are easily deceived by crafty men who profess a great love of humanity, while advocating programs that are not of the Lord" (President Ezra Taft Benson, CR, Oct 1967, p. 35).
First things first.
"When our priorities are out of order, we lose power."
Our priorities should be, must be, the same as the Lord's. His life and ministry are the great example for us of how to put God first in our lives. It may well come to offending family or friends (see Matthew 19:29). But if we are going to offend anyone, let us not offend the Lord.
If friends or distant family arrive unexpectedly from out of state just as we are leaving for sacrament meeting, we have two choices: "Please come with us to church. We'd love to have you join us." If they prefer not to come with us: "Well, it's good to see you! There's the fridge, help yourselves; make yourselves at home. We'll be back in a couple of hours."
Is there a third option? To stay home from sacrament meeting so as not to offend the visitors who have traveled a long way to see us?
If we are going to offend anyone, let's not offend the Lord.
Righteousness comes before relationships. (Thanks for that, Jack.)
We are not teaching a social gospel, we are teaching and living something that goes far beyond social and temporal considerations.
That same prophet, President Benson, taught: "Social, ethical, cultural, or educational converts will not survive under the heat of the day unless their taproots go down to the fulness of the gospel which the Book of Mormon contains."
Our job is to learn that fulness, and get it so deep into our souls, into our consciousness, that it comes out spontaneously in our every-day thinking and actions and habits. And the Book of Mormon is where we start.
Elder Packer once said, "This is not the Church of the Comfortable Chapel."
You see, we are being tested, proved, to see if we will stay true at all hazards. It is a greater thing to be trusted than it is to be loved. Can you see it from His point of view? We are not the center of it all. . . . He is. That is good doctrine, good religion.
I would love to hear from you who read this. Does it resonate with you? Can you sense something different---something deeper, grander, and finer---than what we usually think of in the Savior's example and habits? Now that we are halfway through our study of the New Testament in Sunday School do you sense yet a different Jesus than the one you thought you knew before?
This Jesus says to us: " . . . If you keep my commandments you shall have power to build . . . .
"If you keep not my commandments, the love of the Father shall not continue with you, therefore you shall walk in darkness."
Let me hear from you.
God bless,
Steve
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Sabbathought: The most important passage in the Book of Mormon
You perhaps have a favorite verse or passage or chapter in the Book of Mormon.
Consider this in a sober way:
Always true to the Restoration and to his great-great-great-uncle through whom it came, our friend and mentor Joseph Fielding McConkie some years ago taught us a new and instructive way to view his namesake the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the book translated by him under the power of God, known to us as the Book of Mormon.
The prophet Isaiah wrote, " . . . for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider" (Isaiah 52:15).
When the resurrected Lord quoted this passage (twice) to the surviving Nephites, He added this:
"For in that day [when the Book of Mormon shall come forth as a sign of the Gathering of Israel], for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them" (3 Nephi 21:9, emphasis added).
Who is this "man" who shall declare the great and marvelous work?
The Savior continues: "But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred [martyred] because of them."
His enemies shall not hurt him, although he shall be martyred by them!
"Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil."
(The account by Seth Adam Smith of Joseph's last dream sent out with this Sabbathought makes clear who the man is.)
And then this from the Lord Jesus:
"Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant."
And there we see the most important passage in the Book of Mormon---3 Nephi 21:9--11.
It is a clear endorsement and witness by the Lord Himself of the power and calling given to Joseph Smith.
The Restoration of the gospel proceeded through Joseph Smith, starting with the Vision he had early in the Spring of 1820 wherein he saw the Father and the Son---together, separate and distinct Beings of flesh and bone.
The Book of Mormon plates were next delivered to him to translate by the power of God, which he did in the face of great opposition.
Priesthood keys followed, and line upon line of restored doctrine as he then proceeded by divine command to translate the Bible unto a more perfect testament of Christ. All that is necessary to exalt men and women in the highest heaven followed, precept upon precept: the fullness of the everlasting gospel.
Until today we now see flourishing across the globe this marvelous work and a wonder.
The day after tomorrow's Sabbath---27 June---marks the 167th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph along with his beloved brother Hyrum, the great-great-grandfather of Joseph McConkie. In Hebrew, the name Hyrum carries the meaning, "My brother is noble (exalted)". . . .
And thus we see that the Lord works in this way.
