"Lamentations of Jeremiah: beware of bondage" by Elder Quentin L. Cook

Hello there! 

It's so good to be writing this week. The weather here in England has gotten cold and a bit wet, but oh well! 

The talk I'll discuss today attracted me because of its title: "Lamentations of Jeremiah: beware of bondage". Isn't that the best title? It's also a pretty good talk, by Elder Quentin L. Cook, who was called to serve as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on October 6, 2007. Elder Cook gave these remarks during the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 2013 General Conference. 

"Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem" by Rembrandt 

I had never read Lamentations (in the Old Testament) before reading this talk, so I was a lot curious to see why Elder Cook used this title and how he related his remarks to the book -- written by the prophet Jeremiah (and probably others) to lament the destruction of Jerusalem by the hand of the the Babylonians. The chapter heading to Psalm 137 in the LDS edition of the King James Version of the Bible reads: "While in captivity, the Jews wept by the rivers of Babylon—Because of sorrow, they could not bear to sing the songs of Zion." By turning away from the Lord, the Jews put themselves in bondage and were scattered. Elder Cook lists a few of the lessons we can learn from this tragic period in the history of Israel, to encourage us to "do everything within our power to avoid sin and rebellion that lead to bondage."

These are the four kinds of abuses of moral agency that Elder Cook describes "pernicious" and "destructive":

1) "Addictions that impair agency, contradict moral beliefs, and destroy good health cause bondage". This is all around us unfortunately. Drug addicts and alcoholics, people addicted to pornography or who enter into large debts place a heavy burden on society at large. The 2008 financial crisis, caused by people, financial institutions, and even governments that outspent money they did not have, still influences our lives today and has caused so much poverty and bondage.  

2) "Addictions or predilections [that,] while not inherently evil, can use up our precious allotment of time which could otherwise be used to accomplish virtuous objectives." A bit of social media, a bit of sport or recreation have never killed anyone; Elder Cook, though, is warning us about the dangers of excessive use of these and others. The main danger being that of not spending enough time with our family because of those very activities. Elder Cook shares the interesting story of a colleague of his who struggled to balance career, marriage and children:

"She always felt like a juggler trying to keep three balls in the air at the same time. One ball was her law practice, one was her marriage, and one was her children. She had almost given up on time for herself. She was greatly concerned that one of the balls was always on the ground. I suggested we meet as a group and discuss our priorities. We determined that the primary reason we were working was to support our families. We agreed that making more money wasn't nearly as important as our families, but we recognized that serving our clients to the best of our abilities was essential. The discussion then moved to what we did at work that was not necessary and was inconsistent with leaving time for family. Was there pressure to spend time in the workplace that was not essential? We decided that our goal would be a family-friendly environment for both women and men."

Many of us could easily find themselves in the concerns expressed by this woman lawyer. Women and men. The gospel of Jesus Christ indeed offers the solution to this problem, by putting family first. Families are forever, and all the rest is an appendage. Our jobs, our recreational activities, even our activity and service in the Church should point us back to our families. When the work-hard-play-hard philosophy crowds out family time, it is self-defeating.

 3) "Ideology or political beliefs that are inconsistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ." Elder Cook refers to these as  "the most universal subjugation in our day, as it has been throughout history". He notes that the Athenians to whom Paul preached in the 1st century AD rejected the gospel because it was too simple, and probably not new to them. It was too simple therefore they mocked him. "We will hear thee again of this matter" they said. To me it sounds very much like those in today's society mock stay-at-home moms. It's too easy some think. It's not worth it some others say. Is it really? I know a woman who decided not to pursue a career outside of the home and who's now the mother of 7 (s-e-v-e-n) beautiful children. I don't think that's easy. I do think it's worth it. 

"Now, let me say unequivocally that I am thrilled with the educational and other opportunities that are available to women. I treasure the fact that the backbreaking work and domestic drudgery required of women has been reduced in much of the world because of modern conveniences and that women are making such magnificent contributions in every field of endeavor. But if we allow our culture to reduce the special relationship that children have with mothers and grandmothers and others who nurture them, we will come to regret it."

4) "Forces that violate sincerely held religious principles result in bondage". This fourth point refers to all those forces who force, for example, doctors to choose between practicing abortions or losing their job. In Elder Cook's words:

 "The Church is a relatively small minority even when linked with people who are like-minded. It will be hard to change society at large, but we must work to improve the moral culture that surrounds us."

