“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” (Moroni 7:47). The word “possess” ultimately comes from a combination of the Latin words potis, which means “able, capable, possible”, and sedere, which means “to sit, to be seated, to be established, hold firm.” Therefore, to possess or be possessed of charity is to be able to take a seat at the table of the bounteous feast of our Savior's love. In Matthew 22, Jesus tells a parable of a king who invites people to the marriage feast of his son. All of the properly invited guests were given special wedding garments to signify their ability and right to take a seat at the table. One who was found without the garment and thus without the right was cast out. Similarly, in Matthew 25, Jesus describes how when He returns to reign as King of Kings, He will separate the sheep from the goats. Again, the sheep with their warm coats of wool signify their right or their ability to sit with the King and share in His love. Jesus then goes on to describe how these good sheep have wrapped themselves up in the mantle of charity. “For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40). Those with a seat at the table of charity do not selfishly and gluttonously gorge themselves, nor do they jealously guard their seat against all of those whom they deem unworthy, but rather they are focused on piling up their plates with as much love as they can carry and then going out into the world and sharing out that love with as many people as they can. As long as we are pleading to be blessed with more and more charity not for our own benefit but to bless the lives of others, Christ will continue to give us more than we can hold onto so that we remember to keep sharing it out. And as long as we keep sharing out our charity, we will always have a seat at the table.
