Post # 219 -- Part 4 -- Counsel from members
of the Twelve Apostles -- Despite Temple Closures,
Blessings Are Readily Available during
COVID-19 Pandemic, Elder Bednar Says
Contributed By Sarah Jane Weaver, Church News editor
- 20 APRIL 2020
Dear Family and Friends
I pray that each one of you are healthy and doing well. That you
are continuing to keep safe practices during this COVID 19 -
pandemic. Just because we are able to go out and about doesn't
mean for us to be careless or re;ax our guard yet. We must be safe
to protect ourselves and our families.
Today's post is another one in the series of counsel from the Quorum
of the Twelve Apostles. Today’s topic is on temples and blessings..
A topic very near and dear to my heart. I can't wait until a temple
near us opens back up; then i will need to plan a temple trip and
then go to the temple!!!!
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and Sister Susan Bednar
at the Star Valley Wyoming Temple in Afton, Wyoming, on Saturday, October 29, 2016.
Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
- ;;;; Press forward with faith, fortitude, courage,
- and the expectation that miracles will follow.
- ;;;; Ponder covenants related to obedience,
- sacrifice, consecration, the spirit of gospel,
- and moral purity.
- ;;;; Have a current temple recommend.
- ;;;; Learn more about family history research,
- indexing, and how to prepare names.
“There can be an equivalent spiritual power
in our own homes as we strive to remember the principles
and patterns taught in the temple and live them.” —Elder
David A. Bednar
RELATED LINKS
Editor’s note: This is part four in a series of counsel from members
of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles during the COVID-19
outbreak. Click on the following names to read counsel from
As recorded in the Old Testament, Jehovah promised the
children of Israel that as they carried the ark of the covenant—
the most sacred of their religious symbols—they would cross
the River Jordan on dry land.
that the “water did not part until their feet were wet.”
I think this is when we realize that the blessings
come after the trial of our faith.
of the past” that can be instructive to Latter-day Saints today
facing the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed
thousands of lives, crippled the world economy, and isolated world
populations, said the member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
In response to the coronavirus crisis, Church leaders made many
adaptations in order to be part of the solution to the pandemic—
The temple “is a point of intersection between heaven and earth,”
Elder Bednar said, adding that a person’s experiences in the temple
help him or her see far beyond mortality.
Still, during this time when temple work is not being performed,
blessings are readily available to Latter-day Saints, he said. Like
the children of Israel who carried the ark of the covenant into the
River Jordan knowing the waters would part, members must
press forward with fortitude, courage, and the expectation that
miracles will follow.
“If we will exercise the faith to press forward, then in the Lord’s
The temple “is a point of intersection between heaven and earth,”
I love what Elder Bednar said here.”The temple “is a point
of intersection between heaven and earth,” i love going to
the temple and I miss not being able to go. I am only able
to go once or twice a year.
I am truly grateful for my knowledge of eternal life as
this gives me an eternal perspective on things,, which
helps a lot during times of trials and tribulations.
If you have not been to the temple in a while or not at
all, this would be an awesome goal for you to go to the
temple. Whether we have been to the temple or not,
we can still exercise faith to press forward, then in the
wait on the Lord, believing that He will part the waters.
Just as He did for the children of Israel.
Honor Covenants
Elder Bednar, chairman of the Church’s Temple and Family
History Executive Council, spoke to the Church News via a
videoconference call weeks after the First Presidency
worldwide in response to the coronavirus crisis.
During this season of closed temples, members of The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can focus on “what we
learn and the Spirit that we feel in the temple,” said Elder Bednar.
“Obviously, the Spirit is not available only in the house of the
Lord,” he said. “If we are honoring the covenants, then we can
have that same Spirit with us always.”
Without the perspective of the gospel, many challenges, many of
the hardships of life “would be unbearable,” said Elder Bednar.
“But because we can recognize the scope of eternity and see
beyond the grave, then we can fresh courage take and continue
to press forward.”
The covenants and ordinances administered in the holy temples
are a great source of hope because they “focus on the Savior,
His mission, and what He has made possible for us.” No one
would choose to experience the COVID-19 pandemic, “but it
is upon us.”''
You may be feeling like this counsel about the temple
may not apply to you but there are things in Elder
Bednar’s counsel that can apply to you.
You can focus on the Savior no matter who or where
you are, right? So, together we can all focus on the
Savior. We can focus on His mission. And we can
focus on what He has made possible for each
one of us.