This doesn't mean that everyone should become a Mormon (although that would help, if they chose to!), but we still have a responsibility to make the environment in which we live better.

Elder Cook leaves us with a challenge: "Our challenge is to avoid bondage of any kind, help the Lord gather His elect, and sacrifice for the rising generation. We must always remember that we do not save ourselves. We are liberated by the love, grace, and atoning sacrifice of the Savior." 

What are we going to do to rise to this challenge from a modern-day apostle?

Bye for now :)

-Ottavio

  

"The moral force of women" by Elder D. Todd Christofferson

Hello there!

Since a lot of my readers are women, I decided I would dedicate this weeks post to them. During last General Conference several talks were on the subject of women and the great contribution to society and the Church. The one I chose is by Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: "The moral force of women". It won't hurt us men to remember the great role our mothers, grandmothers and female teachers have played in our life!

It's true, sometimes the power women have goes unnoticed and this causes some unhappiness among our sisters. Elder Christofferson suggests that: "Perhaps, because it is pervasive, this contribution of women is often underappreciated". Pioneers stories are full of examples of faithful women who kept their faith and managed to go through unthinkable ordeals. Elder Christofferson relates the story of Anna Daines:

"Anna and her husband, Henry, and their four children were among the pioneers of the Church in New Jersey, in the United States. Beginning in the 1930s, when Henry was a doctoral student at Rutgers University, he and Anna worked tirelessly with school and civic organizations in Metuchen, where they lived, to overcome deeply rooted prejudice against Mormons and to make the community a better place for all parents to raise their children. Anna, for example, volunteered at the Metuchen YMCA and made herself indispensable. Within a year she was appointed president of the Mothers’ Auxiliary and then “was asked to run for one of the three women’s positions on the YMCA board of directors. She won without opposition, and so joined the very council that only a few years before had refused to let the Saints meet in their building."

Anna's faith overcame the thick barrier of prejudice against the Mormon community in this small village in New Jersey.  

But the real moral stronghold of society is the home, where future leaders and future parents are raised and taught. And who's the moral head of the family? 

"A woman’s moral influence is nowhere more powerfully felt or more beneficially employed than in the home. There is no better setting for rearing the rising generation than the traditional family, where a father and a mother work in harmony to provide for, teach, and nurture their children."

To avoid misinterpretations, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is aware that an increasing number of families is drifting away from the model of the "traditional family". Many members -- for many reasons -- are single parents. Church leaders have repeatedly saluted these single mothers and fathers for their efforts. Still, in Elder Christofferson's words, "where this ideal [ie. mother, father, and children] does not exist, people strive to duplicate its benefits as best they can in their particular circumstances". There is unparalleled power in the family; simply because that's God's way. I have a strong testimony of that. I was born and raised in a "traditional" family and I have seen the benefits of it. My father has always been my role model, my best example of a righteous man. When I look for a wife, I won't settle for anything below the high standards of morality and ethics lived by my mother. It's not even a matter of religion. My parents are not LDS. But, again, family is the Lord's way of organizing society and there is power in it. 

    My "traditional" family

Elder Christofferson recognized the moral power of any women, regarding her circumstances: 

"Whether you are single or married, whether you have borne children or not, whether you are old, young, or in between, your moral authority is vital, and perhaps we have begun to take it and you for granted. Certainly there are trends and forces at work that would weaken and even eliminate your influence, to the great detriment of individuals, families, and society at large."

 Three major trends against the moral authority of women are listed by the apostle:

1) "the devaluation of marriage and of motherhood and homemaking as a career";

2) "attitudes toward human sexuality";

3) "those who, in the name of equality, want to erase all differences between the masculine and the feminine".

I realize Elder Christofferson (probably because of his wonderful career in the law profession) likes to use some fancy words, which I would like to break down into everyday language for the sake of our understanding -- mainly mine!

Point 1) is very well explained by Elder Christofferson in this brief video clip.

