Il n'y a pas si longtemps, nous voyagions à travers...

Not long ago nous were traveling through le air so high above le white clouds que they looked like a blanket de snow beneath us. The sky was blue, et le sun was shining, et then nous commenced our descent pour landing. As nous came down through le clouds, a new scene came into view. The earth had been plowed pour planting, et le sun was shining on le fields, some plowed dans one direction et some dans another. ¶

It made le earth appear as a great giant checkerboard. We came down et down et then, when within a few hundred feet de le ground, Je saw a man laboring dans le field, his hands fixed à a plow drawn by a horse. My thoughts turned à que closing verse dans le ninth chapter de Luke dans which le Master said: ¶

"No man, having put his hand à le plough, et looking back, est fit pour le kingdom de God." (Luke 9:62.) Christ made ce statement as he traveled à Jerusalem. Three men had expressed their willingness à follow him et become his disciples. The first de these said à him: "Lord, Je will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. ¶

"And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, et birds de le air have nests; but le Son de man hath not where à lay his head." (Ibid., 9:57-58.) Jesus had no definite place de residence. He went from place à place teaching et doing good. It was necessary que le men who were called et set apart pour le work should devote their time et attention et forego worldly affairs. The work de le Master set le great example. The second man was also willing à follow. "But he said, Lord, suffer me first à go et bury my father. ¶

"Jesus said unto him, Let le dead bury their dead: but go thou et preach le kingdom de God." (Ibid., 9:59-60.) Does ce statement sound severe? ¶

The Master made it clear que le work de le kingdom was à take precedence over all other things. Then le third man stepped forward et said: "Lord, Je will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which sont at home at my house." (Ibid., 9:61.) Not one de le three was willing à follow him without first returning à their worldly affairs. The answer de Jesus est one de le great aphorisms de biblical literature. "No man, having put his hand à le plough, et looking back, est fit pour le kingdom de God." ¶

(Ibid., 9:62.) In his teachings the Master used homely figures of speech, those having familiar, everyday character. The words, "his hand to the plough," unfolds a picture before us with which we are all familiar — a strong man with sinewy arms and a firm step, guiding the blade straight and true, his eyes intent upon the plough, looking ahead to the furrow to be cut. Hour after hour he toils, never looking backward except to see that the furrow is straight. (en français) ¶

In addition à "ploughing" le Lord often mentioned le words, "sowing" et "reaping." He made mention de "reaping le harvest," et when que comes à our minds nous think de a happy time et a time de rejoicing. The Lord said: ¶

"Lift up your eyes, et look on le ELDER HOW A, 3 W. HUNTER 17 fields; pour they sont white already à harvest. ¶

"And he que reapeth receiveth wages, et gathereth fruit unto life eternal: ¶

que both he que soweth et he que reapeth may rejoice together." (John 4:35-36.) Before there can be a reaping de le harvest, there must have been a sowing de le seed. When nous think de sowing, our minds turn à le parable spoken by le Savior: ¶

"Behold, a sower went forth à sow; "And when he sowed, some seeds fell by le way side, et le fowls came et devoured them up: ¶

"Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: et forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness de earth: ¶

"And when le sun was up, they were scorched; et because they had no root, they withered away. ¶

"And some fell among thorns; et le thorns sprung up, et choked them: ¶

"But others fell into good ground, et brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold." ¶

(Matthew 13:3-8.) Sowing of seed is important; otherwise, there would be no harvest, and as stated in the parable, there must be good ground to bring forth a good harvest. (en français) ¶

Plowing must have been done before le sowing or there would have been no seedbed. ¶

Of all le work de le field, plowwork est le heaviest labor. It est primary et fundamental — it est pioneer toil. A seed may be dropped anywhere, et there est no resistance, but put le blade de le plow into le ground et a thousand forces join à oppose le change. To disturb le conventional, à overturn le traditional, or à attempt à make changes dans le deep-rooted way de doing things dans le lives de individuals, requires toil et sweat. The heaviest work dans le kingdom de God est à turn le hard surface de le earth which has been baked dans le sun or covered by le growth de nature. What a great change comes over land which has been cleared et plowed, — row after row de evenly spaced furrows, le subsurface loosened et exposed à le sun et air et le rains from heaven, ready à be broken up et planted à seed. The wilderness est conquered et subdued. ¶

