I want to begin today by telling you about a real treat that is coming next month. My dear friend Yvonne Bent, who is a fantastic gospel scholar, is holding an event that many of you may want to attend. The title of the event is “About Sacred Geometry” and will be held October 14 and 15th at the Springville Museum of Art. Yvonne’s description reads “See distinct spiritual connections with science and the universe. Decipher the treasures you’ve seen all your life, but haven’t known how to unravel their mysteries. Understand the secrets known by Da Vinci, Euclid, Abraham, and Joseph.” Please go to www.aboutsacredgeometry.com for details.
The following ideas may seem rather dull to many of you but they are something that have been on my mind quite a bit lately. While in the temple a few months ago a friend asked me if I knew anything about the order of prayer. I had to admit that I knew nothing, however, I promised to find out what I could. After several weeks of studying, pondering, and praying, I feel I am beginning to understand a little. It is not my intention to disclose much on that topic in this setting, but I would like to discuss a few of my thoughts as I pondered this topic. Many of my thoughts contemplated what is meant by the word “order.”
It is really quite remarkable how many definitions there are for the word order. The dictionary has more than twenty. Please bear with me as I share a few of them as how they were are used in our daily speech.
1.I arranged them in order.
2.a. I checked to see that the shipping department was in order.
b. The escalator is in good working order.
3. a. The revolution overcame the old order
b. The police finally restored order.
4. A prescribed form or customary procedure: the order of worship
5. An authoritative indication to be obeyed: The Sargent ordered his men, or the Sargent received his orders.
6. A sales order.
7. A request of a customer at a restaurant.
8. A grade of the Christian ministry: the order of the priesthood.
9. A group living under religious rule: The Order of Saint Benedict
10. An organization of people united by a common fraternal bond or social aim: The United Order
11. A group of people upon whom a government or sovereign has formally conferred honor for unusual service or merit: the Fraternal Order of the Police
12. Degree of quality or importance; rank: poetry of a high order.
13. To give an order or orders; request that something be done or supplied.
Idioms:
in order that
So that.
in order to
For the purpose of.
in short order
With no delay; quickly.
on order
Requested but not yet delivered.
To Order
According to the buyer's specifications.
This list isn’t even complete and I am tired just thinking about it!
What does the Lord mean when using the word order? Consider the following:
2 And those priests were ordained after the order of his Son, in a manner that thereby the people might know in what manner to look forward to his Son for redemption. Alma 13:2
3 Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God.
4 But out of respect or reverence to the name of the Supreme Being, to avoid the too frequent repetition of his name, they, the church, in ancient days, called that priesthood after Melchizedek, or the Melchizedek Priesthood. D&C 107: 3-4
57 And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son. D&C 76:57
4 And thou shalt bring in the table, and set in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof. Exodus 40:4
2 And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage]; D&C 131:2
16 Now these ordinances were given after this manner, that thereby the people might look forward on the Son of God, it being a type of his order, or it being his order, and this that they might look forward to him for a remission of their sins, that they might enter into the rest of the Lord. Alma 13:16
7 And the Gods ordered the expanse, so that it divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so, even as they ordered.
It seems to be clear from these examples that the Lord uses all of the many definitions throughout the scriptures.
It appears that the definition above that best describes the order of prayer is number 4: A prescribed form or customary procedure: the order of worship. I’m not going to pretend that I know, however, that this is the intended definition.
Similarly I ask myself the meaning of the word order when used in the proper name of the Melchizedek Priesthood as found in D&C 107:3 Before his day it was called the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God. Once again, I will not pretend to know the answer, I am simply asking questions that may be significant in our personal gospel study.
My prayers are with each of you as you study the scriptures. I pray that you will find great joy in them as I have. I often feel like running to the room where I study the scriptures in the morning as I anticipate what will be revealed to me that day. I hope you can feel likewise.
God Bless
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Unexpected
I am writing this post today from the heart of Kolkata (Calcutta), India. It’s about three in the afternoon and it is hot and rainy. Ann, my two sons Joe and Matt, and I are here working for an organization that educates the children of the slums. It has been a life changing experience for all of us.
