The Savior had called his apostles, saying, “Come ye after me.”1 He had turned water into wine with the words, “Draw out now.” 2 He had halted and negated a funeral procession with the simple command, “arise.”3 The ever-fierce vortex of Pharisaical and Sadducaical skepticism which continuously raged about him now attempted a subtler means of attack. Simon, a Pharisee, invited Jesus of Nazareth to dinner.4
He accepted the offer and attended the occasion. I now read the account:
“[A] woman in the city… when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,
“And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with her tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.”5
Simon looked on the ordeal and saw what he expected. He saw a sinner. Jesus countered the callow condescension with a chord that rings through the ages and resonates in my soul, “Seest thou this?”6
“Seest thou this, [this] woman?”6 Seest thou this--her need? Seest thou this--her pain? Can YOU, the leader of Moses’ law, not see the deep wounds in her soul--aching, yearning, for something, ANYTHING, to ease her anguish? And do you not see—that you have it?
From the narrative, we can see that the only question to which Simon would have answered affirmatively was the first, “Seest thou this woman?” and even then, he was wrong. He did not see her as she really was.7
May each one of us learn a key and important lesson from this story. Even the apostles struggled with their blindness to reality and their inaccurate assumptions of people. If Peter, James, and John, the later presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ, were blind to others, then why on earth would we consider ourselves exempt from such short-sightedness? Let’s take some examples:
Seest thou this young woman? Who today--is crying in her room, because even though she appears popular, she has no friends. Seest thou this woman?
Seest thou this friend? Who today--is stuck with their foot in the door of our friendship, but never allowed in. They knock and they knock, but we turn them away, again and again. Seest thou this—their need?
Seest thou this young man? Who today--like the Savior, tries to uplift anyone and everyone he meets, but also like the Savior, “hath not where to lay his head”8. He is a friend to all, but has no friend. He would listen to all, but none would hear him. He gives all a home in his heart, but has no home himself. Seest thou this—his pain??
Seest thou this beautiful, beloved child of God? Who today--though kind and loving, is planning their death because they cannot see themselves loved by anyone, even God—only forgotten. Can YOU, the choice generation, not see the deep wounds to the soul, aching, yearning, for something, ANYTHING, to ease the anguish? And do you not see—that you have it?
Yes, I acknowledge that bullying is a very real, very large problem, even an epidemic. However, among the prevailing problems of bullying, backbiting, and other such virulent strains of abuse, there is one growing and even more infectious plague among us, soaring even to the level of pandemia. Much like AIDS, however, its effects are not visual, but open the doorway to the opportunistic infections aforementioned.
In Moses 7 verses 31 and 32, God weeps. Why? Because He looked down on His children and said, “I gave unto them knowledge, in the day that I created them… unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another… but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood.”
No. We don’t hate our brethren like the people preceding the flood—yet. But do we have affection for them? Do we say it? Do we live it? Society’s apathetic immune system is deficient. Is ours? If we cannot change it, friend by friend, soul by soul, a plague will strike, and the consequences will be crippling.
Now, before you begin to think I’m some “doomsday prophet”, I want to make some things clear. We are naturally good. We are wonderful people. You are a kind, admirable person. Our human empathy drives us to love and to serve—when we see the pain.
As good as we may be, we have reactive tendencies. It is not in our nature to be proactive,9 searching for an opportunity to serve, but this is what Heavenly Father asks of us.9 This, is the trait of a saint.10
My friends, I ask you today, to go home and pray to see others, not as they appear, but as they really are.7 Kneel down and pray, every morning and every night, that you will have the gift to discern the souls you see every day. Pray to see the needs each one has. Pray to see the pain you can help to heal. Pray that you, a beloved child of God, will see the deep wounds in the soul—aching, yearning, for something, ANYTHING, to ease the anguish. And pray to see—that you have it.
My friends, no matter how large or little, we may have charity. No matter how active or inactive, we may have charity. No matter how sought-after or snubbed, we may have charity. It is a gift bestowed upon us from God, and none can take it away, only we can lose it. “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son.”11
Yes, it will be hard, but we, the youth of the noble birthright, have so much power for good. However, as always, the adversary will do all he can to diminish and diffuse this, the power of charity, that he can. We can know this because it is the great irony that in the very time when we have the greatest power to assist a brother, friend, or other peer, we are so affected by our own trinkets of trial that even if we saw their needs, we would be tempted to discount them in favor of our own.
Never in the history of the world, has the white noise of Satan’s false truths been so influential, and never in our lives, will the silencing pressure of our peers’ opinions be so influential, as today. On the other hand, we, the youth of this day, have more power to influence our peers than at any other time in our lives, or in the history of the world, even, with the aid of the internet and other valuable resources. Imagine the power we could command in our pocket, if we harnessed its potential to truly connect with our friends.
As we pray for the Spirit to open our eyes to those around us, we will learn that we need not forge new friendships, but deepen the ones we have. Loneliness can be found as commonly in a quiet corner as in a group. Alienation can be found as commonly in the front of the bus as the back. One can be physically isolated, but emotionally close, and another may be physically close, but emotionally isolated. The need of a true friend can be so close to our nose we would never see it. We need to continually ask ourselves, “Seest thou this?”
Do I see this—my friend? Do I see this—his need? Do I see this—his pain? Can I, their friend, see the wounds to their soul, aching, yearning, for something, ANYTHING, to ease the anguish? And do I see—that I have it?
Please, my friends, may we never allow anybody to question our love for them. We manage to have so very much to speak, but manage say so very little. We consume so much time with people, but are we ever full? Are we, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, still fulfilling the prophecy that people will run to and fro, in famine of the Gospel12—the Gospel of Love13?
Let us take time to set aside every distraction we can and actually communicate with someone. Let us try to break through the fluff of everyday conversation and see their soul, which is precious in the sight of God.14
As we continually practice these habits, Heavenly Father will trust us to truly love each one of His children, from the universally adored, to the universally abhorred. We will see the beauty in the soul of the saint, and the sinner. We may see the dark patches of our fellow travelers, but will love them all the greater, not the lesser, because of them. This love, I bear my testimony, is a pearl beyond price.15
While some may be skeptical, we will be unstoppable, for God is on our side.16 We will invite our friends, saying, “Come with me.” We will turn the bitter cup of life to love’s sweet draught with the words, “Draw from my faith.” We will negate one’s funeral plans with the simple invitation, “Arise, and be loved.”
I love my Father in Heaven. I love you. I apologize for imperfectly manifesting that love, and ask for your forgiveness. However, I know that through the Atonement of Christ, my attempts to show my love and also to be a medium of sharing Heavenly Father’s love are perfected, and yours will be too. Jesus Christ suffered for our sins, mistakes, pains, and loneliness in the Garden of Gethsemane17. May we all reduce His pain and loneliness by reducing the pain and loneliness of all around us is my fervent plea. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
1. Mark 1:17
2. John 2:8
3. Luke 7:14
4. Luke 7:36
5. Luke 7:37-38
6. Luke 7:44
7. Jacob 4:13
8. Luke 9:58
9. Doctrine and Covenants 58:27
10. Mosiah 3:19
11. Moroni 7:48
12. Amos 8:12
13. Loren C Dunn, “Gospel of Love” October 1985 General Conference, Matthew 22:36-40
14. Amos 8:12
15. Matthew 13:45-46
16. Romans 8:31
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