The Veil of Forgetfulness

Yesterday I was reminded of the beloved French Latter-day Saint hymn Souviens-toi. The music is from Dvorak’s incredible New World Symphony and the words are those of a mother to a newborn child and speak of the pre-mortal existence. The first verse has these words: 

Souviens-toi, mon enfant: Tes parents divins

Te serraient dans leurs bras, ce temps n’est pas loin.

Aujourd’hui, tu es là, présent merveilleux,

Ton regard brille encore du reflet des cieux.

Parle-moi, mon enfant, de ces lieux bénis

Car pour toi est léger le voile d’oubli. 

Here is my translation: 

Remember, my child, your heavenly parents

Held you in their arms, the time was not long ago.

Today, you are here, marvelous present,

Your face still shines with the reflection of heaven.

Speak to me, my child, of that blessed place

For you the veil of forgetfulness is thin. 

I used to have all three verses memorized and I would sing them to my children when they were young. They are too old for that now, and unfortunately it seems that the older they get the thicker that veil of forgetfulness becomes. The other day somehow the premortal world came up in a conversation with my kids and my eight-year-old said something like this to another sibling matter-of-factly, “You can’t remember that. Jesus made you forget everything!” The more immediate the demands of day-to-day life are, the less we seem inclined to spiritual inclinations and that forgetting becomes complete.

               So why can’t we remember what happened to us in the world before this life? Brigham Young said this, “It has also been decreed by the Almighty that spirits, upon taking bodies, shall forget all they had known previously, or they could not have a day of trial—could not have an opportunity for proving themselves in darkness and temptation, in unbelief and wickedness, to prove themselves worthy of eternal existence. The greatest gift that God can bestow upon the children of men is the gift of eternal life; that is, to give mankind power to preserve their identity—to preserve themselves before the Lord.” President Monson put it this way: “How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness on our previous existence, so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves and qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive.” Elder Richard G. Scott likewise said this: “Your memory of premortal life would be kept from you to ensure that it would be a valid test, but there would be guidance given to show you how to live.” In that premortal realm the Father declared, “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them” (Abraham 3:25). Somehow a clear memory of that life before this one would prevent us from truly showing the faith and obedience that we need to exhibit to pass the test the Father has prepared.  

And yet, we do believe that one day we will fully remember, and in this life we can gain glimpses through the Holy Ghost of our life before this one. President Joseph F. Smith taught: “By the power of the Spirit, in the redemption of Christ, through obedience, we often catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul, which lights up our whole being as with the glory of our former home.” The Savior taught at the Last Supper to His disciples, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you” (John 14:26). Perhaps part of “all things” that the Savior has said unto us includes what may have been said in the premortal world that the Holy Ghost can one day bring to our remembrance. Elder Maxwell suggested that indeed all that happened in the premortal realm will one day be remembered: “Among the ‘all things [that] shall be restored’ (Alma 40:23) will be memory, including, eventually, our premortal memories.” It certainly seems like it would be very motivating now to remember that life there, but we can trust in the heavenly Parents who once held us in their arms and know that, as the final verse of Souviens-toi says, “with joy we chose to accept the Lord’s great plan of life.” And so, for now, we must strive to live according to that great plan, with faith in Jesus Christ, so that we can one day return to Them there.