“With the eternal perspective that the restored gospel provides
and the grace that comes from the Savior’s Atonement, we can
learn lessons from the adversity of mortality that prepare us for
the blessings of eternity,” he said. “We have to pray. We have to
seek. We have to ask. We have to have eyes to see and ears to
hear. But we can be blessed in remarkable ways to learn lessons
that will bless us now and forever.”
You may not have an eternal perspective if you are not
a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints and that’s alright. You may not know about our
temples and that too is alright.
There are still things from Elder Bednar’s counsel.
We can all pray. We should all pray, especially now!
So if you have not had the pattern of prayer in your
past, now is a very good time to begin!!! We can all
seek the Lord, Jesus Christ.
We all must have eyes to see and ears to hear. Again,
if this has not been a practice in your life, now is
the time to begin!!!!
Observe Patterns
Elder Bednar said one purpose of the temple is “to observe the
patterns and to learn the principles that should be evident in
our own homes.”
It surely is true, he said, that Latter-day Saints go to the temple
and have magnificent spiritual experiences. “But more
importantly, we should return to our homes from the temple
and bring with us what we have learned and implement and
apply those teachings. There can be an equivalent spiritual
power in our own homes as we strive to remember the
principles and patterns taught in the temple and live them.”
If you have not been to the temple, and prayer and
scripture study has not been a practice in your home.
There is no time like the present to begin to
implement some changes in your homes.
You can begin your prayer and scripture study
almost immediately. That way you can follow Elder
Bednar’s counsel about taking what you have
learned and implement and apply those teachings
that you have learned from your scripture study,
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife,
Sister Susan Bednar, walk from the Rome Italy Temple on Monday, January
14, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles answers a
question during a press conference in the Rome Italy Temple Visitors’ Center
on Monday, January 14, 2019. Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Quoting the late Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the
Twelve Apostles, Elder Bednar said as Latter-day Saints “pass
through our holy temples,” they must also “let the holy temples
Nov. 1992).
“In a season when we have temporarily suspended temples’
operations, it is a choice opportunity to invite the covenants and
ordinances to pass through us,” the Apostle said. “The lessons
learned in our previous temple experiences are not recalled only
when we are in the temple.”
Those teachings “are in our minds, hopefully in our hearts. And
we can have access to those learnings and those memories
anytime.”
Petition the Lord
Elder Bednar said every individual has times in his or her life when
“prayers become more earnest and more meaningful.” Often
members petition the Lord in prayer in the temple.
“That is a powerful experience,” he said. “But the Lord is aware of
our circumstances and our situations. And He will not give any
less credence to an earnest sincere prayer offered in a family room
or kneeling at the side of a bed for this period of time. He will look
on us with great mercy and great compassion.”
That includes anyone wanting to enter the temple to receive
living ordinances—including temple weddings and sealings.
“I cannot imagine the sense of disappointment and even
heartache,” Elder Bednar said. “But the day will come. This
is a temporary interruption.”
With the temples closed we can still petition the
Lord in earnest prayer , Elder Bednar says that
the Lord “will look on us with great mercy and
great compassion,” we can pray any time, in any
place and for any reason. We must remember
that this is only a temporary interruption in
our lives.
Those whose temple weddings have been disrupted will,
through their own spiritual preparation and prayer, know
how to proceed, he said. “Every individual and each couple
can know what needs to be done,” he said. “They should
be patient and wait upon the Lord. And He will whisper to
them by the power of His Spirit in simple ways, and they
will know what to do.”
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles smiles during a press
conference in the Rome Italy Temple Visitors’ Center on Monday, January 14, 2019.
Photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News.
Hold a Temple Recommend
Every individual should have a current temple recommend
during this time, he added.
“The importance of having a temple recommend is not just
an operational element of being a member of the Savior’s
restored Church,” he said.
President Howard W. Hunter called the temple “the great
symbol of [our] membership” because the temple is the
“supernal setting for [our] most sacred covenants” (“The
Said Elder Bednar, “We should always be worthy of and
carry with usw a valid temple recommend.”
I have tried to keep my temple recommend up to
date, ever since I received my first one.
If you have a temple recommend, be sure that
you check it periodically. I let mine laps one time
and barely caught it right before my temple trip.
You should also make sure that you have your
temple recommend with you when you are
leaving for the temple, I forgot mine one time
and I spent my time on the temple grounds and
in the annex while my granddaughter was inside
the temple.
