Line upon Line

When I was in the second grade, a fifth-grade boy on our school bus was notorious for harassing younger kids like me. It was a huge problem that made the daily ride to and from school something to dread.

One day, the bus driver pulled this boy aside and asked him to be his helper to ensure no one was being mean or bullying anyone else. I did not understand. How could he choose the very kid who was the biggest problem?

The bus driver gave him a special seat right behind his own and engaged him in conversation during the rides. Over the next several days, the driver repeatedly showed confidence in this boy while telling him how important it was for him to set a good example.

In a few weeks, I saw a remarkable transformation. The boy who had once been the source of fear became the person who greeted everyone with a smile as they boarded the bus and helped stop bullying. It was the first time I saw, in a dramatic way, the difference it can make when you show a person love and value.

As I prepared for my baptism later that year, I read about Jesus treating outcasts with compassion and unconditional love rather than condemning them. Instead of stoning the woman caught in adultery, Jesus pointed out the need we all have for forgiveness. He did not shame Zacchaeus, a tax collector, for his past but reached out to him, leading to his repentance and restitution to those he had wronged. Jesus did not recoil from the lepers’ physical condition or the societal stigma. Instead, He showed love and compassion through physical touch and healing, breaking barriers that separated those seen as “righteous” from those judged as “unrighteous.”

When hungry disciples were accused of breaking the Sabbath, Jesus explained that the law should serve humanity, not the other way around. His focus was on love, mercy, and justice, not rigid legalism. He took the time to emphasize that rules strictly applied, without consideration of individual circumstances can cause harm. What matters most is putting people’s well-being first.

I thought about our bus driver and how his love transformed this boy. Had the bus driver reacted by only imposing punishment, it would have been justified. The boy might have been temporarily controlled—at least while on the bus—but it would not have led to true change. It was the compassion and love the bus driver showed this boy that ultimately made the difference.

Jesus gave us the Two Great Commandments that He said encompass all the others: to love God and to love our neighbor. Both emphasize the essential role of love and care for one another as our guiding life principles. The only action word in both commandments is love, which reframes the understanding of sin to a failure in compassion, love, and empathy. This goes with the Joseph Smith translation of 1 Peter 4:8 which tells us to have strong Christlike love (charity) for each other because charity prevents the multitude of sins.

A prime example of this is Father Greg Boyle. In the 1980s, he was assigned to an area in Los Angeles experiencing significant gang violence. Accepting that gang members were part of the community he was asked to serve, Boyle actively began reaching out to gang members. He opened the church doors to these troubled young people.

Initially, not everyone in Father Boyle’s church congregation was supportive of his outreach to gang members. Concerned about potential risks and challenges, many were wary and resistant to the idea. But Father Boyle’s unwavering commitment to his deep belief in the transformative power of Christlike love and compassion eventually helped to shift these negative attitudes.

By asking questions and learning about the gang members’ needs, Father Boyle then worked to get them the necessary support services. Several gang members wanted and needed jobs but could not find work. So, in 1988, he started what became known as “Homeboy Industries.” Here they could get real job training and experience.

The many services provided have now helped transform over 100,000 young lives and have greatly reduced gang violence. Father Boyle’s success stands as an example of what can be accomplished by following Christ’s call to love even “the least of these.”

It is always easier to judge and point out all the ways we think someone else is wrong. As in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, judging often makes us feel artificially superior. But this approach usually pushes people further away.

Like the boy on my school bus years ago, most people respond more positively when we strive to understand and love them. Taking the time to love and figure out how to lift someone who is difficult, like the example of gang members, requires work with lots of time and effort.

In the parable of the sheep and the goats, Jesus depicts the final judgment where people are divided like a shepherd separates sheep and goats. Most important were acts of compassion shown throughout a lifetime, particularly in caring for the most vulnerable. Those who demonstrated kindness and worked to help those in need are rewarded with eternal life. Those who neglected to care for “the very least of these” faced separation from God.

This parable emphasizes that while religious rituals are important, they are not ends in themselves. Their purpose is to remind us of the fundamental commandments to love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves. True faith is demonstrated through practical acts of love and compassion, especially toward “the least of these.”

“Let us follow the Savior’s path and increase our compassion, diminish our tendency to judge, and stop being the inspectors of the spirituality of others.”
Reyna I. Aburto Oct 2019 General Conference