Joseph and Hyrum were true. They sealed their testament with their blood. They were true prophets whose main role, assigned by the Lord Himself, was to reveal the true Christ of the Bible, and to mark the true path to Him. This they did, and continue to do, if we will give close and sober heed to what they have left us.
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah---and to his brother Hyrum!
Warm regards, everyone!
Steve
Consider this in a sober way:
Always true to the Restoration and to his great-great-great-uncle through whom it came, our friend and mentor Joseph Fielding McConkie some years ago taught us a new and instructive way to view his namesake the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the book translated by him under the power of God, known to us as the Book of Mormon.
The prophet Isaiah wrote, " . . . for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider" (Isaiah 52:15).
When the resurrected Lord quoted this passage (twice) to the surviving Nephites, He added this:
"For in that day [when the Book of Mormon shall come forth as a sign of the Gathering of Israel], for my sake shall the Father work a work, which shall be a great and a marvelous work among them; and there shall be among them those who will not believe it, although a man shall declare it unto them" (3 Nephi 21:9, emphasis added).
Who is this "man" who shall declare the great and marvelous work?
The Savior continues: "But behold, the life of my servant shall be in my hand; therefore they shall not hurt him, although he shall be marred [martyred] because of them."
His enemies shall not hurt him, although he shall be martyred by them!
"Yet I will heal him, for I will show unto them that my wisdom is greater than the cunning of the devil."
(The account by Seth Adam Smith of Joseph's last dream sent out with this Sabbathought makes clear who the man is.)
And then this from the Lord Jesus:
"Therefore it shall come to pass that whosoever will not believe in my words, who am Jesus Christ, which the Father shall cause him to bring forth unto the Gentiles, and shall give unto him power that he shall bring them forth unto the Gentiles, (it shall be done even as Moses said) they shall be cut off from among my people who are of the covenant."
And there we see the most important passage in the Book of Mormon---3 Nephi 21:9--11.
It is a clear endorsement and witness by the Lord Himself of the power and calling given to Joseph Smith.
The Restoration of the gospel proceeded through Joseph Smith, starting with the Vision he had early in the Spring of 1820 wherein he saw the Father and the Son---together, separate and distinct Beings of flesh and bone.
The Book of Mormon plates were next delivered to him to translate by the power of God, which he did in the face of great opposition.
Priesthood keys followed, and line upon line of restored doctrine as he then proceeded by divine command to translate the Bible unto a more perfect testament of Christ. All that is necessary to exalt men and women in the highest heaven followed, precept upon precept: the fullness of the everlasting gospel.
Until today we now see flourishing across the globe this marvelous work and a wonder.
The day after tomorrow's Sabbath---27 June---marks the 167th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph along with his beloved brother Hyrum, the great-great-grandfather of Joseph McConkie. In Hebrew, the name Hyrum carries the meaning, "My brother is noble (exalted)". . . .
And thus we see that the Lord works in this way.
Joseph and Hyrum were true. They sealed their testament with their blood. They were true prophets whose main role, assigned by the Lord Himself, was to reveal the true Christ of the Bible, and to mark the true path to Him. This they did, and continue to do, if we will give close and sober heed to what they have left us.
Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah---and to his brother Hyrum!
Warm regards, everyone!
Steve
Monday, June 20, 2011
GIFTS: Maeterlink's fairy play: a profound gospel insight
In The Bluebird, Maeterlink pictures unborn children summoned to earth life. As one group approaches the earth, the voices of the children earthward tending are heard in the distance to cry, "The earth! The earth! I can see it! How beautiful it is!"
Then, following these cries of ecstasy, there issued from out of the depth of the abyss a sweet song of gentleness and expectancy in reference to which the author says, "It is the song of the mothers coming out to meet them."
Maeterlink's fairy play is not all fantasy or imagination. Neither is Wordsworth's "Ode on Intimations of Immortality", wherein he said:
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The soul that rises with us, our life's star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar.
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, Who is our home.
It is given as a fact in revelation that Abraham was chosen before he was born. Songs of expectant parents come from all parts of the earth, and each little spirit is attracted to the peculiar situation for which that spirit has prepared itself.
If none of these spirits was permitted to enter mortality until they were all good and pure and great and could become leaders, then the diversity of conditions among the children of men as we see them today would indicate discrimination and injustice.
If, in their eagerness to take bodies, they were willing to come to any circumstance for which they were peculiarly worthy, or to which they were particularly attracted, then they were given the full reward of merit and were satisfied, yes, and even blessed.
---from a letter written by President David O. McKay and quoted
by Elder Harold B. Lee on 27 April 1969 in a talk given at Brigham
Young University.
