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Elder Hales, love, and hope

Elder Hales, love, and hope

Last updated on: October 7, 2017 at 12:10 pm by Dan Peterson

Elder Hales, love, and hope 2017-10-07T12:10:41-06:00 Dan Peterson

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We had dinner the other evening at a favorite place on the Provo River, just below Deer Creek Reservoir. They’re not letting much water out right now, so the river level was very low. But it was still quite pleasant. (Photograph from my wife’s iPhone)

I was able to listen to much of the funeral service yesterday for Elder Robert D. Hales, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. One of the moments that impressed me came when President Henry Eyring cited the words of the prophet Mormon, from Moroni 7:

46 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—

47 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.

48 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.

For some reason, this passage really struck me yesterday. There are some people — my wife is one of them — who are, by nature, caring and loving. While I’m very far from the mean-spirited, perpetually angry, and heartless monster that some of my more unhinged critics have carefully sought to depict over the past decade or two, I don’t consider myself among those who are naturally gifted with love. It comforts me, though, and it inspires me, to remember that love, or a loving character, is a spiritual gift that can be sought, prayed for, and cultivated.

It’s scarcely coincidental that Paul’s famous discussion of — or hymn to — charity or love in 1 Corinthians 13 occurs squarely in the middle of a longer treatment of spiritual gifts more generally. That discussion begins in 1 Corinthians 12 and continues through chapters 13 and 14. The chapter divisions come much later, and are somewhat artificial.

***

If you too listened, did you catch President Eyring’s brief allusion to what seems to have been a near-death experience on the part of Elder Hales?

“Elder Hales’s Incredible Message After a Near-Death Experience + Other Powerful Memories Shared by Church Leaders at His Funeral”

***

I absolutely love this touching story, told about Elder Hales and a young friend of his by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Twelve, and there’s a good chance that you’ll love it, too::

“The Kindness of Elder Robert D. Hales (The Story of Tie Buddies)”

***

Changing subjects just slightly, here’s the conversion story of the second counselor in the General Young Women’s presidency of the Church:

“How One Humbling Question Led Sister Neill Marriott to Join the Church”

***

Why are the Brethren so concerned about the issue of religious liberty? Here’s an illustration of one of the reasons, from the site For Religious Freedom:

“The Mormon Temple That Was Never Built: Religious Freedom: What’s All the Fuss About?”

***

Finally, an inconceivably painful and horrifying story about a Latter-day Saint family from the Washington Post:

“Three goodbyes in three days: Why these parents watched their children die at home”

I know people who like to talk about the irrelevance of faith, and about how what’s really important is that we live in the Now (as if faithful people can’t or don’t do that). But surely, in a story such as this one of the Chappell family, even those who don’t believe should be able to recognize or at least to imagine the hope that faith can give.

Posted from Park City, Utah

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