Liberty to the Captives - On Both Sides of the Veil
by Kathryn Grant
When
it comes down to it, the story of life—good versus evil, right
versus wrong—is the story of liberty versus captivity.
So
it’s no surprise that the greatest champion of good, the Lord
Jesus Christ, is also a liberator. Some 700 years before the Lord’s
birth, Isaiah spoke poetically and movingly of this aspect of
Christ’s mission:
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me;
because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the
meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound. (Isaiah 61:1.)
When
Christ began his public ministry, he quoted Isaiah concerning himself
(see Luke 4:16–20) and then told
his audience, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your
ears.”
Liberty
to the captives—can there be a more glorious declaration, a
more welcome message for those in bondage of any kind?
On
the other side of the veil, those without gospel ordinances and
covenants experience a kind of bondage because their progression is
limited. So the Lord invites us to join Him in His mission of
liberation. He allows us to stand as saviors on Mount Zion and,
through our proxy work in temples, make the blessings of the
atonement available to our loved ones who have died.
But
something interesting happens when we serve those beyond the veil. We
don’t just help deliver them from bondage; we gain blessings of
deliverance ourselves. One man discovered this truth
when he participated in indexing and was delivered from multiple
addictions that had bound him for years.
Deliverance
may be dramatic, or it may come in small ways. I love the experiences
shared by Kim Crenshaw Sorensen in this Ensign article.
When she followed a prompting to participate in family history, she
experienced tender mercies that provided deliverance from challenges
she faced in caring for her family and trying to balance the many
demands on her time.
Speaking
of the redemption of the dead, Joseph Smith exclaimed, “Let the
dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who
hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to
redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.”
(D&C 128:22, emphasis added.)
This
beautiful promise applies to us as well. President Russell M. Nelson taught,
“While temple and family history work has the power to bless
those beyond the veil, it has an equal power to bless the living.”
Through
family history and temple work, liberty comes to those on both sides
of the veil.
Kathryn Grant is a user assistance professional with a passion
for usability and process
improvement. She also loves family history and enjoys the challenge and
reward of building her family tree.
As a child, she lived outside the United States for four years because of her father's job. This experience fueled her natural love of words and language, and also taught her to appreciate other cultures.
Kathryn values gratitude, teaching, learning, differences, and unity. She loves looking at star-filled skies, reading mind-stretching books, listening to contemporary Christian music, attending the temple, and eating fresh raspberries.
Kathryn teaches Sunday family history classes at the BYU Family History Library, and presents frequently at family history events. For more information, visit her Family History Learning Resources page