Point 2) warns against abortion for personal or social conviction, which "strikes at the heart of a woman’s most sacred powers and destroys her moral authority", and "sexual immorality and [...] revealing dress that not only debases women but reinforces the lie that a woman’s sexuality is what defines her worth." This is not bigotry. Asking for morality is not bigotry and should not sound like asking for a past that could never possibly come back. Women were once expected to live by high standards of morality and men were allowed pretty much anything ("the unfairness of such a double standard is obvious, and it has been justifiably criticized and rejected" noted Elder Christofferson). That double-standard has now turned upside down, and women are encouraged to be as immoral, uncommitted, and incautious as possible in their relations. The results? "Fatherless families and growing poverty." And men are "liberated" from all responsibilities. In a nutshell, allowing our daughter to go around with the latest low-cut tank top only contributes to the reinforcing of this wrong mindset by which women are just another nice toy. 

Point 3) refers to those persistent voices that entice women to be "more aggressive, tough, and confrontational". This is simply wrong. Just because men have spent the past centuries warring with one another, it doesn't mean that's right or praiseworthy in any way! Elder Christofferson adds: "In blurring feminine and masculine differences, we lose the distinct, complementary gifts of women and men that together produce a greater whole."

In concluding his talk, Elder Christofferson invites all women to cultivate the most meaningful relationship that could ever exist: that with God, our Heavenly Father. And to exercise that influence for good "without fear or apology". 

There's also something for all men:

"Let no one willfully misunderstand. By praising and encouraging the moral force in women, I am not saying that men and boys are somehow excused from their own duty to stand for truth and righteousness, that their responsibility to serve, sacrifice, and minister is somehow less than that of women or can be left to women. Brethren, let us stand with women, share their burdens, and cultivate our own companion moral authority."

I realize this is kind of a hot topic and I was a bit hesitant as to whether I should make a post about it or not, but I figured that this is what the Lord has spoken through one of His duly ordained apostles and, as Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans of his days: "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth". 

Missionary hugs to all of you! 
Bye for now.

-Ottavio

 

"Converted unto the Lord" by Elder David A. Bednar

Hello everyone! 

First of all I need to say how awesome General Conference was this last weekend. If you missed it... then you missed out! But that's okay, because you can find everything (talks, music and all the nice stuff) HERE! 

This week we talk about the link between testimony and conversion. The talk I'm going to use was given by Elder Bednar at the Sunday Afternoon Session of the October 2012 General Conference -- "Converted unto the Lord". 

Elder Bednar dives into the topic quite quickly by relating two events in the New Testament:

(a) "He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 16:15-17)

(b) "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren." (Luke 22:31-32; italics added)

In the first passage Peter bears his testimony of the Christ (he acknowledges Jesus as the Son of God); in the second one, Christ is addressing Peter referring to his conversion as something yet to happen. 

These are Elder Bednar's words:

"Interestingly, this mighty Apostle had talked and walked with the Master, had witnessed many miracles, and had a strong testimony of the Savior’s divinity. Yet even Peter needed additional instruction from Jesus about the converting and sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost and his obligation to serve faithfully."

When thus analyzed, it's clear to see how a testimony, a knowledge of truth didn't make Peter converted to it and neither will it make us. In Elder Bednar's words: "Conversion is an offering of self, of love, and of loyalty we give to God in gratitude for the gift of testimony."

The Book of Mormon is full of accounts of people who were truly converted. Elder Bednar mentions a few: the people of King Benjamin and the Lamanites converted by the sons of Mosiah. What do these converts have in common? Elder Bednar uses the 5 points given by the prophet Samuel in the book of Mormon to define what it takes to become converted:

1) Believing in the teachings and prophecies of the holy prophets as they are reported in the scriptures; 2) Exercising faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; 3) Repenting; 4) Experiencing a mighty change of heart; 5) Becoming "firm and steadfast in the faith"  

The process of conversion is the process of a lifetime. From my (yes, small and yes, still brief) experience, you are never converted enough. Since Jesus Christ is our example, and the kind of life He lived our goal, we are never quite as Christlike as we know we should be.

In conclusion, Elder Bednar uses the parable of the virgins to show the strong relationship between testimony and conversion. These are his words:

"Ten virgins, five who were wise and five who were foolish, took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Please think of the lamps used by the virgins as the lamps of testimony. The foolish virgins took their lamps of testimony but took no oil with them. Consider the oil to be the oil of conversion."

 When the bridegroom came, the foolish virgins asked the wise ones if they could borrow some of their oil. The five wise virgins refused to lend them their oil and said: "Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves." Elder Bednar goes on explaining: 

"Were the five wise virgins selfish and unwilling to share, or were they indicating correctly that the oil of conversion cannot be borrowed? [...] As the wise virgins emphasized properly, each of us must “buy for ourselves.” These inspired women were not describing a business transaction; rather, they were emphasizing our individual responsibility to keep our lamp of testimony burning and to obtain an ample supply of the oil of conversion." 

