Recently I took a moment to read “The Living Christ” a proclamation to the world from the Twelve Apostles and First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I didn’t get far.  The passage below stopped me in my tracks and left me with the thoughts in the following article. 

Speaking of Jesus Christ: “Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness.  He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it.  His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill.  He entreated all to follow His example.  He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead.  He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.”

FULLING ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS

• Jesus Christ was baptized to fulfill all righteousness.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, fulfilling all righteousness would be our active participation in all the ordinances of the Gospel, including those of the Temple.

DOING GOOD

• Jesus went about doing good and was despised for it.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, doing good includes the huge number of hours and millions of dollars spent each year in serving others through humanitarian outreach. Most of the time it is appreciated by those who directly benefit.

One example of this is the gentleman I met while attending a political gathering in the Columbia Basin area of Washington State. The religious affiliation of attendees was asked about during the meeting and I was the only member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later, this quiet soft-spoken older gentleman came up to me and said he would like to thank the Church through me for the food baskets they had contributed to the Salvation Army the previous winter. He said we were the only organization to help them provide meals to their people in need. Another man I knew happened to pass by while the first man and I were talking. The second man proclaimed that while the Mormons can be helpful, he personally thought their doctrine was bad. Neither the first man nor I made any response, as he walked away. The first man just shrugged his shoulders, puzzled at the outburst, and went on talking about the food baskets. I did pass this on to the stake president so he would know the real world impact of the quiet donation of food baskets one winter in Washington State.  It is a valid principle that you may know the truth of people by the fruits they bear.

There are members, as well as those outside the Church, who “despise” the Church for having monetary resources to do such outreach, saying that we are not doing enough or are “hiding” income. Yet savings and investment are common sense practices for both individuals and organizations.  No one is becoming a millionaire through personal use of church funds.  Most people who receive a wage from church coffers consider it a stewardship to be handled wisely. 

Here is the church statement on one of these recent controversies.  Church Statement on SEC Settlement (churchofjesuschrist.org)

PEACE AND GOODWILL TO ALL MEN

• The true and everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ has always been about Peace and Goodwill to all.

At the birth of Jesus Christ, the blessing of Christ to the world was announced: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14, KJV).

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, He has asked us to follow him, and we should always seek the path of peace and goodwill as a sacred stewardship in all our dealings with Mankind, beasts, and Mother Earth.

WALKING THE ROADS OF PALESTINE

• Jesus Christ didn’t seek out extraordinary situations to display His power, instead He went about his daily life seeking to serve those he encountered along the way.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we don’t need to wait for organized service projects, though these are a great way to help others. It is through our daily natural encounters that we can help change the world one person at a time.  I have often had experiences where that is exactly what happened because I was in the right place, at the right time, and met the right person while going about my normal business.

HEALING THE SICK

When we hear this phrase, we often think in terms of physical illness, but there are many more types of illnesses. Our minds may be troubled, our spirits may have been damaged by abuse of all kinds, our hearts may be so heavy we feel like we are only dust to be blown away into nothingness by the next strong wind of woe.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we should try to be open to the possibility that behind sweet faces or poor behavior there may be a soul in pain, and we should open ourselves to the influence of the Holy Spirit in knowing what to say or where to lead others seeking help. Sometimes healing the sick can mean healing our own souls as well.

CAUSING THE BLIND TO SEE

The greatest blindness in the world today is not that of the damaged eye, it is that of the damaged soul.

Too many people have been blinded by deception, by the manipulation of others, by their own selfishness, by the lack of exposure to the truths of the Gospel. Missionary work, friendship, kindness, understanding, and quietly teaching consistent principles can open spiritual eyes and empower others to move forward in their spiritual journey.

RAISING THE DEAD

Physically, not one of us can actually raise the dead unless the Lord wills it and through His power.

We can, however, raise the dead through Family History research. When we passed through the veil into this mortal life, we lost our memory of our previous life. When we pass through the veil out of this mortal life, the memories others have of us fade into obscurity with each passing generation. Family History research brings the dead back to life by restoring and preserving as much of their lives, and our own lives, as possible.

Why is this important? Those living in the present cannot truly know who they are, why they are here, and where they are going, if they do not know where they have been and how they got where they are in their life. Many lessons of history have to be repeated because we no longer have generational memories of events, places, and persons who shaped not only our physical lives, but our spiritual, emotional, intellectual, creative lives as well. Genetic research is beginning to show how this is a very real process happening within our DNA. 

Recording and examining the lives of the dead raises them to the awareness of the living and allows the living to study lessons learned in the past in order to build a better future. One of my favorite movies exploring this theme is Disney’s “Coco”.  If we erase the past, good and bad, we erase the potential for a better future.

The history of the world is the history of the family of Man. Understanding our place in that family is essential to both the healing of individuals and to overcoming the blindness of cultural traditions which can enslave us.

ETERNAL TRUTHS and OUR PREMORTAL EXISTENCE

An eternal perspective on life – that life existed before mortality, that life exists now, that life will exist after mortality, is essential to happiness. Earth life is hard. Earth life has many choice, some good, some bad, some better, some worse. For members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the choice is often between what is good and what is celestial. We can help others heal from the wounds of life by teaching them eternal truths, “line upon line, precept upon precept”. And as God’s way is one Eternal Round, the more we help others heal, the more we are healed.

OUR PURPOSE and OUR POTENTIAL

In these times of confusion and chaos, of wars and rumors of wars, many of our brothers and sisters have lost their identity as sons and daughters of Heavenly Parents. Daily news reports show the results of this.  The ranks of the disillusioned and suffering grow each day.  It is time for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to be examples of the righteous principles of male and female, father and mother, sister and brother, husband and wife, parent and child, unabashedly and unashamed in their daily lives.

Becoming like Christ means to follow the path he set before us:  Stand firm, speak with a quiet strength, hold out the hand of the peacemaker without compromising that which we know in our hearts to be true. This is the path of healing ourselves and the world around us.  All the rhetoric of the world is nothing without the foundation of eternal principles and the example of Jesus Christ.

May your pathways be peaceful today!

Photo credit “Jesus Heals a Woman of Faith” http://www.churchofjesuschrist.org.