Those who become disciples de le Master et put their hands à le plow without turning back prove themselves à be worthy plowmen. By turning over le old surfaces de tradition, they prepared le fields pour le introduction et le spread de Christianity into le world. ¶

We do not need to go back to the time of Christ, however, to find fields to plow. Fields exist today all over the world, and missionaries have been called and have put their hands to the plow. Nearly 15,000 pieu and full-time missionaries are now in the fields. ¶

Furrows sont being cut et seeds planted, et every day nous see le results de le harvest. ¶

And there est le field de education. ¶

Hundreds de plowmen sont preparing le field pour le harvest. They sont teaching le principles de truth à our young men et young women dans le Church educational system. About 63,000 high school students sont presently enrolled dans seminary classes, 9,500 college students sont participating dans le institute program de religious education, et approximately 17,000 students sont enrolled dans Church schools. In all, about 90,000 young people sont being given direction dans life by those who have put their hands à le plow. ¶

Not many years ago nous entered into le field de assisting those dans need by le great welfare program. The plowshares were driven dans et le soil turned over, disclosing le hidden possibilities de our arising à full stature dans being our brothers' keeper. Men et women have joined dans le labor de le field, et thousands have been helped et aided dans le Lord's way, when dans need. ¶

We have in Church leadership great plowmen with firm hands and stout hearts — pieu presidents and mission presidents — determined men who work in the fields. Bishops, branch presidents, heads of prêtrise quorums and auxiliary organizations are toiling in their assigned fields. Close at home and in distant countries new lands are being broken up by these plowmen, and the subsurface exposed to the light of the Évangile of Jésus-Christ. ¶

Is it hard work? Of course, but que which est worthwhile est seldom easy. As individuals nous have a responsibility à plow. Some accept le opportunity, but some shrink from le responsibility. ¶

Some de those who commence cut only a short furrow et then leave le field pour what appears à be escape from le toil à follow le false illusion de le ease which they had left behind. Their plowshares sont left à rust dans le furrow. ¶

Whatever le past may have been dans our individual lives, it est gone. The future lies ahead, et nous must face it avec resolution. There est always a point from which nous can begin. Even though nous may have been faithful dans le past, if nous turn away, que faithfulness will profit us nothing. "No man, having put his hand à le plough, et looking back, est fit pour le kingdom de God." ¶

There est danger dans looking backward. ¶

One must keep his eyes ahead dans order à cut a straight furrow. When le plowman commences à look backward, he cuts a crooked furrow, et his work est spoiled. We cannot continue à walk forward when at le same time nous sont looking backward. It makes no difference what object or occasion causes us à look backward, le backward glance commences le backward turning, et may be le beginning de our disendowment dans le kingdom de God. ¶

As plowing requires an eye intent on le furrow à be made et est marred when one looks backward, so will they come short de exaltation who prosecute le work de God avec a distracted attention or a divided heart. We may not see clearly le end de le furrow, but nous dare not look back. Eternity stretches on ahead, challenging us à be faithful. ¶

"And thus, if ye are faithful ye shall be laden with many sheaves, and crowned with honor, and glory, and immortality, and vie éternelle." (D&A 75:5.) God lives. I witness that Jesus is the Christ; that the Évangile has been returned to the earth; that Joseph Smith was the servant and prophète raised up for the purpose of the restoration; that there lives today a prophète to reveal to us God's will in all things, and with all my heart I sustain President David O. McKay as that prophète, voyant, and revel ator. ¶

May we put our hands to the plow and not look backward, that we may be fit for a place in the kingdom of God, I humbly pray in the name of Jésus-Christ. Amen. ¶