To "buy" that precious "oil of conversion" Elder Bednar suggests that we -- for example -- obey the commandments and study the scriptures, thus experiencing the peace the gospel can bring in our life. As a missionary, I see everyday how it's not possible to give the joy and peace that come from living the gospel to someone else. As much as I would like everyone I meet and talk with to experience the blessings of the gospel, I can't do for them what only they can do for themselves. We can't be converted for others, although we can sure help others in their journey to conversion.

This quote sums up the meaning of this address:

Testimony is an excellent starting point. Becoming more and more converted to the Lord should be our goal everyday. Let's do it :)

Thanks for reading my blog. You're so many I could have never imagined!

Bye for now.
-Ottavio

  

  

"The hope of God's light" by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

This week I'm going to introduce you to one of my favorite people on earth: President Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Last April his General Conference talk was titled "The hope of God's light" (when the title alone makes you feel better, I would add!).

This talk is all about faith, hope, charity, and the light at the end of the tunnel. 

"Entrance to enlightenment" by LDS artist Johan Benthin 

President Uchtdorf compares the light and darkness in this painting to what we experience in life. He notices that the light coming through the door only illuminates part of the room. Interesting metaphor of how we sometimes have to go through life one step at a time, since the Lord teaches us "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (Isaiah 28:13; 2 Nephi 28:30).

The story of Jane is very inspiring. Jane suffered from physical and emotional abused since she was 3 years old. Over time, she learned to stop feeling and her life was lived in wait of its end. 

 "Then, at age 18, Jane discovered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The joy and hope of the restored gospel penetrated her heart, and she accepted the invitation to be baptized. For the first time, light entered her life, and she saw a bright path before her. She left the darkness of her world and decided to attend school a great distance away from her abuser. At last she felt liberated from an environment of darkness and evil—free to enjoy the Savior’s sweet peace and miraculous healing."

I would like to stop and contemplate for a moment the miracle of Jane's conversion. President Uchtdorf doesn't tell us how she find the church but -- whether it was through dedicated missionaries or dedicated member missionaries -- a modern-day miracle took place in Jane's life. Her story is one of the many testimonies about the healing power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our power -- as members of His church -- to serve (and save) others as we share that gospel!

Later in her life, Jane's past came back. Her abuser had died and she had to decide whether she would give him the final victory by holding to the pain he had inflicted her, or she would forgive and spend her life making others' better. This was Jane's choice and now, as a schoolteacher, "her love has influenced the lives of hundreds of children, helping them to know that they have worth, that they are important. She has become a tireless defender of the weak, the victimized, and the discouraged. She builds, strengthens, and inspires everyone around her."

A few weeks back I was reading this very talk and I felt inspired to create this: 

The words are taken from this talk. In this picture there's a man looking down a cliff. That cliff can be any difficult situation me might be in. The sky is cloudy but there's some light coming through the clouds. In a nutshell, the bottom line is that we can't expect someone else to switch the light on for us. Not even God. We have to show our courage, prove our, faith, figuratively jump off the cliff of our fears knowing that God will catch us, that He will make the fall soft for us. And throughout it all, we will have learned faith, courage, the love of God and tons more.

"So how do we open our eyes to the hope of God’s light?" These are President Uchtdorf's 3 steps:

1. Start where you are ("We don’t have to wait to cross the finish line to receive God’s blessings.")
2. Turn your heart toward the Lord ("Lift up your soul in prayer and explain to your Heavenly Father what you are feeling.")
3. Walk in the light ("[God] does not wish to break your spirit. On the contrary, He desires that you rise up and become the person you were designed to be.")

"To all who feel they walk in darkness, I invite you to rely on this certain promise spoken by the Savior of mankind: 'I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.'” taught President Uchtdorf

I invite you all to read about the amazing story of the saints in Africa which President Uchtdorf relates at the end of this talk. Those saints are the living personification of light, and a living testimony that light can and does prevail over darkness when when we allow it to!

Let us all come to the Light of Christ. I have seen His light work miracle in my life and in the lives of many people around me. 

Bye for now!

-Ottavio