No hope, but have faith and charity

 Reading: Mormon 1-6

I have so much sympathy for Mormon.  He is called to such a great calling - compiling all the plates into one Book that will come forth in a generation far in the future - and yet he witnesses such sad destruction among his own people.  I don't like to think that so many people died because we needed a warning, but it seems to be the case here and intensifies Mormon's desire to warn future generations.  One of the most interesting thing about Mormon is his ability to endure to the end in performing service for people who are just not good people.  This makes me think about many people who for one reason or another do not accept the gospel that we should love even thought they reject something so precious to us.  Mormon is a great example of how to interact with such people.


In chapter 1, Mormon stayed among the people, even though they were very wicked people:

16 And I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had willfully rebelled against their God; and the beloved disciples were taken away out of the land, because of their iniquity.
 17 But I did remain among them, but I was forbidden to preach unto them, because of the hardness of their hearts; and because of the hardness of their hearts the land was cursed for their sake.

In chapter 2, Mormon began to be excited because it seemed that the Nephites wanted to change their ways and showed inclination towards repentance, but their repentance was not sincere.  They were just sick of the destruction and living miserably.  They tried to change, but their attempt to change did not include Jesus Christ, so their change did not amount to the joy they were thinking.

10 And it came to pass that the Nephites began to repent of their iniquity, and began to cry even as had been prophesied by Samuel the prophet; for behold no man could akeep that which was his own, for the thieves, and the robbers, and the murderers, and the magic art, and the witchcraft which was in the land.
 11 Thus there began to be a mourning and a lamentation in all the land because of these things, and more especially among the people of Nephi.
 12 And it came to pass that when I, Mormon, saw their lamentation and their amourning and their sorrow before the Lord, my heart did begin to rejoice within me, knowing the mercies and the long-suffering of the Lord, therefore supposing that he would be merciful unto them that they would again become a righteous people.
 13 But behold this my joy was vain, for their sorrowing was not unto repentance, because of the goodness of God; but it was rather the sorrowing of the damned, because the Lord would not always suffer them to take happiness in sin.
 14 And they did not come unto Jesus with broken hearts and contrite spirits, but they did curse God, and wish to die. Nevertheless they would struggle with the sword for their lives.
 15 And it came to pass that my sorrow did return unto me again, and I saw that the day of grace was passed with them, both temporally and spiritually; for I saw thousands of them hewn down in open drebellion against their God, and heaped up as dung upon the face of the land. And thus three hundred and forty and four years had passed away.

In Chapter 3, the Lord, in his mercy and grace, allowed Mormon to preach to the people one more time, giving them yet another chance, but it was in vain:

2 And it came to pass that the Lord did say unto me: Cry unto this people—Repent ye, and come unto me, and be ye baptized, and build up again my church, and ye shall be aspared.
 3 And I did cry unto this people, but it was ain vain; and they did bnot realize that it was the Lord that had spared them, and granted unto them a chance for repentance. And behold they did harden their hearts against the Lord their God.

Mormon continues to lead them in military attempts.  But he says that he was without hope of success because they had not repented.

1 And it came to pass that I did go forth among the Nephites, and did repent of the oath which I had made that I would no more assist them; and they gave me command again of their armies, for they looked upon me as though I could deliver them from their afflictions.
 2 But behold, I was without hope, for I knew the judgments of the Lord which should come upon them; for they repented not of their iniquities, but did struggle for their lives without calling upon that Being who created them.

Because he witnessed such destruction, he offered a plea that would be read in generations to come that the same mistakes would be avoided. Ch 6:

 17 O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!
 18 Behold, if ye had not done this, ye would not have fallen. But behold, ye are fallen, and I amourn your loss.
 19 O ye fair sons and daughters, ye fathers and mothers, ye husbands and wives, ye fair ones, how is it that ye could have bfallen!
 20 But behold, ye are gone, and my sorrows cannot bring your return.
 21 And the day soon cometh that your mortal must put on immortality, and these bodies which are now moldering in corruption must soon become incorruptible bodies; and then ye must stand before the judgment-seat of Christ, to be judged according to your works; and if it so be that ye are righteous, then are ye blessed with your fathers who have gone before you.
 22 O that ye had repented before this great destruction had come upon you. But behold, ye are gone, and the Father, yea, the Eternal Father of heaven, knoweth your state; and he doeth with you according to his justice and mercy.

Reading these passages reminded me of some verses in 2 Nephi 33.  Where Nephi, in some of his last words, identified with the same emotions that Mormon had and teaches us how to act when people we care about reject the gospel.

7 I have charity for my people, and great faith in Christ that I shall meet many souls spotless at his judgment-seat.
 8 I have charity for the Jew—I say Jew, because I mean them from whence I came.
 9 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.

Nephi could not have hope for the Jew or the Gentile because by their actions of agency, they were not qualifying themselves for eternal life, or living with God again.  Hope in this situation seems based upon reality, the fact that even though Christ can save them, they are not choosing to be saved.  But then he says, that even though he doesn't have hope based on their actions, he still have faith in Christ, that the power is available to "meet many soul spotless at his judgment-seat."  But even greater that that, I think, is the fact that Nephi can have charity for them.  That is, he can love them like Christ loves them.  I know I don't understand all that charity encompasses because I am not a perfect being who can see beginning from end.  But I imagine that charity includes being patient for a person to "come to themselves" like the prodigal son.  It might include respecting their agency, and loving what you can about a person even though you might not agree with everything they say or do.  It probably includes not judging them based on just what you know, but trusting that Christ knows their whole story.

This doctrine and these examples have changed my life and how I see myself and other people.  I am eternally grateful.