Lesson
by Andrea
Teachings
of the Presidents of the Church
Lorenzo
Snow
Lesson
17
“Priesthood—“for
the Salvation of the Human Family””
Andrea began her
lesson by telling us that Priesthood power on earth exists for our
salvation. And the Holy Priesthood is given to all of us—we are
charged with its maintenance, though in different ways. It is held
by the priests but supported by us, and in that sense our
responsibility to maintain and support the priesthood is just as
important as the work done by the priests themselves.
Andrea read an
incident from President Lorenzo Snow’s life as told through his
journal entries:
Elder Snow was
ordained an Apostle on February 12, 1849. Eight months later, he was
called to establish a mission in Italy. When he arrived in Italy in
June 1850, he and his companions found that the people in the major
cities were not ready to receive the gospel.
“But a people
known as the Waldenses attracted his attention, and he felt inspired
to work among them. The Waldenses had lived for centuries in the
secluded Piedmont region—a mountain valley just south of the
Italy-Switzerland border and east of the Italy-France border. Having
formed their society because of a desire for religious reform, they
were dedicated to studying the Bible and following the example of the
Savior’s Apostles.
Elder Snow said
that when he considered preaching the gospel among the Waldenses, “a
flood of light seemed to burst upon my mind.” But despite these
assurances, he felt that it was unwise to begin active missionary
work immediately because enemies of the Church had distributed
publications among the people, spreading lies about the Church. Elder
Snow reported, “As I felt it was the mind of the Spirit that we
should proceed at first, by slow and cautious steps, I submitted to
the will of heaven.”
Although the
missionaries did not begin preaching right away, Elder Snow oversaw
the publication of pamphlets in Italian and French. In addition, he
and his companions befriended the people around them. “We
endeavoured to lay a foundation for future usefulness,” he said,
“in silently preparing the minds of the people for the reception of
the Gospel, by cultivating friendly feelings in the bosoms of those
by whom we were surrounded. Yet I felt it rather singular, and no
small tax upon patience, to be weeks, and months, in the midst of an
interesting people, without being actively and publicly engaged in
communicating the great principles which I had come to promulgate.”
The Waldenses’
feelings about the Church began to change significantly after Elder
Snow administered a priesthood blessing to a boy who had become very
ill. Elder Snow wrote the following in his journal:
“Sept.
6th.—This morning my attention was directed to Joseph Guy, a boy
three years of age, the youngest child of our host. Many friends had
been to see the child, as to all human appearance, his end was nigh
at hand. I went to see him in the afternoon: death was making havoc
of his body; his former healthy frame was now reduced to a skeleton,
and it was only by close observation we could discern he was alive.”
Troubled by the
opposition to the preaching of the gospel and concerned about little
Joseph Guy, Elder Snow turned to the Lord for help that evening. He
later recalled: “For some hours before I retired to rest, I called
upon the Lord to assist us at this time. My feelings on this occasion
will not be easily erased from memory.
“Sept.
7th.—This morning, I proposed … that we should fast, and retire
to the mountains, and pray. As we departed, we called and saw the
child; his eyeballs turned upwards: his eyelids fell and closed: his
face and ears were thin, and wore the pale marble hue, indicative of
approaching dissolution. The cold perspiration of death covered his
body, and the principle of life was nearly exhausted. Madame Guy and
other females were sobbing, while Monsieur Guy hung his head.”
Whispering to Elder Snow and the other missionaries, Monsieur Guy
said, “He dies. He dies.”
Elder Snow
continued: “After a little rest upon the mountains, aside from any
likelihood of interruption, we there called upon the Lord in solemn
prayer, to spare the life of the child. As I contemplated the course
we wished to pursue and the claims we should soon advance to the
world, I regarded this circumstance as one of vast importance. I know
not any sacrifice which I could possibly make, that I was not willing
to offer that the Lord might grant our requests.”
When they
returned to the Guy family that afternoon, Elder Snow gave Joseph a
priesthood blessing. They went to see the family a few hours later,
and Joseph’s father, “with a smile of thankfulness,” told them
the boy was much better.
“Sept. 8.—The
child had been so well, the parents were enabled to betake themselves
to rest, which they had not done for some time previous. To-day, they
were enabled to leave him, and attend to their business.” When
Joseph’s mother expressed her joy at the boy’s recovery, Elder
Snow responded, “The God of heaven has done this for you.”
“From that
hour he began to amend,” recounted Elder Snow, “and with a heart
filled with gratitude to our heavenly Father, I am happy to say, that
in a few days he left his bed, and joined his little companions.”
