We have stayed several times at the VIP Executive Art’s Hotel which is located very close to the temple in Lisbon. This is the view on Friday, January 27th from our 12th floor room:
On Friday, January 27th on our way home we stopped at the town of Fatima. This is home to the Sanctuary of our Lady of Fatima, a Catholic pilgrimage site. The chapel of apparitions marks the spot where the Virgin May allegedly appeared in 1917 to three little shepherd children.
Continuing home on Friday we then visited the Batalha Monastery. The monastery was built to thank the Virgin Mary for the Portuguese victory over the Castilians in the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385, fulling a promise of King John 1 of Portugal. This victory assured him the throne and guaranteed the independence of Portugal. The construction took over 150 years to build, starting in 1386 and ending circa 1517, spanning the reign of seven kings. Notice the beautiful lacy stonework facade with gargoyles and prickly spires.
SCRIPTURE POWER
Does what we wear really matter?
C.S. Lewis said: “Don’t shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him.”
Wearing the Temple Garment
“The temple garment is a reminder of covenants made in the temple and, when worn properly throughout life, will serve as a protection against temptation and evil. The garment should be worn beneath the outer clothing. It should not be removed for activities that can reasonably be done while wearing the garment, and it should not be modified to accommodate different styles of clothing. Endowed members should seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit to answer personal questions about wearing the garment. It is a sacred privilege to wear the garment and doing so is an outward expression of an inner commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ.”
Perhaps the repeated warning in the Book of Mormon to not wear costly apparel or very fine apparel has application when one removes the temple garment in order to wear fashionable/popular clothing which then becomes costly to our spiritual progression. In effect “making a mock of that which was sacred,” (Hel. 4:12)
Moroni introduces himself to us his latter-day audience by stating: “Behold, I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not. But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing. And I know that ye do walk in the pride of your hearts; and there are none save a few only who do not lift themselves up in the pride of their hearts, unto the wearing of very fine apparel, unto envying, and strifes, and malice, and persecutions, and all manner of iniquities; and your churches, yea, even every one, have become polluted because of the pride of your hearts. For behold, ye do love money, and your substance, and your fine apparel, and the adorning of your churches, more than ye love the poor and the needy, the sick and the afflicted.” (Mor. 8: 35-37)
Clearly there is a direct connection between wearing “costly apparel” and pride. Even though the price tag is removed from our clothes what we wear can become costly to our spiritual progress. There seems also to be a connection between wearing costly apparel and being unwilling to give of our substance.
A good definition of substance is in D & C 59:12 footnote (b) “IE offerings, whether of time, talents, or means, in service of God and fellowman.”
Jacob is the first writer to mention costly apparel. He also includes the solution to be “free with your substance”
“And the hand of providence hath smiled upon you most pleasingly, that you have obtained many riches; and because some of you have obtained more abundantly than that of your brethren ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they.” (Jac. 2:13) Jacob’s counsel is to be: “free with your substance, that they may be rich like unto you.” (Jac. 2:17)
Mormon includes the account of a prosperous group that was “far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church” however “they did not wear costly apparel” and “did impart of their substance” while the less prosperous group did “wear costly apparel”.
“Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them. …And they did impart of their substance, every man according to that which he had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted; and they did not wear costly apparel, yet they were neat and comely. And thus they did establish the affairs of the church; and thus they began to have continual peace again, notwithstanding all their persecutions.
And now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich, having abundance of all things whatsoever they stood in need—an abundance of flocks and herds, and fatlings of every kind, and also abundance of grain, and of gold, and of silver, and of precious things, and abundance of silk and fine-twined linen, and all manner of good homely cloth.
And thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches; therefore they were liberal to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, whether out of the church or in the church, having no respect to persons as to those who stood in need.
And thus they did prosper and become far more wealthy than those who did not belong to their church. For those who did not belong to their church did indulge themselves in sorceries, and in idolatry or idleness, and in babblings, and in envyings and strife; wearing costly apparel; being lifted up in the pride of their own eyes; persecuting, lying, thieving, robbing, committing whoredoms, and murdering, and all manner of wickedness; nevertheless, the law was put in force upon all those who did transgress it, inasmuch as it was possible.” (Alma 1:25-32)
This situation is contrasted with a time that occurs a year after the baptism of “about three thousand five hundred souls” (Alma 4:5) in which “the church began to fail in its progress” (Alma 4:10)
“And it came to pass in the eighth year of the reign of the judges, that the people of the church began to wax proud, because of their exceeding riches, and their fine silks, and their fine-twined linen, and because of their many flocks and herds, and their gold and their silver, and all manner of precious things, which they had obtained by their industry; and in all these things were they lifted up in the pride of their eyes, for they began to wear very costly apparel.” (Alma 4:6)
Alma gives up the judgement seat in order “that he might preach the word of God unto them” (Alma 4:19) He begins at Zarahemla and among the 50 questions he asks them: “And now my beloved brethren, I say unto you, can ye withstand these sayings; yea, can ye lay aside these things, and trample the Holy One under your feet; yea, can ye be puffed up in the pride of your hearts; yea, will ye still persist in the wearing of costly apparel and setting your hearts upon the vain things of the world, upon your riches?” (Alma 5:53) “Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?” (Alma 5:55)
Alma then oversees the excommunication of those that would not repent.
“And it also came to pass that whosoever did belong to the church that did not repent of their wickedness and humble themselves before God—I mean those who were lifted up in the pride of their hearts—the same were rejected, and their names were blotted out, that their names were not numbered among those of the righteous.” (Alma 6:3)
Alma travels to teach in Gideon: “And behold, I have come having great hopes and much desire that I should find that ye had humbled yourselves before God, and that ye had continued in the supplicating of his grace, that I should find that ye were blameless before him, that I should find that ye were not in the awful dilemma that our brethren were in at Zarahemla.” (Alma 7:3)
“For as I said unto you from the beginning, that I had much desire that ye were not in the state of dilemma like your brethren, even so I have found that my desires have been gratified.” (Alma 7:18)
Appears that the awful dilemma was that there were some who would not repent but continued to wear costly apparel and they were excommunicated.
Mormon describes the effect of pride and prosperity on his people, who, only one hundred sixty-seven years after Christ’s ministry : “had become exceedingly rich” (4 Ne. 1: 23) “rejected the true church of Christ” (4 Ne. 1:26) He includes the connection of costly apparel with imparting their substance.
“And now, in this two hundred and first year there began to be among them those who were lifted up in pride, such as the wearing of costly apparel, and all manner of fine pearls, and of the fine things of the world. And from that time forth they did have their goods and their substance no more common among them.” (4 Ne. 1:24-25)
King Benjamin uses the word “substance” eight times in Mosiah chapter 4.
“Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just”—… “For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?”… “And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another. And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom also your life belongeth;”… “And now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless before God—I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants (Mosiah 4:17, 19, 21- 22, 26)
Our substance includes our time. Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “We are often actually less generous with our time than with our money. We keep forgetting where our time comes from!” — (All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience)
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