Filled With Charity

There are three prophets in the Book of Mormon who spoke about charity, and all of them had people in their lives who were very difficult to love. The first was Nephi, and he wrote this: “Behold, the Lord hath forbidden this thing; wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. Wherefore, if they should have charity they would not suffer the laborer in Zion to perish” (2 Nephi 26:30). He surely must have struggled at times to feel charity for Laman and Lemuel who persecuted him, but I believe that he did indeed love his brothers. He also wrote, “I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat. I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came. I also have charity for the Gentiles. But behold, for none of these can I hope except they shall be reconciled unto Christ, and enter into the narrow gate, and walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation” (2 Nephi 33:7-9). By the end of his life he had charity for all men, including his people and the Lamanites. He even called them “my beloved brethren,” and because of his love for them he suffered greatly due to their wickedness.

               Mormon was a second prophet who showed incredible charity despite having to love people who must have been very difficult to love. He taught his people, “If a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.” He further elaborated, “And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. 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; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him” (Moroni 7:44-47). It is amazing that he could be thinking about charity when there was so much evil and hatred around him. He also spoke about little children in these words, “And I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children are alike unto me; wherefore, I love little children with a perfect love; and they are all alike and partakers of salvation” (Moroni 8:17). That is what we should strive for in our lives: to be filled with charity. Despite the violence of the world around him, Mormon focused his heart on charity.

               Mormon’s son Moroni also wrote about charity. He prayed to the Lord: “And now I know that this love which thou hast had for the children of men is charity; wherefore, except men shall have charity they cannot inherit that place which thou hast prepared in the mansions of thy Father. Wherefore, I know by this thing which thou hast said, that if the Gentiles have not charity, because of our weakness, that thou wilt prove them, and take away their talent, yea, even that which they have received, and give unto them who shall have more abundantly.” He understood not just the need for us to individually develop charity, but that the Savior was the perfect example of charity. He also prayed, “And it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord that he would give unto the Gentiles grace, that they might have charity. And it came to pass that the Lord said unto me: If they have not charity it mattereth not unto thee, thou hast been faithful” (Ether 12:34-37). He hoped for all to be able to develop charity, but he also knew that if others didn’t, he still could. In the final chapter of the Book of Mormon he encouraged us in these words: “And except ye have charity ye can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God; neither can ye be saved in the kingdom of God if ye have not faith; neither can ye if ye have no hope” (Moroni 10:20-21). Even though, like his father, he lived amongst a terribly wicked people, he still recognized the need for charity and encouraged us in some of his final words to seek after this spiritual gift.    

               These three prophets help us see the need to develop charity, even when those around us are very difficult to love. Surely Mormon did what he encouraged us to do in order to be filled with love for even the most wicked: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:48). We need to pray with all our hearts to be filled with the pure love of Christ.