I was inspired this week by this speech given at a BYU forum. It is worth a listen.

Then, throughout the week, after I had listened to this, I ran across several things that caused me to pause and think. When taken together, a theme emerged and I felt a need to reevaluate my efforts to care for the most vulnerable among us.

Our society must make it right and possible for old people not to fear the young or be deserted by them, for the test of a civilization is the way that it cares for its helpless members.

— Pearl S. Buck

Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

— Ezekiel 16:49

“We are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, to provide for the widow, to dry up the tear of the orphan, to comfort the afflicted, whether in this church, or in any other, or in no church at all.”

— Joseph Smith, Times & Seasons, 15 March 1842

Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

— Mosiah 4:17-19

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