My dear brethren, I
have looked forward to this virtual
meeting with you. The last time we
held a Priesthood Session of general
conference was in April 2019. Much has happened in
the past two years! Some of you have
lost loved ones. Others have lost jobs,
livelihood, or health. Still others have lost
a sense of peace or hope for the future. My heart goes out
to each one of you who has suffered
these or other losses. I pray constantly that
the Lord will comfort you. As you continue to let
God prevail in your life, I know that He is just as
optimistic about your future as He has ever been. Amid the losses we
have experienced, there are also some
things we have found. Some have found deeper
faith in our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Many have found a fresh
perspective on life--even an eternal perspective. You may have found stronger
relationships with your loved ones and with the Lord. And I hope you have found
an increased ability to hear Him and receive
personal revelation. Difficult trials often
provide opportunities to grow that would not
have come in any other way. Think back on the
past two years. How have you grown? What have you learned? You might initially wish
you could go back to 2019 and stay there! But if you look at
your life prayerfully, I believe you will see many
ways in which the Lord has been guiding you through
this time of hardship, helping you to become a more
devoted, more converted man-- a true man of God. I know the Lord has
great and marvelous plans for us--individually
and collectively. With compassion and patience, He
says: "Ye are little children, and ye have not as yet
understood how great blessings the Father hath ...
prepared for you; "And ye cannot bear all
things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for
I will lead you along." My dear brothers, I testify
that He has been, and is, indeed leading us along,
as we seek to hear Him. He wants us to grow and to
learn, even through and perhaps especially through adversity. Adversity is a great teacher. What have you learned
in the past two years that you always
want to remember? Your answers will be
unique to you, but may I suggest four lessons I hope we
have all learned and will never forget. LESSON 1: The home is the
center of faith and worship. Often when the Lord
warns us about the perils of the last days, He counsels
thus: "Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved." These "holy places" certainly
include the Lord's temples and meetinghouses. But as our ability to gather
in these places has been restricted in varying degrees,
we have learned that one of the holiest of places
on earth is the home--yes, even your home. Brethren, you bear
the priesthood of God. "The rights of the
priesthood are inseparably connected with the
powers of heaven." You and your family members have
received priesthood ordinances. It is "in the ordinances
[of the priesthood], [that] the power of
godliness is manifest." That power is available
to you and your family in your own home as you keep
the covenants you have made. Just 185 years ago--this
very day--April 3, 1836, Elijah restored the keys of
the priesthood that allow our families to be
sealed together forever. That is why it felt
so good to administer the sacrament in your home. How do you think it
affected your family members to see you, their father,
grandfather, husband, son, or brother, administer
this holy ordinance? What will you do to retain that
sacred feeling in your family? You may feel that
there is still more you need to do to make your
home truly a sanctuary of faith. If so, please do it! If you are married, counsel with
your wife as your equal partner in this crucial work. There are few pursuits
more important than this. Between now and the time
the Lord comes again, we all need our
homes to be places of serenity and security. Attitudes and actions
that invite the Spirit will increase the
holiness of your home. Equally certain is
the fact that holiness will vanish if there is anything
in your behavior or environment that offends the Holy Spirit,
for then "the heavens withdraw themselves." Have you ever
wondered why the Lord wants us to make our
homes the center of gospel learning and gospel living? It is not just to prepare
us for, and help us through, a pandemic. Present restrictions on
gathering will eventually end. However, your commitment
to make your home your primary sanctuary of
faith should never end. As faith and holiness
decrease in this fallen world, your need for holy
places will increase. I urge you to continue to make
your home a truly holy place, "and be not moved" from
that essential goal. LESSON 2: We need each other. God wants us to work
together and help each other. That is why He sends
us to earth in families and organizes us into
wards and stakes. That is why He asks us to serve
and minister to each other. That is why He asks us
to live in the world but not be of the world. We can accomplish so much more
together than we can alone. God's plan of happiness
would be frustrated if His children remained
isolated one from another. The recent pandemic has
been unique in that it has affected
everyone in the world at essentially the same time. While some have suffered
more than others, we have all been
challenged in some way. Because of this,
our common trial has the potential to help unite
God's children as never before. So, I ask, has this shared
trial drawn you closer to your neighbors--to your
brothers and sisters across the street and around the world? In this regard, the
two great commandments can guide us: first, to
love God, and second, to love our neighbor. We show our love by serving. If you know of
anyone who is alone, reach out--even if
you feel alone too! You do not need to have a
reason or a message or business to transact. Just say hello and
show your love. Technology can help you. Pandemic or not, each
precious child of God needs to know that he
or she is not alone! LESSON 3: Your priesthood
quorum is meant for more than just a meeting. During the pandemic,
Sunday quorum meetings were canceled for a time. Some quorums are now
able to meet virtually. Nevertheless, the
work that the Lord has given to priesthood
quorums was never meant to be confined
to a meeting. Meetings are only a small part
of what a quorum is meant for and what it can do. My brethren of the Aaronic
Priesthood and elders quorums, expand your vision
of why we have quorums. How does the Lord wish you would
use your quorum to accomplish His work--now? Seek revelation from the Lord. Humble yourself! Ask! Listen! If you have been called to
lead, counsel as a presidency and with quorum members. Whatever your priesthood
office or calling, let God prevail
in your commitment as a member of your quorum
and in your service. Experience with joy
the righteousness you will bring to pass as
you are "anxiously engaged in a good cause." Quorums are in a unique
position to accelerate the gathering of Israel
on both sides of the veil. LESSON 4: We hear Jesus Christ
better when we are still. We live in a time prophesied
long ago, when "all things shall be in commotion; and
surely, men's hearts shall fail them; for fear shall
come upon all people." That was true
before the pandemic, and it will be true after. Commotion in the world
will continue to increase. In contrast, the voice of the
Lord is not "a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but ... it
[is] a still voice of perfect mildness, [like] a whisper, and
it [pierces] even to the very soul." In order to hear this still
voice, you too must be still! For a time, the pandemic
has canceled activities that would normally fill our lives. Soon, we may be able to
choose to fill that time again with the noise and
commotion of the world. Or we can use our
time to hear the voice of the Lord whispering His
guidance, comfort, and peace. Quiet time is sacred time--time
that will facilitate personal revelation and instill peace. Discipline yourself to have time
alone and with your loved ones. Open your heart
to God in prayer. Take time to immerse
yourself in the scriptures and worship in the temple. My dear brethren,
there are many things the Lord wants us to
learn from our experiences during this pandemic. I have listed only four. I invite you to
make your own list, consider it carefully, and
share it with those you love. The future is bright for
God's covenant-keeping people. The Lord will increasingly call
upon His servants who worthily hold the priesthood to bless,
comfort, and strengthen mankind and to help prepare the
world and its people for His Second Coming. It behooves each
of us to measure up to the sacred ordination
we have received. We can do this! I so testify, with
my expression of love for each of you, my
beloved brethren, in the sacred name of
Jesus Christ, amen.
