Poverty, Faith, and Understanding
Alma, chapter 32, is one of the most quoted examples of the definition of faith in revealed scripture. Indeed, it is one of my favorites, not for its definition of faith but for its definition of what constitutes reality. As I read it this past week, I was impressed by another concept of how faith develops from poverty to understanding.
The poor Zoramites, who had been cast out of their places of worship, gathered to air their grievances to Alma about being denied the opportunity to approach God as the others of their community. But instead of gaining sympathy from Alma, they received a rebuke. He told them they didn’t need to follow the crowd of prideful zealots to pray on the holy stand once a week. He then went on to broaden their understanding of how to approach God.
Next, he said that most of them were only humble because of their poverty. He said that had they not been compelled to be humble, they would have been blessed more than they already were—another rebuke.
Once he had their attention, he explained faith by comparing it to a seed. I won’t go into the details of that aspect of the story except to say that faith is the stepping stone to understanding.
I will pause that vein of thought to expand on the nature of reality. Most of us think of reality as what we perceive through our physical senses. Indeed, the objective world is defined by the things we touch, see, smell, hear, and taste. But every one of our senses can be deceived. Two people who witness an event can have very different stories when questioned. Ask any police officer who takes statements from people who see an accident, and you will see what I mean. However, when Alma instructs the people, he describes their feelings when evaluating their hearing truthfulness as real. The quote is, “…is not this real?” But why is it real? “I say unto you, …because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good.”
I ask: is there anything more real than the knowledge gained through spiritual communication? I do not mean to diminish all of the objective world as an illusion, but I do mean to say that everything in this world is temporary, while truth is eternal along with our existence.
So, what can we expect when we exercise faith? Alma says, “that your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand.” “And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life. But if ye will nourish the word, yea, nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. Then, my brethren, ye shall reap the rewards of your faith, and your diligence, and patience, and long-suffering, waiting for the tree to bring forth fruit unto you.”
If you are poor in spirit, know that through faith, you can come to understand what is real and what matters more than the world around you.