"But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things."
Then, following these cries of ecstasy, there issued from out of the depth of the abyss a sweet song of gentleness and expectancy in reference to which the author says, "It is the song of the mothers coming out to meet them."
Maeterlink's fairy play is not all fantasy or imagination. Neither is Wordsworth's "Ode on Intimations of Immortality", wherein he said:
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;
The soul that rises with us, our life's star,
Hath had elsewhere its setting,
And cometh from afar.
Not in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
From God, Who is our home.
It is given as a fact in revelation that Abraham was chosen before he was born. Songs of expectant parents come from all parts of the earth, and each little spirit is attracted to the peculiar situation for which that spirit has prepared itself.
If none of these spirits was permitted to enter mortality until they were all good and pure and great and could become leaders, then the diversity of conditions among the children of men as we see them today would indicate discrimination and injustice.
If, in their eagerness to take bodies, they were willing to come to any circumstance for which they were peculiarly worthy, or to which they were particularly attracted, then they were given the full reward of merit and were satisfied, yes, and even blessed.
---from a letter written by President David O. McKay and quoted
by Elder Harold B. Lee on 27 April 1969 in a talk given at Brigham
Young University.
"But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things."
Friday, June 10, 2011
Sabbathought: She dreamed that she was bathing the Christ child
From the family history of our friend and mentor Joseph Fielding McConkie:
Many years ago in a small town in the southern part of the state of Utah, my great-grandmother was called to be the president of the Relief Society. During this period of our Church's history there existed a very bitter and antagonistic spirit between the Mormons and the Gentiles.
In my great-grandmother's ward one of the young sisters married a Gentile boy. This of course did not please either the Mormons or the Gentiles very much. In the course of time this young couple gave birth to a child. Unfortunately the mother became so ill in the process of childbirth that she was unable to care for her baby.
Upon learning of this woman's condition, great-grandmother immediately went to the homes of the sisters in the ward and asked them if they would take a turn going into the home of this young couple to care for the baby. One by one these women refused and so the responsibility fell completely upon her.
She would arise early in the morning, walk what was a considerable distance to the home of this young couple where she would bathe and feed the baby, gather all that needed to be laundered and take it with her to her home. There she would launder it and then return with it the next day.
Great-grandmother had been doing this for some time when one morning she felt too weak and sick to go and perform the service that had been her custom. However, as she lay in bed she realized that if she didn't go the child would not be provided for.
She mustered all her strength and went.
After performing this service she, and I suppose only with the help of the Lord, was able to return to her home, and upon entering her living room collapsed into a large chair and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
She said that as she slept she felt as if she were consumed by a fire that would melt the very marrow of her bones. She began to dream and dreamed that she was bathing the Christ child and glorying in what a great privilege it would have been to have bathed the Son of God.
Then the voice of the Lord spoke to her saying, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me."
Thank you, Joseph.
Many years ago in a small town in the southern part of the state of Utah, my great-grandmother was called to be the president of the Relief Society. During this period of our Church's history there existed a very bitter and antagonistic spirit between the Mormons and the Gentiles.
In my great-grandmother's ward one of the young sisters married a Gentile boy. This of course did not please either the Mormons or the Gentiles very much. In the course of time this young couple gave birth to a child. Unfortunately the mother became so ill in the process of childbirth that she was unable to care for her baby.
Upon learning of this woman's condition, great-grandmother immediately went to the homes of the sisters in the ward and asked them if they would take a turn going into the home of this young couple to care for the baby. One by one these women refused and so the responsibility fell completely upon her.
She would arise early in the morning, walk what was a considerable distance to the home of this young couple where she would bathe and feed the baby, gather all that needed to be laundered and take it with her to her home. There she would launder it and then return with it the next day.
Great-grandmother had been doing this for some time when one morning she felt too weak and sick to go and perform the service that had been her custom. However, as she lay in bed she realized that if she didn't go the child would not be provided for.
She mustered all her strength and went.
After performing this service she, and I suppose only with the help of the Lord, was able to return to her home, and upon entering her living room collapsed into a large chair and immediately fell into a deep sleep.
She said that as she slept she felt as if she were consumed by a fire that would melt the very marrow of her bones. She began to dream and dreamed that she was bathing the Christ child and glorying in what a great privilege it would have been to have bathed the Son of God.
Then the voice of the Lord spoke to her saying, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these, ye have done it unto me."
Thank you, Joseph.
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