They, the Builders of the Nation

"In imitating the exemplary acts of a god or of a mythic hero, or simply by recounting their adventures, the man of an archaic society detaches himself from profane time and magically re-enters the Great Time, the sacred time." Mircea Eliade, Myths, Dreams, and Mysteries

Ultimately one can think of the Sacred as that which either has meaning in itself or serves to draw our minds back to such things. Eliade posited that religions center around an "eternal return" to the Sacred: rituals reenact the Sacred and even allow us to become participants in the great drama. We are not merely remembering Christ's sacrifice when we take Communion but are fellow-guests at the Last Supper, just as we are explicitly baptized to follow the example of Jesus Christ.

Another good example is that of the Mormon Pioneers. By taking the Exodus from Egypt as an example they were able to take strength in their afflictions- even from their afflictions. They were heading to their own Promised Land just as the children of Israel were, and just as surely were being lead by God. Indeed, even the Exodus fell into an archetypal flight from Babylon to Zion.

For the modern-day Church, the trials of the Pioneers have fallen into the Sacred. We are regularly called to remember them and see ourselves in their shoes- we even stage a Pioneer Trek every four years so that the youth can relive it. Just as the Pioneers found strength in the Exodus, so too can we take strength from remembering that we are all pioneers in some manner, and by putting ourselves in their place we can discover that when you follow in the footsteps of another, your way is made easier because of the rocks that have already been moved by those that went before you.

Well is it said of them, and well may it also be said of us as we identify ourselves with their mantle:

They, the builders of the nation,
Blazing trails along the way;
Stepping-stones for generations
Were their deeds of ev'ry day.
Building new and firm foundations,
Pushing on the wild frontier,
Forging onward, ever onward,
Blessed, honored Pioneer!

Ida R. Alldredge, They, the Builders of the Nation