The reason I am taking the time to write a post at this time is because I had an incredibly moving experience this morning... one that I didn’t expect. I feel a need to share my experience before it fades in my memory. I want to credit my good friend and travel partner Rand Snyderman for his insights on this topic.
Several days ago we had the opportunity of visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World... the Taj Mahal. I have to admit it was very spectacular and wonderful. As you well know, it was built as a mausoleum for the third wife of famous king. The king himself is also buried in this monumental setting. Despite the majority of India practicing the Hindu faith, this monument is Muslim and considered a holy site. As I visited this fascinating place, I felt nothing.
In stark contrast, this morning I visited the home of Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity. This is the place that Mother Teresa lived during the last 2 or 3 decades of her life, and the place she is now buried. As I entered I immediately felt the Spirit. I knew it was a very different place from others I have been. It wasn’t the same as the temple, but it was indeed a sacred place. As I climbed the humble stairs that led to her meager sleeping quarters, with a small cot, and a small desk, in a 6’ X 8’ room, my heart was touched and I wept.
I walked through a very small museum with a timeline of her life. It quoted many of her famous sayings and shared her thoughts as she dedicated more and more of herself to the Savior by dedicating her life to the poor. I will quote from the text of the timeline.
“It was on the 10th of September in 1946, Mother Teresa was thirty six years old. She was on a train on her way to Darjeeling to make her yearly retreat, where she would spend eight days in silence, praying to God. On that train she experienced Jesus speaking to her. He was asking her to give up everything, even Loreto (the convent where she had been living and serving), and follow Him into the slums, to serve Him in the people who had nothing or no one and who were suffering so much - the poorest of the poor. Jesus was thirsting to love and be loved by them. It was a new vocation, a call within a call. Mother Teresa knew that it was God who was asking this of her and that it was to be his work. Still, she was afraid - she didn’t know how she could do what Jesus wanted but at the same time, she didn’t want to say no to him.”
“For more than six months Mother Teresa kept hearing Jesus speak to her. He told her “My little one - come, come, carry Me into the holes of the poor. Come, be my light, I cannot go alone- they don’t know Me- so they don’t want Me. Once she saw a vision: she saw many very poor people and children calling out to her: “Come, come, save us - bring us to Jesus.”
A small plaque rests on top of her grave that reads “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12
Mother Teresa suffered many hardships throughout her life. She suffered from many illnesses that were prevalent among the poor with whom she was serving. However, not until her death were her innermost thoughts shared through her personal journal. I quote once again fro the museum.
“There was something , however, that the sisters and the people never knew about Mother Teresa. They knew about the pain in her body but they never knew about the pain terrible pain she had in her soul. She loved God with her whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and she used to feel God’s great love for her. Then everything changed for her. As soon as she began to work among the poor, she didn’t feel that God was close to her anymore, even though she continued to love God as much as before. For many years she felt that God had abandoned her, that He didn’t want her, even that He didn’t love her at all. But He of course did. God was hiding His presence from her. He was letting her share how He felt when He was dying on the cross and how many of the poor people feel- lonely, unwanted and unloved. She understood the poor so well because she experienced the same rejection and loneliness as they did. Mother Teresa did not act on her feelings but kept on praying, loving, and serving God. Her smile smile kept anyone from guessing what she was feeling inside.”
For the past several days we have been working among these same poor. It has been life changing. However, we have done it from the relative comfort of a school. Although hot and poorly ventilated, it has been relatively clean. Each night we have gone home to a hot meal and hot shower. Never have we worked in the squalor of the slums. My heart has been touched by Mother Teresa.
At times when we feel abandoned by the Lord, or feel that he is not responding to our pleas, do we consider that He is teaching us an important lesson? Can we learn to love others as Mother Teresa did, and keep a smile throughout our trials?
On a personal note, I have recently been prompted by the Lord to do something that I consider very difficult. I have wondered how I could possibly do what he is asking me to do. After learning more about Mother Teresa today and feeling of her goodness and devotion, I feel encouraged that I too can do difficult things.
