Pelé & Priesthood

It was the writings of Daymon Smith that convinced me to view the idea of "priesthood" differently.  He refers to it in a way as to suggest that, similar to the word neighborhood – which suggests an association of neighbors – that priesthood might similarly refer to an association of priests. 

What's a priest?  In religious terms, it is one who has been chosen to participate in religious rites.  In spiritual terms, a priest would be one who receives the power of God.

It supposes me that there are many priests on earth, who have no formal religious ordination, but have received power of/from God.

Pelé: Birth of a Legend, demonstrates this concept.  Below are the final few minutes of the movie.  (I recommend the entire movie.)  The movie largely focuses on how Pelé advances in the soccer world, as a very young man (17 yrs old), and is trammeled in his talents and skills.  He is forced to make a promise mid-movie that he will NOT play soccer on the world stage in the fashion that comes to him naturally.  It was called ginja.  To be permitted to continue playing he must play someone else's way. 

In the minutes preceding this clip, we see Pelé's teammate giving him the encouragement he needs to ignore the promise he was forced to make, and to play with the gifts he was born with, and developed through his life's experience.  It wasn't that his teammate said so, but the friend acknowledged and supported him in being who he was born to be.

Some poignant moments:

• Pelé's playing in a stadium filled with European "enemies" of sorts.  The opposing coach had been quite scornful toward their team earlier in the movie.  Sweden scores, confirming the public scorn the coach had launched prior to the game. 
• About 4:50, Pelé looks above the jubilant crowd, and observes the handful of dark-skinned Brazilians, nearly in the peanut gallery, and so much more is conveyed than a losing side's sadness.  He realizes he's been playing someone else's way the whole game, and their team has been on the losing end because of it.  Seeing Brazilians high up in the crowd reminds him who he is. 
• About 8 minutes, he looks at his teammates with whom a special bond had already formed.  Time seems to slow as these men are reconnecting.  They have already become close enough as to form a very strong brotherhood.  It manifests here. 
• About 8:48, commentators observe that he's "smiling".
• 8:53 the Brazilian commentator speaks of the players acting in "perfect harmony".
• 9:00 the movie shifts to the view of Pelé's father, sitting among his peers in a crowded room, watching his son from very much afar – around the world even, through a tv barrier. You feel his pleasure, honor, joy for his son.  He smiles deeply.
• 10:45 Pelé's dad discovers his wife in the crowd of jubilant Brazilians, watching via tv, and they connect. 
• 11:45 Pelé faints and his brothers hoist him up on their shoulders.  

I was shown that this is priesthood – an association of priests.  Or in other words, this is how priesthood functions.  Priesthood is when I think of my friend and she calls me, needing help, because we are connected invisibly through love.  It is when I'm in the shower, and am led to offer to volunteer to serve someone just before they ask me for help.  It's a stitching power, which while invisible to most mortals, knits our hearts together so that the unlikely can happen in some sort of synchrony.  It's a sort of heavenly magic. 

This kind of priesthood cannot be controlled, sold, or harnessed, because it's not something that man can pass around like some sort of tangible "thing".  Unless one has this power of love.  Then the power is often nearly tangible.  When there is not love, it is broken, as the stitching is less strong. This is why Christ indicated that the greatest commandment is to love God, and love our neighbor as ourselves.  If we cannot have love for all three – God, our neighbors, and ourselves – we have no priesthood, or association of priests.   

What I Wish I Could Say

Dear Daniel,

Next week I will be privileged to become your new Sunbeams teacher.  While you might not be aware of class differences in Primary, right now I'm teaching the 5 and 6 year olds.  I have been with this same group of kids for over a year now.  I won't speak too proudly, but I've been content overall with keeping my cool with this age range.  There've been no explosions or embarrassing teacher meltdowns thus far.  It's a tough bunch to keep corralled, but they're a very good (and small) group of kids, thankfully.

In general I've had problems with the lesson manuals, and I've attempted to stick with the theme of the scripture noted in the lesson, rather than the endless stories the manual directs me to share to entertain the kids.

