The Savior

D&C 87:77 And I give unto you a commandment that you shall ^ateach one another the ^bdoctrine of the kingdom.

78 Teach ye diligently and my ^agrace shall attend you, that you may be ^binstructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand;

 79 Of things both in ^aheaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must ^bshortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the ^cnations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a ^dknowledge also of countries and of kingdoms—

80 That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to ^amagnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the ^bmission with which I have commissioned you.

Lately I have been reading about the 14-15th century writers, particularly women writers, such as Julian of Norwich and Margery Kempe. 


To give a little background: “An anchorite or anchoress is a religious recluse confined to an enclosure, which he or she has vowed never to leave.  At the time of such an enclosing the burial service was performed, signifying that the enclosed person was dead to the world and that the enclosure corresponded to a grave.  The point of this confinement was, of course, to pursue more actively the contemplative or spiritual life” (Norton 311).

It struck me, as I was reading the literature how desirous these women were to follow Christ.  Unlike us, the didn’t have the fullness of the gospel, in fact they only had the Bible as their reference, and yet they were blest with many visions and many powerful experiences that increased their testimonies of the Savior.  I then thought about the history in between the medieval time period up to our faithful pioneers.  A powerful feeling came over me: Christ is the one person that has continued to exist throughout the ages.  His life has been known consistently since the beginning of time.  Oral traditions of peoples various cultural beliefs have changed, or even been lost, throughout the ages, and yet Christ’s story/gospel has always existed.  I also began to reflect on the realization that God loves every single person that was born into this world; they are his children—he wants to edify them, teach them, help them, love them— no matter their religion, no matter if they have the fullness of the gospel, no matter the mistakes they have made, no matter their status or station in life. 

Pondering these writings increased my personal testimony of the Savior.  I am so grateful for wonderful people, throughout the ages, whose writing has the ability to teach, move, and edify others.  I don’t think I have ever been so moved, till I read these excerpts about Christ’s understanding about our trials and the necessity of them; about his love for his mother Mary and her relationship to him; and about his love for every living soul—a love that fills the immensity of space.

I hope you can be edified by these passages as I have.

Julian of Norwich (speaking of the vision she was given about our trials and why we have to walk through hard times):

“And thus in my folly before this time often I wondered why, by the great foreseeing wisdom of God, the beginning of sin was not letted [saved].  For then thought me that all should have been well.  But Jesu that in this vision informed me of all that me needed answered by this word and said: ‘Sin is behovely [fitting].’  For we be all in part troubled, and we shall be troubled, following our master Jesu, till we be fully purged of our deadly [mortal] flesh which be not very good.  And with the beholding of this, with all the pains that ever were or ever shall be, I understood the passion of Christ for the most pain and overpassing [exceeding pain].  And for the tender love that our good Lord hath to all that shall be saved, he comforteth readily and sweetly, meaning thus: It is true that sin is cause of all this pain, but all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. Then were it great unkindess of me to blame or wonder on God of my sin, since he blameth not me for sin.  In which knowing we shall verily see the cause why he suffered sin to come, in which sight we shall endlessly have joy” (Norton 377). 

Excerpt from another vision she had regarding travail:

“And yet after this he suffereth some of us to fall more hard and more grieveously than ever we did before, as us thinketh.  And then suppose that all were nought that we have begun.  But it is not so, for it needeth us to fall, and it neededth us to see it; for if we fell not, we should not know how feeble and how wretched we be of ourself, nor also we should not so fulsomely know the marvelous love of our maker.  For we shall verily see in heaven without end that we have grieveiously sinned in this life; notwithstanding this we shall verily see that we are never hurt in his love, nor we were never the less price in his sight.  And by the assay of this falling we shall have an high and a marvelous knowing of love in God without end” (Norton 381).

Prior Julian describes a concept, unfamiliar to us, of the Savior being our Mother as well as our father, which I won’t explain here, but it is a fascinating concept.  And then she says the following:

“The mother (our earthly mother) may suffer the child to fall sometime and be diseased [unhappy] in diverse manner of peril come to her child for love.  And though our earthly mother may suffer her child to perish, our heavenly mother Jesu may never suffer that be his children perish, for he is all mighty, all wisdom, and all love, and so is none but he, blessed mote he be.  But oft times when our falling and our wretchedness is showed to us, we be so sore adread and so greatly ashamed of ourself and scarcely we wit where that we may hold us.  But then will not our courteous mother that we flee away, for him were nothing more hateful to him; for then he will that we use the condition of a child.  For when it is diseased and afeared, it runneth hastily to the mother; and if it may do no more, it crieth on the mother for help with all the might.  So will he that we do as the meek child, saying thus: ‘My kind mother, my gracious mother, my dearworthy mother, have mercy on me.  I have made myself foul and unlike to thee, and I may not nor can amend it but with thine help and grace.’