The reason I am taking the time to write a post at this time is because I had an incredibly moving experience this morning... one that I didn’t expect. I feel a need to share my experience before it fades in my memory. I want to credit my good friend and travel partner Rand Snyderman for his insights on this topic.
Several days ago we had the opportunity of visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World... the Taj Mahal. I have to admit it was very spectacular and wonderful. As you well know, it was built as a mausoleum for the third wife of famous king. The king himself is also buried in this monumental setting. Despite the majority of India practicing the Hindu faith, this monument is Muslim and considered a holy site. As I visited this fascinating place, I felt nothing.
In stark contrast, this morning I visited the home of Mother Teresa, Missionaries of Charity. This is the place that Mother Teresa lived during the last 2 or 3 decades of her life, and the place she is now buried. As I entered I immediately felt the Spirit. I knew it was a very different place from others I have been. It wasn’t the same as the temple, but it was indeed a sacred place. As I climbed the humble stairs that led to her meager sleeping quarters, with a small cot, and a small desk, in a 6’ X 8’ room, my heart was touched and I wept.
I walked through a very small museum with a timeline of her life. It quoted many of her famous sayings and shared her thoughts as she dedicated more and more of herself to the Savior by dedicating her life to the poor. I will quote from the text of the timeline.
“It was on the 10th of September in 1946, Mother Teresa was thirty six years old. She was on a train on her way to Darjeeling to make her yearly retreat, where she would spend eight days in silence, praying to God. On that train she experienced Jesus speaking to her. He was asking her to give up everything, even Loreto (the convent where she had been living and serving), and follow Him into the slums, to serve Him in the people who had nothing or no one and who were suffering so much - the poorest of the poor. Jesus was thirsting to love and be loved by them. It was a new vocation, a call within a call. Mother Teresa knew that it was God who was asking this of her and that it was to be his work. Still, she was afraid - she didn’t know how she could do what Jesus wanted but at the same time, she didn’t want to say no to him.”
“For more than six months Mother Teresa kept hearing Jesus speak to her. He told her “My little one - come, come, carry Me into the holes of the poor. Come, be my light, I cannot go alone- they don’t know Me- so they don’t want Me. Once she saw a vision: she saw many very poor people and children calling out to her: “Come, come, save us - bring us to Jesus.”
A small plaque rests on top of her grave that reads “Love one another as I have loved you.” John 15:12
Mother Teresa suffered many hardships throughout her life. She suffered from many illnesses that were prevalent among the poor with whom she was serving. However, not until her death were her innermost thoughts shared through her personal journal. I quote once again fro the museum.
“There was something , however, that the sisters and the people never knew about Mother Teresa. They knew about the pain in her body but they never knew about the pain terrible pain she had in her soul. She loved God with her whole heart, soul, mind, and strength, and she used to feel God’s great love for her. Then everything changed for her. As soon as she began to work among the poor, she didn’t feel that God was close to her anymore, even though she continued to love God as much as before. For many years she felt that God had abandoned her, that He didn’t want her, even that He didn’t love her at all. But He of course did. God was hiding His presence from her. He was letting her share how He felt when He was dying on the cross and how many of the poor people feel- lonely, unwanted and unloved. She understood the poor so well because she experienced the same rejection and loneliness as they did. Mother Teresa did not act on her feelings but kept on praying, loving, and serving God. Her smile smile kept anyone from guessing what she was feeling inside.”
For the past several days we have been working among these same poor. It has been life changing. However, we have done it from the relative comfort of a school. Although hot and poorly ventilated, it has been relatively clean. Each night we have gone home to a hot meal and hot shower. Never have we worked in the squalor of the slums. My heart has been touched by Mother Teresa.
At times when we feel abandoned by the Lord, or feel that he is not responding to our pleas, do we consider that He is teaching us an important lesson? Can we learn to love others as Mother Teresa did, and keep a smile throughout our trials?
On a personal note, I have recently been prompted by the Lord to do something that I consider very difficult. I have wondered how I could possibly do what he is asking me to do. After learning more about Mother Teresa today and feeling of her goodness and devotion, I feel encouraged that I too can do difficult things.
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