By President Henry B. Eyring bishop to work with my secretary to First Counselor in the First Presidency find the best date. Imagine my surprise and delight when the father told me in church that the sealing is set for April 3. That was the day in 1836 when Elijah, the trans- Families under lated prophet, was sent to the Kirtland Temple to give the sealing power to Joseph Smith and to Oliver Cowdery. Those keys reside in the Church today Covenant 3 and will continue to the end of time. It is the same divine authorization There is nothing that has come or will come into your family given by the Lord to Peter, as He had as important as the sealing blessings. promised: “And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and appreciate being gathered with Wonderful changes continued as he whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth you in this meeting to which all the went to the holy temple for an endow- shall be loosed in heaven.” 4 I holders of the priesthood of God in ment that the Lord described to those The return of Elijah blessed all who the earth are invited. We are blessed whom He empowered in the first hold the priesthood. Elder Harold B. to be presided over by President temple in this dispensation. It was in Lee made that clear as he spoke in Thomas S. Monson. As the President Kirtland, Ohio. The Lord said of that: general conference, quoting President of the Church, he is the one man alive “Wherefore, for this cause I gave Joseph Fielding Smith. Listen carefully: who is responsible for the keys that unto you the commandment that ye “I hold the priesthood; you brethren seal families and all those priesthood should go to the Ohio; and there I will here hold the priesthood; we have ordinances necessary to attain eternal give unto you my law; and there you received the Melchizedek Priesthood— life, the greatest of all the gifts of God. shall be endowed with power from which was held by Elijah and by other There is a father listening tonight on high; prophets and by Peter, James and John. who has come back from inactivity “And from thence, . . . for I have a But while we have authority to baptize, because he wants the assurance of great work laid up in store, for Israel while we have authority to lay on hands that gift with all his heart. He and his shall be saved, and I will lead them for the gift of the Holy Ghost and to wife love their two small children, a whithersoever I will, and no power ordain others and do all these things, boy and a girl. Like other parents he shall stay my hand.” 2 without the sealing power we could do can foresee heavenly happiness when For my recently activated friend nothing, for there would be no validity he reads these words: “And that same and for all the priesthood, a great to that which we did.” sociality which exists among us here work ahead is to lead in saving the President Smith went on: will exist among us there, only it will part of Israel for which we are or “The higher ordinances, the greater be coupled with eternal glory, which will be responsible, our families. My blessings which are essential to exalta- glory we do not now enjoy.” 1 friend and his wife knew that requires tion in the kingdom of God, and which That father listening with us tonight being sealed by the power of the can only be obtained in certain places, knows the path to that glorious Melchizedek Priesthood in a holy no man has a right to perform except as destination. It is not easy. He already temple of God. he receives the authority to do it from knows that. It took faith in Jesus He asked that I perform the sealing. the one who holds the keys. . . . Christ, deep repentance, and a change He and his wife wanted it done as “. . . There is no man upon the in his heart that came with a kind soon as possible. But with the busy face of this earth who has the right to bishop helping him feel the Lord’s time of general conference approach- go forth and administer in any of the loving forgiveness. ing, I left it to the couple and their ordinances of this gospel unless the 62 President of the Church, who holds revelator and President of The Church or continents away from you. But joy the keys, sanctions it. He has given of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” 6 came from a feeling that connections us authority, he has put the sealing At the coming of Elijah, not only with them are sure because you are or power in our priesthood, because he was power given to the priesthood, can be bound to them by priesthood holds those keys.” 5 but also hearts were to be turned: ordinances that God will honor. That same assurance came from “The spirit, power, and calling of Elijah Melchizedek Priesthood holders President Boyd K. Packer as he wrote is, that ye have power to hold the key who are fathers in