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| Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Howard W. Hunter Chapter 20: Walking the Savior's Path of Charity |
Charity is the pure love of Christ and
will not fail.
1. “A new commandment I give unto you,” [Jesus] said, “That
ye love one another; … By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if
ye have love one to another.” (John 13:34–35.) This love that we should have
for our brothers and sisters in the human family, and that Christ has for every
one of us, is called charity or “the pure love of Christ.” (Moro. 7:47.) It is
the love that prompted the suffering and sacrifice of Christ’s atonement. It is
the highest pinnacle the human soul can reach and the deepest expression of the
human heart. … Charity encompasses all other godly virtues.... It is the
greatest of all divine attributes.
2. The world in which we live would benefit greatly if men
and women everywhere would exercise the pure love of Christ, which is kind,
meek, and lowly. It is without envy or pride. It is selfless because it seeks
nothing in return. It does not countenance evil or ill will, nor rejoice in
iniquity; it has no place for bigotry, hatred, or violence. It refuses to
condone ridicule, vulgarity, abuse, or ostracism. It encourages diverse people
to live together in Christian love regardless of religious belief, race,
nationality, financial standing, education, or culture.
3. "The most cherished and sacred moments of our lives
are those filled with the spirit of love. The greater the measure of our love,
the greater is our joy. In the end, the development of such love is the true
measure of success in life.... When Jesus gave His disciples a new commandment
to “love one another; as I have loved you,” He gave to them the grand key to
happiness in this life and glory in the next. [Love] is the one trait that, if
developed, will most improve our lives" (Joseph B. Wirthlin, October 2007
General Conference).
Loving others is “a more excellent
way.”
4. In an important message to the Latter-day Saints in
Nauvoo just one year before his tragic and untimely martyrdom, the Prophet
Joseph Smith said: "... we must love others, even our enemies as well as
friends.” (History of the Church, 5:498–99.)
That is
magnificent counsel today, even as it was [then]. The world in which we live,
whether close to home or far away, needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. It
provides the only way the world will ever know peace. We need to be kinder with
one another, more gentle and forgiving. We need to be slower to anger and more
prompt to help. We need to extend the hand of friendship and resist the hand of
retribution. In short, we need to love one another with the pure love of
Christ, with genuine charity and compassion and, if necessary, shared
suffering, for that is the way God loves us.
As a young
man, Brother Vern Crowley said he learned something of the crucial lesson the
Prophet Joseph had taught the early Saints in Nauvoo when he told them to “love
others, even our enemies as well as friends.” This is a good lesson for each of
us.
After his
father became ill, Vern Crowley took responsibility for running the family
wrecking yard although he was only fifteen years of age. Some customers
occasionally took unfair advantage of the young man, and parts were
disappearing from the lot overnight. Vern was angry and vowed to catch someone
and make an example of him. Vengeance would be his.
Just after
his father had started to recover from his illness, Vern was making his rounds
of the yard one night at closing time. It was nearly dark. In a distant corner
of the property, he caught sight of someone carrying a large piece of machinery
toward the back fence. He ran like a champion athlete and caught the young
thief. His first thought was to take out his frustrations with his fists and
then drag the boy to the front office and call the police. His heart was full
of anger and vengeance. He had caught his thief, and he intended to get his
just dues.
Out of
nowhere, Vern’s father came along, put his weak and infirm hand on his son’s
shoulder, and said, “I see you’re a bit upset, Vern. Can I handle this?” He
then walked over to the young would-be thief and put his arm around his
shoulder, looked him in the eye for a moment, and said, “Son, tell me, why are
you doing this? Why were you trying to steal that transmission?” Then Mr.
Crowley started walking toward the office with his arm around the boy, asking
questions about the young man’s car problems as they walked. By the time they
had arrived at the office, the father said, “Well, I think your clutch is gone
and that’s causing your problem.”
In the
meantime, Vern was fuming. “Who cares about his clutch?” he thought. “Let’s
call the police and get this over with.” But his father just kept talking.
“Vern, get him a clutch. Get him a throwout bearing, too. And get him a
pressure plate. That should take care of it.” The father handed all of the
parts to the young man who had attempted robbery and said, “Take these. And
here’s the transmission, too. You don’t have to steal, young man. Just ask for
it. There’s a way out of every problem. People are willing to help.”
Brother
Vern Crowley said he learned an everlasting lesson in love that day. The young
man came back to the lot often. Voluntarily, month by month, he paid for all of
the parts Vic Crowley had given him, including the transmission. During those
visits, he asked Vern why his dad was the way he was and why he did what he
did. Vern told him something of their Latter-day Saint beliefs and how much his
father loved the Lord and loved people. Eventually the would-be thief was
baptized. Vern later said, “It’s hard now to describe the feelings I had and
what I went through in that experience. I, too, was young. I had caught my
crook. I was going to extract the utmost penalty. But my father taught me a
different way.”
A
different way? A better way? A higher way? A more excellent way? Oh, how the
world could benefit from such a magnificent lesson. As Moroni declares: “Wherefore,
whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world. … In the gift
of his Son hath God prepared a more excellent way.” (Ether 12:4, 11.)
Q What experiences have helped you learn that charity is
“a more excellent way”?
Q How can we replace feelings of anger, resentment, impatience, or
dismissiveness with feelings of charity?
We need to walk more resolutely the
path of charity that Jesus has shown.
5. [Jesus] said “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the
least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40). He will
measure our devotion to him by how we love and serve our fellowmen.
6. An old axiom states that a man “all wrapped up in himself
makes a small bundle.” Love has a certain way of making a small bundle large.
The key is to love our neighbor, including the neighbor that is difficult to
love. We need to remember that though we make our friends, God has made our
neighbors—everywhere. Love should have no boundary; we should have no narrow
loyalties. Christ said, “For if ye love them which love you, what reward have
ye? do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:46).
7. In our worship services, we often sing a lovely hymn with
text written by Susan Evans McCloud. May I recall a few lines of that hymn for
you?
Savior,
may I learn to love thee,
Walk the
path that thou hast shown,
Pause to
help and lift another,
Finding
strength beyond my own. …
Who am I
to judge another
When I
walk imperfectly?
In the
quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow
that the eye can’t see. …
I would be
my brother’s keeper;
I would
learn the healer’s art.
To the
wounded and the weary
I would
show a gentle heart.
I would be
my brother’s keeper—
Lord, I
would follow thee.
(Hymns,
1985, no. 220.)
8. We need to walk more resolutely and more charitably the
path that Jesus has shown. We need to “pause to help and lift another” and
surely we will find “strength beyond [our] own.” If we would do more to learn
“the healer’s art,” there would be untold chances to use it, to touch the
“wounded and the weary” and show to all “a gentle[r] heart.” Yes, Lord, we
should follow thee.
Q How can we better recognize the opportunities we have to
be more loving?
Q How can we develop greater love for others?
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