*“The blessed wounds of our savior be open and rejoice to heal us.  The sweet gracious hands of our mother be ready and diligent about us; for he in all this working useth the very office of a kind nurse that hath not else to do but to be busy about the salvation of her child.  It is his office to save us, it is his worship to do it, and it is his will we know it; for he will we love him sweetly and trust in him meekly and mightily.  And this showed he in these gracious words: ‘I keep thee surely.’

Julian speaking about the love of God:

First she had a vision of a hazlenut lying in the palm of her hand (representing the world).  She says of this vision: “And I was answered in my understanding: It lasteth and ever shall, for God loveth it; and so hath all things being by the love of God. In this little thing I saw three properities.  The first is that God made it, the second that God loveth it, the third that God keepeth (or looks after) it.  But what beheld I therein? Verily, the maker, the keeper, the lover.  For till I am substantially united to him I may never have full rest, nor true bliss; that is to say that I so fastened to him that there be right nought that is made between my God and me . . . For this is the cause why we be not all in ease of heart and soul, for we seek here rest in this thing that is so little, where no rest is in, and we know not our God, that is almighty, all wise and all good, for he is very rest.  God will be known, and him liketh that we rest us in him; for all that is beneath him suffiseth not to us” (Norton 375).

*Thus was I taught, that love is our Lord’s meaning.  And I saw full surely in this and in all, that ere God made us he loved us, which love was never abated nor never shall.  And in this love he hath done all his works, and in this love he hath made all things profitable to us, and in this love our life is everlasting.  In our making we had beginning, but the love wherein he made us was in him from without beginning.  In which love we have our beginning, and all this shall we see in God withouten end” (Norton 382). 

Margery Kempe (after receiving a vision left her family and journeyed through the Holy Land, where she received many powerful visions about the life of Christ).

This is a vision she had of Mary, the mother of Christ, at the time of Christ’s death.  This is probably one of the most moving texts I have yet to read about this amazing woman, the mother of the Savior.

“Then she (the author) beheld in the sight of her soul our blissful Lord Christ Jesu coming to His passionward, and ere He went, He kneeled down and took His mother’s blessing.  Then she (the author) saw His mother (Mary) falling down in swooning before her Son, saying to him, ‘Alas, my dear Son, how shall I suffer this sorrow and have no joy in all this world but thee alone.’ ‘A, dear Son, if thou wilt in any case die, let me die before thee and let me never suffer this day of sorrow, for I may never bear this sorrow that I shall have for thy death.  I wolde, Son, that I might suffer death for thee so that thou shouldst not die, if man’s soul might be so saved.  Now, dear Son, if thou have no pity of thyself, have pity of thy mother, for thou know full well there can no man in all this world comfort me but thou alone.’

And then listen to the Saviors sweet reply to his mother, listen to the promises he gives her upon his death (it brings tears to my eyes every time I read it; I can honestly envision it was as such):

“Then our Lord took up His mother in His arms and kissed her full sweetly and said to her, ‘A blessed mother, be of good cheer and of a good comfort, for I have told you full often that I must needs suffer death and otherwise should no man be saved nor never come in bliss.  And mother, it is my Fathers will that it be so, and therefore I pray you let it be your will also, for my death shall bring me great honor, and you and all mankind to great joy and profit which those who trust in my Passion and work thereafter.  I pray you, dearworthy mother, ceaseth of your sorrowing, for I shall not leave you comfortless.  I shall leave here with you John, my cousin, to comfort you in stead of me; I shall send my holy angels to comfort you in earth; and I shall comfort in your soul mine own self, for mother, ye know well I have promised you the bliss of heaven that ye are sekir [secure] thereof.  A dearworthy mother, what would ye better than there I am king and ye for to be queen, and all angels and saints shall be obedient to your will.  And what grace ye ask me I shall not deny your desire.  I shall give you power over the devils that they shall be afraid of you and ye not of them.  And also, my blessed mother, I have said to you before time that I shall come for you mine own self when ye shall pass out of this world with all mine angels and all mine saints that are in heaven and bring you before my Father with all manner of music, melody, and joy.  And there shall I set you in a great peace and rest without end.  And there shall be crowned as for Queen of Heaven, as for lady of all the world, and as for Empress of Hell.  And therefore, my dearworthy mother, I pray you blesseth me and let me go do my Father’s will, for therefore I came into this world and took flesh and blood of you’ (Norton 396).

And then Margery, with Mary, witnesses the Saviors crucifixion, and makes a few last remarks, which I think are so profound:

“And He went forth meekly afore them, all mother-naked as He was born, to a pillar of stone and spake no word again but let them do and say what they would.”  Later Christ says to Margery, as she is sorrowing for the Saviors death, in a vision: “Daughter, these sorrows and many more suffered I for thy love, and diverse pains, more than any man can tell in earth.  Therefore, daughter, thou has great cause to love me right well, for I have bought thy love full dear” (Norton 397).