sealed families have of the sealing power. Knowing these of the revelation, ordinances, oracles, been taught what they must do. There words are true is a comfort to me, as powers and endowments of the full- is nothing that has come or will come it will be to the family I will seal on ness of the Melchizedek Priesthood into your family as important as the April 3: “Peter was to hold the keys. and of the kingdom of God on the sealing blessings. There is nothing more Peter was to hold the sealing power, . . . earth; and to receive, obtain, and important than honoring the marriage to bind or seal on earth or to loose on perform all the ordinances belonging and family covenants you have made or earth and it would be so in the heavens. to the kingdom of God, even unto will make in the temples of God. Those keys belong to the President of the turning of the hearts of the fathers The way to do that is clear. The Holy the Church—to the prophet, seer, and unto the children, and the hearts of Spirit of Promise, through our obedi- revelator. That sacred sealing power the children unto the fathers, even ence and sacrifice, must seal our temple is with the Church now. Nothing is those who are in heaven.” 7 covenants in order to be realized in the regarded with more sacred contempla- That feeling of his heart turning has world to come. President Harold B. Lee tion by those who know the signifi- already come to my friend and to his explained what it means to be sealed cance of this authority. Nothing is more family. It may have come to you in this by the Holy Spirit of Promise by quot- closely held. There are relatively few meeting. You may have seen in your ing Elder Melvin J. Ballard: “We may men who [hold] this sealing power upon mind, as I have, the face of your father deceive men but we cannot deceive the the earth at any given time—in each or your mother. It may have been a Holy Ghost, and our blessings will not temple are brethren who have been sister or a brother. It may have been a be eternal unless they are also sealed given the sealing power. No one can daughter or a son. by the Holy Spirit of promise. The Holy get it except from the prophet, seer, and They may be in the spirit world Ghost is one who reads the thoughts

May 2012 63 lead your family home again to be with Heavenly Father and the Savior. First, gain and keep a sure witness that the keys of the priesthood are with us and held by the President of the Church. Pray for that every day. The answer will come with an increase in determination to lead your family, in your feelings of hope, and with greater happiness in your service. You will be more cheerful and optimistic, a great blessing for your wife and family. The second imperative is to love your wife. It will take faith and humil- ity to put her interests above your own in the struggles of life. You have the responsibility to provide for and to nurture the family with her while serv- ing others. That can at times consume all the energy and strength you have. Age and illness may increase your wife’s needs. If you choose even then to put her happiness above your own, I promise you that your love for her will increase. and hearts of men, and gives his sealing believe that this man could be the Third, enlist the entire family to approval to the blessings pronounced prophet of God?” love each other. President Ezra Taft upon their heads. Then it is binding, President Smith had just entered Benson taught: efficacious, and of full force.” 8 the room and had not yet spoken a “In an eternal sense, salvation is a When Sister Eyring and I were word. I am eternally grateful that I was family affair. . . . sealed in the Logan Utah Temple, I did able to answer because of what came “Above all else, children need to not understand then the full signifi- down into my heart, “I know he is,” and know and feel they are loved, wanted, cance of that promise. I am still trying I knew it as surely as I knew the sun and appreciated. They need to be to understand all that it means, but my was shining that he held the priesthood assured of that often. Obviously, this wife and I decided at the start of our sealing power for all the earth. is a role parents should fill, and most nearly 50 years of marriage to invite That experience gave his words often the mother can do it best.” 10 the Holy Ghost as much as we could great power for me and my wife when, But another crucial source for that into our lives and into our family. in a conference session on April 6, feeling of being loved is love from As a young father, sealed in the 1972, President Joseph Fielding Smith other children in the family. Consistent temple and with my heart turned to gave the following counsel: “It is the care of brothers and sisters for each my wife and a young family, I met will of the Lord to strengthen and other will come only with persistent President Joseph Fielding Smith for preserve the family unit. We plead with effort by parents and the help of God. the first time. In the First Presidency fathers to take their rightful place as the You know that is true from experi- council room, where I had been head of the house. We ask mothers to ence in your own families. And it is invited, came an absolutely sure wit- sustain and support their husbands and confirmed each time you read of the ness to me as President Harold B. Lee to be lights to their children.” 