President Dallin H. Oaks, First Counselor in the First Presidency, right, greets Elder
David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan
Bednar, as they prepare to walk through the Oakland California Temple on Saturday,
June 15, 2019. Photo by Steve Griffin, Deseret News.
This season of suspended operations can help members with
ready access to temples appreciate those Latter-day Saints who
ride on buses or boats for days to reach the temple. Some faithful
members may visit a temple only once or twice in their lives.
“We would not choose this present set of circumstances,” he said.
“But given that they are upon us, it will help us have eyes to see
things we have never seen before and ears to hear things that we
have never heard before. Our appreciation should be greatly
increased, because often those of us who live close to temples
can become casual and take them for granted.
We might take this time to remember our covenants
we made in the temple. We can learn more about the
temples in our area. We can learn about those early
Latter-day Saints who struggled to cross the plains,
to leave winter quarters, to learn of others who
want to go to the temple but cannot afford the long
trip to reach the temple closest to them,
This is a season “where we can focus on having the blessings
of temple covenants and ordinances pass through us,” he
emphasized.
Members can focus on and ponder covenants related to
obedience, sacrifice, consecration, the spirit of gospel, and
moral purity. “That powerful spirit is not restricted to the
house of the Lord. If we are honoring the covenants, then
we can have that same spirit with us always.” Additionally,
said Elder Bednar, is the fact that temples “are nourished
by names.”
“For people who live very fast-paced and hectic lives, this
is a marvelous opportunity to learn more about family
history research, indexing, and how to prepare many, many
names for the day when the temple doors will open again.
So this is a chance to increase our understanding of family
history work—and to do more of that sacred work.”
Now this is something that we can all do. We can
do family history work. We can make a family tree
with our family members. We can all do indexing.
If you are unfamiliar with these terms you can go
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Susan
Bednar, speak during a fireside at BYU–Idaho in Rexburg on Sunday, September 22,
2019. Photo by Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News.
Press Forward
Elder Bednar said the Lord has prepared the Church for times
like this. “No unhallowed hand can stop this work from
progressing, and no pandemic will stop this work from
progressing either,” he said. “In the midst of all of the
challenges we face now dealing with this virus, the work goes
forward.”
Elder Bruce R. McConkie, he said, once compared the Church
to a wagon train. In spite of difficult, rough terrain and rivers
that must be crossed, “the caravan moves on” (“The Caravan
Elder Bednar added: “Are there temporary setbacks? Yes. Is
there discouragement and disappointment? Yes. But ‘the
caravan moves on.’”
The world will get through this pandemic, he said. “We do not
know how long it will take, but we will overcome. And we may
not resume our previous pattern of life exactly as we knew it,
but many of those adaptations and changes will be very positive.
“The kingdom of God continues to move forward, and especially
in the temples.”
the 17th President of the Church that the temple—not the
building but the ordinances and covenants—is the focus of all
that Latter-day Saints do in coming unto Christ, said Elder
Bednar.
President Nelson announced at the conclusion of general
conference in April that the Church will build eight new temples
in nations across the globe. With these announcements, the
Church has 168 dedicated temples, with 15 under construction
and another 42 announced.
Recalling the invitation for all Latter-day Saints to hold an active
temple recommend, pray, and remember their temple covenants,
Elder Bednar promised Church members that if they press forward
with faith, the “waters will part” and temple work for both the living
and the dead will resume.
“More temples will be announced in future conferences,” he said.
“The caravan moves on.”
We are here at the end of this counsel from Elder
Bednar. We should all remember what he said about
this pandemic: “The world will get through this
pandemic, he said. “We do not know how long it will
take, but we will overcome. And we may not resume
our previous pattern of life exactly as we knew it,
but many of those adaptations and changes will be
very positive.” These are words of encouragement
and hope for each of us.
I challenge each one of you to set a goal to do your
family history work, this is something that we can
continue to do even after this pandemic is over. And
if you have not tried indexing, please give it a try,
doing this work is so important. You are helping many
people through indexing.
I hope you will give indexing a try. Please remember
who you are. You are each a child of God, Stay safe
and keep following the COVID 19 regulations for your
local area.
Do all you can to keep the spread of this virus to a
minimum. Until my next post, keep praying. Keep
studying the Book of Mormon with me and all of our
cyber study buddies out there in cyberspace. Don't
forget to have a great week
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