Well this week, I got hit with a stomach bug.  It's been one of the stronger varieties, and yes, I've used our oils to temper it.  But it still kicked my butt horizontal for two days, and you seem to be taking round 2 of it yourself, although only in regards to fevers and runny noses this round.  I hope you get better soon.

I'm writing a little sideways, after attempting to find a substitute.  I teach five children.  One will be out of town.  When asking the parents (first) if they could sub, two moms said they've also got sick kids, and won't likely be at church.  That left 2 parents.  One said she could, but she was also teaching Gospel Doctrine during the 2nd hour.  (SUPERMOM.)  I told her I would come back to her if I found no one else.

One dad said, and I will quote, "I'm very busy during church."  Gee, thanks Dad!  What a stellar example of Priesthood in action, stepping up to bat to participate in your awesome son's class, where I've shown up for the last 52+ weeks.  Shithead.  He's the Sunday School President.  My dad is too - at the Stake level.  I wonder if he'd be too "busy" to show up for this guy's son.

He may be kidding, but I'm not.  It's reasons like this that the Ordain Women movement has taken hold.  Priesthood holders, where the hell are you???  Besides decking up when it's time to show up for a Priesthood blessing in the middle of the night, what do you do to show up for your families?  Your kids?  I cannot ever get one man to sub for my class, including my own husband -- who by the way, is supposed to be my "co-teacher", but asked to be released.  Are you too busy chatting it up in the halls during Sunday School, to show up for your kids?  (I counted four Priesthood holders enjoying joke hour in the hall last Sunday.)  Or too busy making sure all the teachers show up to their classes under your "control" or "jurisdiction"?  Maybe you've got hours and hours and hours of endless correlation meetings before church, and organizing your every-night-of-the-week meetings takes up all of church time, so you just can't help out when the Primary teacher gets sick or has another commitment once in a while.  This is not what it should be.

Daniel, when you get old enough to be a priest, or a "high priest" at that, show up for your own kids, as well as other kids (especially those who don't have a man for a father), not just in the suit and tie, but when their teacher asks you to help them one damn Sunday out of the year.  It's really not that terrible.  In fact, I'm growingly confident that I'd rather spend my days with the Primary kids than with many of the lofty adults.

Nobody'd perfect, but "too busy" is a shitty answer.  I'll let Jesus judge beyond that.  I'll work on my Christian attitude in the meantime.  Apparently I'm not perfect yet either.

~Mom<3 

Unrighteous Dominion in the Skies

Dear Magdalene,

I've been wanting to write to you about authority for several days now.  We had an interesting event, you and I, on the airplane coming home from Utah.  An encounter with "authority", per se.  We had a bossy flight attendant who didn't know how to use manners, but ordered everyone around for even the littlest of things.

We learned that just because someone has "authority" doesn't make them right.  You had to use the bathroom after this woman pressured you into drinking a whole can of soda, which was meant to be a treat, not a chore.  You drank it, and once the seatbelt sign went on to land the plane, you had to pee.  Of course, you had to wait at least 10-15 minutes, while the plane seemed to circle around and around, for fear of the monster flight-attendant reprimanding you... and me.

When you started crying because you were afraid you couldn't hold it, and the plane had landed but not yet made it to the gate, we got unbuckled and walked two steps toward the bathroom before the flight attendant scolded, "What are you doing???"  She demanded you and I get back in our seats.  I tried to explain your predicament.  She declared we were breaking the law and FAA regulations.  She declared this twice, insisting again we get back in our seats.  I warned her you might pee your pants.  She didn't care.  She said that was your "choice".  

Is this "unrighteous dominion"?  Using a position of authority to insist that someone who does not hold that authority do something contrary to common sense, common respect, or common decency?  To bully someone into drinking a full can of soda, insisting they follow a law meant to protect them, and then humiliate them with a potentially very embarrassing situation?

I supposed I should have told you to go ahead and pee on the seat.  Maybe we could've been arrested for indecent exposure for all I know.  I took the lady's name, but after sleeping on it, I realized that being "consumer avenger" like I used to be wasn't worth it.  Writing the airline a nice long letter of complaint on why I think this woman is poorly representing the company would've been my normal routine, but after learning what I have learned this past year, and realizing that this could very well be a test for me, I realized it would be better to forgive this poor power-greedy woman, and pray for her soul.  Satan accuses.  Jesus forgives.  I made my choice, now it was time to follow through for once.