Andrea
reiterated what President Snow said, “The God of heaven has done
this for you.” This says it all for us today. The Priesthood is
from the God of heaven. The Priesthood holders in our life have a
tremendous responsibility to be the instruments of our Father in
Heaven.
Andrea reached
out to some of the men in our ward and asked them the following
questions:
1-What does the
Priesthood mean to you?
2-Was there a
time in your life when you did not live the gospel as well as you
might like and , if so, what was the effect in your life?
3-How can your
family members, especially your wife, help support you in your
priesthood responsibilities?
Some of the
responses follow:
Question 1:
“From my perspective, the priesthood has given me the opportunity
to do many tings that I never dreamt I could do. . .I have seen the
difference the priesthood has made in my life, however, the dramatic
positive results that have happened in my life when I lived the
commitments I had made.”
“To me,
priesthood means stewardship and responsibility. It means there is
an expectation upon me for my behavior and everything that I think,
say, and do. It is an honor and not a burden, but definitely reminds
me to represent Jesus Christ as a priesthood holder should do.”
“I often feel
that my wife is more closely connected with God, our kids and people
generally. She has this natural tendency toward compassion and love
that take a lot of work, thought and effort for me to achieve. She
has this ability to hone in on people’s needs and help them meet
it…she does it with grace, skill and caring. Me, however, not so
much grace, skill or caring. . . I suppose that one aspect of the
priesthood is that it provides a duty that spurs me into the same
actions that my wife takes naturally. As a result of taking those
actions or service and acting in the stead of God, I can receive the
same blessings, benefits and feelings that my wife achieves. As
those duties are fulfilled, they move from duties to desires for
righteousness because of positive feedback I receive. On the other
hand, as I slip back into “natural man” the duties (and guilt)
spur me back to action, providing a net positive balance.”
Question 2:
“When I was in my undergrad at Weber State, I worked at Mackay Dee
hospital in Ogden. I worked in the clinical lab…most of them were
members of the Church and Elders. Many of the departments in the
hospital knew of the high concentration of Elders in the lab and the
flexibility our boss would give us (he was also an Elder) to
administer blessings to patients in the hospital. Because of this
reputation, we would frequently get calls from the floors to go give
blessings.
This was a
really interesting experience for me in many ways: 1) the
faithfulness of so many people to call upon the Priesthood (from
complete strangers) to petition our Heavenly Father on their behalf,
2) the blessing it was for me to be a conduit to exercise the
Priesthood, and 3) how it made me consider my personal, daily
behavior. There was an occasion where the lab received a call for
Elders to give a blessing. On that particular day I was off. I
don’t recall exactly what happened, but I know I didn’t feel
comfortable exercising the Priesthood. I told my co-workers I
couldn’t go so a couple of other guys went up on the floor to
administer the blessing. It left me pondering the importance of the
Priesthood, the trust our Heavenly Father bestowed upon imperfect
mortals and the blessing it was for me to be contemplative about my
personal behavior. There are little things that can drive the Spirit
away from us…I realized it is important that I be cognizant of the
variables in my life that affect the ability for the Spirit to be
with me. As with exercising the Priesthood, you never know when you
will need the direction of the Spirit; it can happen at any time.”
Question 3:
“My wife supports me in my priesthood responsibility by being a
full partner in helping me fulfill my priesthood duties. I think the
wife of a priesthood holder should proactively share the
responsibility of the priesthood by not waiting for her husband to
take the lead if there is an opportunity for her to take the lead…I
may be the priesthood holder, but she has every right to exercise her
responsibility when I am not there or not doing it myself.”
“…Men in the
Church are simultaneously told to treat their wife with great care,
deference and kindliness. He is also told to “preside over his
family”. Yet he is told that he is an “equal partner” with his
wife in executing his responsibilities with his wife. All of this is
VERY confusing. . .the vast majority of men that chose to go to
church every Sunday, pay a full tithe, honor his marital vows and
provide for his family has self-selected into a very compliant,
humble, mature, God-fearing group. . .the vast majority of men
receiving the simultaneous messages of presiding and being solicitous
are very good men that desire to do the right thing.”
Andrea used a
level as an example to show the Relief Society sisters that as
keeping the bubble in the middle of the level is hard, so it is for
Priesthood holders to maintain balance in the right place to be able
to exercise their Priesthood power. We, as sisters, are able to
influence the Priesthood holders so they are in balance instead of
judgement.
Andrea closed
her lesson by praying that each one of us will be a leveling force in
the lives of our Priesthood members-that we may each help them
receive the full blessings of the Priesthood, so that they may
exercise it for our salvation, theirs, and the salvation of our
families and community.
