Good Morning Brothers and Sisters!  I hope that you have enjoyed your readings this week.   

As I thought of what to write this morning, I couldn’t help but draw a correlation between Mothers (Yes, it is Mother’s Day, even in Quarantine) and Abinadi.  Prophets are sent to warn people of their sins.  Mothers of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Sisters, Aunts, Grandmas, Neighbors, all women) are sent to help nurture their children and guide them to the correct paths of life.   Abinadi and Mothers have to say harsh things to their audience at times and it is often not well received.  Abinadi and Mothers teach of Jesus Christ.  Abinadi and Mothers know the scriptures and have the doctrine written in their hearts.  We should all be grateful for the “Mothers” that have been a part of our lives, who have helped, and are continuing to help us become who we should be.  

I wish that we could discuss these scripture passages together.  I would love to hear the insight that you have gained from your life experience.  I have listed some of my favorite topics and my notes from this week’s lesson.  I hope that you had some great discussions in your families this week.  

Mosiah 12:19-37. Mosiah 13:11 – Practice what you Preach.  Why is it so hard for us as mortals to do what we know and have been taught?  As a child and a parent, this is one of the hardest, most gut wrenching, soul searching, joyful topics that I have ever experienced.  I know that as a child of a wonderful mother, it has been hard for my mom to watch me make choices that she knew were against what I knew to be right.  I know that as a parent, I have spent many tearful hours, days, months, years praying for my children to have a change of heart.  We teach the doctrine in our homes but how do we make sure that we follow the doctrine ourselves and subsequently get our children to follow the doctrine?  Mosiah 12:27 teaches, “Ye have not applied your hearts to understanding; therefore, ye have not been wise.”  Mosiah 13:11, “And now I read unto you the remainder of the commandments of God, for I perceive that they are not written in your hearts”. 

Mosiah 14 – Jesus Christ – Characteristics.  Abinadi uses references found in Isaiah to teach about Jesus Christ.  The priests should have been familiar with these scriptures.  Verse 3, “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”  Verse 5, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” Verse 12, “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death; and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bore the sins of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”   

Mosiah 15:8-9, Mosiah 16:6-15 – Intercession – Justice – Mercy.  Intercession means the action of intervening on behalf of another.  The lesson recommended this video from a talk from Elder Holland and it makes me cry every time I watch it.  “Where Justice Love and Mercy Meet”   

https://mediasrv.churchofjesuschrist.org/media-services/GA/size/5279626962001/720/404/997181

I cannot tell you how many times I have jumped from my figurative mountain ledges only to find the Savior there, holding me and keeping me from falling.  “We may not know we cannot tell what pains he had to bear, but we believe it was for us he hung and suffered there.”  There is a Green Hill Far Away, 194 

Mosiah 17: 2,4 – Alma was a descendant of Nephi.  Alma wrote the words of Abinadi.  “Abinadi’s willingness to die for his testimony of the Savior was a result of his willingness to live for it.”  The story of Abinadi is sung in Primary and is highlighted by Abinadi’s death for the cause of righteousness.  However, my favorite part of this story is Alma.  Alma should have been taught the words of Nephi.  Somewhere down the family line or maybe it was in Alma’s own life choices, Alma strayed from correct teachings.  However, God knew Alma.  God knew where Alma was.  God placed people in Alma’s life that would help him remember the truth.  I look at the things that Alma had to overcome and change in his life, the strength of his own personal testimony, the lessons of his past, the unique gifts he had in education and writing, the contacts that he had acquired, and marvel that God took all of these things and used it for a great good.  Alma became a strong spiritual leader who was perfectly suited for his time and his family.   

There is also a great lesson in journal keeping found in the story of Abinadi.  If it were not for Alma writing down the words of Abinadi, we would have never known of this great prophet. 

Sister Melissa Rooley