Maybe she never owned "power" as a woman.  Maybe she feels inferior, so she uses this false "authority" to domineer over others so she can feel like a better person.  In the end, it doesn't matter much anymore to me.  But it does matter as a lesson for us in unrighteous dominion.

In D&C 121, it talks extensively about Priesthood power, and this very same concept.  While it applies specifically to those who hold the Priesthood, I believe it applies to all human beings in any position of authority.  We know when our "control" is wrong, when it's domineering, condescending  and abusive.  Insisting others keep our secrets, manipulating them, harassing them or other kinds of subtle control are just as evil as outright demands and abuse.  Guard against it.  And if you have to be subservient, pray for the one inflicting the evil.  They need your prayers more than you need to hold the anger and resentment that they foster.  You're better off letting it go.

Love you!
~Mom<3

Sacrament Specifics

This post was written by me a week or two ago.  I hesitated to share it at the time, because I wanted to make sure I felt comfortable sharing after some time had passed.  I hope in sharing, someone is helped along their path.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to partake of the sacrament.  It was before my appendix decided to get all fussy.  Due to the surgery, I missed two weeks of church, and when I returned last week, I arrived several minutes late.  Walking into the church foyer, I assumed that I had missed the sacrament.  Much to my joy, out walks the deacon with the sacrament trays, and I planned on partaking of it.  He asked me, "Did you hear the prayer?"  I said, "No."  He then told me he was instructed not to allow me to partake of it if I missed the prayer.  I was ticked.

(19th century sacrament tray and cup)

So many things ran through my head.  I felt like I was suddenly Catholic, and the whole ward got to see if I partook.  My friend sat across from me in the foyer, and she was prohibited from partaking as well.  I wondered if she was as annoyed as I was, but she seemed cool and collected.

(photo source)

After he walked away, I nearly cried.  It had been weeks since I got to take the sacrament, and it's very special for me, regardless of whether or not I get to focus, hear the prayer, or juggle my kids.  It has a grounding affect, and it centers me for the week.  I don't know how, but perhaps that's part of the miracle of it.  So hearing this sweet little deacon tell me he was told not to allow me to really threw me for a loop.

All sorts of crazy things flew through my head.  Did the Priesthood leaders really instruct him not to allow me to partake?  Was this some new rule that came through the Church in a letter that I just happened to not hear read over the pulpit?  If I questioned my leadership, would I be considered apostate?  Because if they did approve this change, I would certainly have some serious beef with the new policy.

Then I heard the conducting bishopric member say over the hall speakers, "Has everyone had a chance to partake of the sacrament?"  NO!!!  I didn't!!!  I wanted to scream, but I knew storming into the chapel to make a scene would not get me far.  

Luckily enough, after the meeting was over, this same member of the bishopric brought me some photos that were taken at a recent activity.  After thanking him for the photos, I asked him if there was some new policy that the deacons were to ask me if I heard the prayer before taking the sacrament.  He looked at me with bewilderment.  He said, "No, absolutely not.  What happened?"  I explained to him the situation.  He said, "Well I asked if everyone got a chance to partake of it."  It dawned on me that him asking that abnormal question was for me.

He said he would straighten things out with the Priesthood and see what was going on.  Yesterday, he caught me by the shoulders, gave me a hug and said that what had happened should have never happened.  It brought tears to my eyes, because I knew it was true.  More than that, I knew that my leaders were not ticked that I questioned what was going on.  I had every right to do so, and they took no offense, as some may have.  But the most important part was, I gained a second witness, beyond my own knowledge and surety that GOD knew that I wanted the sacrament, and He knew that I needed a witness that my leaders were in tune with HIM.  This one, this instance, this day, was listening closely enough to the Spirit.  I was the one that was being spoken to when he said, "Has everyone had a chance to partake of the sacrament?"  Despite me not answering, God was telling me He was mindful of me.

I have so many questions about the sacrament, and I hope to have them answered.  But one thing I know for certain.  This is one ordinance that no deacon (who does not hold increased priesthood authority) has the authority to say that I am not permitted to partake.