9 family conflicts faced by righteous asked me, indicating President Smith, Let me suggest four things you can Lehi and his wife, Sariah, in the Book who was sitting next to him, “Do you do as a priesthood father to lift and of Mormon record. 64 The successes they won provide a You will remember the words, but compulsory means it shall flow unto guide for us. They taught the gos- you may not have seen their power thee forever and ever.” 12 pel of Jesus Christ so well and so for a Melchizedek Priesthood holder That is a high standard for us, persistently that children and even preparing his family for living in the but when we with faith control our some descendants over generations same sociality that they will have in tempers and subdue our pride, the had hearts softened toward God the celestial kingdom. You remember Holy Ghost gives His approval, and and toward each other. For instance, the words. They are so familiar: sacred promises and covenants Nephi and others wrote and reached “No power or influence can or become sure. out to family members who had been ought to be maintained by virtue of You will succeed through your faith their enemies. The Spirit at times the priesthood, only by persuasion, that the Lord sent back the keys of the softened the hearts of thousands and by long-suffering, by gentleness and priesthood, which are still with us— replaced hatred with love. meekness, and by love unfeigned; with a sure bond of love with your One way for you to reproduce the “By kindness, and pure knowledge, wife, with the Lord’s help in turning successes of Father Lehi is by the way which shall greatly enlarge the soul the hearts of your children to each you lead family prayers and family time, without hypocrisy, and without guile— other and to their parents, and with such as family home evenings. Give “Reproving betimes with sharpness, love guiding you to correct and exhort children opportunities to pray, when when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; in a way that invites the Spirit. they can pray, for each other in the cir- and then showing forth afterwards an I know that Jesus is the Christ and cle who need blessings. Discern quickly increase of love toward him whom is our Savior. I testify that President the beginnings of discord and recog- thou hast reproved, lest he esteem Thomas S. Monson holds and exer- nize acts of unselfish service, especially thee to be his enemy; cises all the keys of the priesthood on to each other. When they pray for each “That he may know that thy faith- the earth today. I love and sustain him. other and serve each other, hearts will fulness is stronger than the cords I love and pray for you. In the sacred be softened and turned to each other of death.” 11 name of Jesus Christ, amen. ◼ and to their parents. And later the promise comes of NOTES The fourth opportunity to lead your great worth for us as fathers in Zion: 1. Doctrine and Covenants 130:2. family in the Lord’s way comes when “The Holy Ghost shall be thy con- 2. Doctrine and Covenants 38:32–33. discipline is needed. We can meet our stant companion, and thy scepter an 3. See Joseph Fielding Smith, Sealing Power and Salvation, Brigham Young University obligation to correct in the Lord’s way unchanging scepter of righteousness Speeches of the Year ( Jan. 12, 1971), and then lead our children toward and truth; and thy dominion shall be speeches.byu.edu. eternal life. an everlasting dominion, and without 4. Matthew 16:19. 5. Joseph Fielding Smith, quoted by Harold B. Lee, in Conference Report, Oct. 1944, 75. Tirana, Albania 6. Boyd K. Packer, “The Holy Temple,” Liahona and Ensign, Oct. 2010, 34. 7. Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 11. 8. Melvin J. Ballard, quoted by Harold B. Lee, in Conference Report, Oct. 1970, 111. 9. Joseph Fielding Smith, “Counsel to the Saints and to the World,” Ensign, July 1972, 27. 10. Ezra Taft Benson, “Salvation—a Family Affair,” Tambuli, Nov. 1992, 3, 4; Ensign, July 1992, 2, 4. 11. Doctrine and Covenants 121:41–44. 12. Doctrine and Covenants 121:46.

To watch the video of President Eyring’s address, scan this image with a QR-enabled smartphone.

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