Jane Manning James, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pope John Paul II
Jane Elizabeth Manning
To the lineal and spiritual descendants of JANE ELIZABETH MANNING, Exemplar of Virtue and Faith, who saw her prophet named Joseph in a dream, and asked for baptism later from Elder Charles Wandell. She was handed the Book of Mormon but couldn't read it. But the book felt good in her hands. She understood its message, "He denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and fee, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God both Jew and Gentile" (2 Nephi 26:33).
She taught her family the new restored everlasting gospel—and her mother, brothers (Lewis and Peter), sisters (Angeline, Lucinda, and Sarah), and Sarah's husband Anthony all joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The entire family felt the call of gathering to Illinois. The Mannings' plan to gather was simple: leave Connecticut, go by canal boat to Buffalo, take the river boat to Columbus, and travel by steamer to Nauvoo, Illinois. But because they were black, they were refused transport—so, as Solomon describes, Jane and her family "gird[ed] their loins with strength, and strengthen[ed] their arms" and shod their feet in faith. Later Jane recorded, "we walked until our shoes were worn out, and our feet became sore and cracked open and bled until you could see the whole print of our feet with blood on the ground. We stopped and united in prayer to the Lord; we asked God the Eternal Father to heal our feet. Our prayers were answered and our feet were healed forthwith." Jane carried her baby son Sylvester most of the way. They walked the full eight hundred miles from Connecticut to Zion, the first true handcartless, wagonless pioneers of the latter-day church. The intolerance and persecution of sheriffs, fellow travelers, and boat captains and aids did not deter Jane and her family.
Upon arrival in Nauvoo, Emma Smith welcomed Jane and her family into "the Mansion House." Joseph Smith, Jr., came down the stairs and Jane recognized the prophet she had seen in her dream. Later, Joseph and Emma asked Jane to be their daughter, but she, not fully understanding the significance of this great honor, demurred. There was a powerful bond among Joseph, Emma, and Jane. All three knew blind intolerance. All three knew persecution. All three knew they were of the same blood, the blood of Israel. But poor Jane—the weight of her past rejections kept her from grasping the invitation given to become a daughter of Joseph and Emma. She knew we are all the children of Abraham. It takes some a little time to understand and to accept full daughter-hood and son-ship.
Jane met and married Isaac James. They traveled together as pioneers to Utah. In Utah, charity continued as the mark of Jane's living. Though Jane herself was poverty-stricken and faced the pain of hearing her own children crying from hunger that she could not assuage, she still had the love and found the courage to share half of her flour with a white pioneer (Eliza Partridge Lyman) who had less than she.
Jane gave birth to eight children, but only two survived her. Jane's husband abandoned her for twenty years, yet she welcomed him back when he returned and he died enfolded in her love. Now new generations are coming to know this virtuous woman. Many of us have become Jane's and Emma's and Joseph's children by spiritual yearning. All can be endowed with power from on high.
Today we honor Jane Elizabeth Manning James as an EXEMPLAR OF TRUTH AND FAITh and thank her for giving us the faith that each of us can find truth and recognize our prophet.
Martin Luther King, Jr.To the lineal and spiritual descendants of MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., Exemplar of Truth and Hope, who said, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of 'interposition' and 'nullification'—one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; 'and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.'
"This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
"With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, knowing that we will be free one day."
Today we honor Martin Luther King, Jr., as an EXEMPLAR OF TRUTH AND HOPE and thank him for giving us our own dream.
Pope John Paul, IITo the lineal and spiritual descendants of POPE JOHN PAUL, II, Exemplar of Truth and Virtue, comes greeting and thanksgiving at the privilege of paying tribute to this great man who was intelligent, loving, and fearless and who offered to the world powerful leadership by example and by precept without compulsion and without violence.
Before presidents, kings, and all listeners throughout the world, he fearlessly condemned oppression and abuse in all forms. He deplored the failure of societies great and small to provide and care adequately for orphans and those in poverty and sickness. He spoke against conduct that permitted violation of human rights. He deplored unjust war with its attendant suffering and ruin of lives.
He told us unequivocally that "Jesus Christ is the answer to the question that is every human life."
He visited his would-be assassin and gave his personal forgiveness. He visited India and paid homage to the work of Mother Teresa. He had special compassion on third-world countries and visited and instructed them.
His courage and political skill helped bring Poland freedom. Mikhail Gorbachev said, "Everything that happened in Eastern Europe in the last few years would have been impossible without the presence of the Pope and without the important role—including the political role—that he played on the world stage."
This great Pope worked with equal grace and humility in many languages and many difficult settings. His genuine apology to the Jews and his reference to them as "our elder brothers" are words "beautiful upon the mountain."
He was acknowledged by the Muslim leader Chief Mufti Selim Mehmed with the words, "We believe the world needs him because he speaks for peace, the poor, and the deprived."
Not only Eastern Europe, but the whole world, is more open because of the courage, energy, and beauty of this reverent man, Pope John Paul II. We honor him as an EXEMPLAR OF TRUTH AND VIRTUE.
