President Mckay My Beloved Brethren And Sisters...

President McKay, my beloved brethren and sisters, I sincerely trust I may have an interest in your prayers that I might express a few thoughts I have with reference to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

I do not recall ever having attended a more inspirational conference. Our prophet has received revelation for our good and benefit. If I have one thought above another, it is that as we go home and continue to live from day to day, we should remember what President McKay has said to us. If we will live accordingly day by day, without a doubt the Lord will bless, inspire, and help us in all of our endeavors. ¶

As I think of President McKay, I see him as a prophet and as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has always been deeply interested in the young people and children, as well as older individuals. I have made many trips with him and always the children have looked forward to the opportunity of coming in contact with him. He invariably shakes hands with them. ¶

I cannot help recalling Saturday night when, coming to our priesthood meeting here, a group of the Aaronic Priesthood were standing by the door at the rear of the Tabernacle. I approached them and asked if they did not care to come inside and find a seat. They said, yes, they would like to have a seat, but in the meantime they were waiting to shake hands with President McKay. I thought to myself, now, if all of these young people accept our President as a prophet and follow his leadership as he directs them in their lives, they will live the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and become strong in carrying forward his work here upon the earth. ¶

I also think of President McKay as an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of what the Savior said in Luke, But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. (Luke 18:16.) I am sure that is the attitude and the feeling of our prophet. I am sure that the young people who come in touch with him feel that they are actually shaking hands with a prophet, with an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

Brethren and sisters, I am sure that is the attitude and the feeling of all of us after having attended this grand conference. ¶

Concerning the responsibility of parents to their children, the Lord said to the Prophet Joseph Smith: ¶

But I have commanded you to bring up your children in light and truth. (D & C 93:40.) In the Lord's words, brethren and sisters, we have great responsibility in seeing that our children are brought up in the light and truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as it has been revealed through the Prophet Joseph, and as it is further revealed from time to time. ¶

I also think of the wonderful opportunities all of our young people enjoy in this great Church, wherein they hear and are taught the gospel truths. We have our great Sunday School organization in which our children, regardless of age, may become acquainted with the teachings and life of Jesus Christ; where they may learn about the establishment of the Church and the fact that the Prophet Joseph actually saw the Father and the Son; where they learn that both the Aaronic and Melchizedek Priesthood were given back to mankind. They are also taught something with reference to the Sacrament, its purpose and what it represents. ¶

We have another great organization — the Primary Association, which is interested in teaching our young children the gospel, teaching them the manner of prayer, what it means to be baptized and to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. ¶

There is another great organization, the YWMIA, where our young women are taught the necessity of living a life so sweet and clean that the day will come when they may enjoy the blessings of motherhood, where they are taught the necessity of attending Sacrament meeting and Sunday School and of taking full advantage of all the training available in the YWMIA. ¶

To provide for our young men we have the YMMIA, where our sons may enjoy the opportunities of recreational activities, public speaking, drama, and singing. In the YMMIA our young men are taught to live lives that will be modest and clean that when the time comes, they may become honorable fathers and be in a position to receive divine direction from on high in the care and training of their families. ¶

There is still another great system for the blessing of our youth, one established by the Presidency of the Church: ¶

our great seminaries of religious education, where our sons and daughters are taught the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, where their questions are invited and answers given by trained and efficient teachers. ¶

Through it all, brethren and sisters, as we think of what has and is being done by the Church, there is no reason why your sons and daughters, and mine, should not become the kind of people the Lord needs to carry on this great work before the second coming of Jesus the Christ. ¶

After all, our young people have opportunities of rendering service. In most instances, if they have followed all of the advancements they have had, taken advantage of all the opportunities afforded them in these great organizations, and particularly in the seminary schools, they should be able to go forward and meet their Church and family responsibilities. ¶

I do not suppose the Lord is looking so much at ages in calling individuals to do his work as he is at whether or not they accept him and live the gospel day by day. I often think of Jesus the Christ — I know you are all familiar with the story when he was in the temple where Joseph and Mary found him. When they came to him, he said: ¶

How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business? (Luke 2:49.) At the age of twelve he realized what his assignment was, and he did not hesitate to declare to the world, "... ¶

wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" ¶

Brethren and sisters, I am sure that all our young people who have taken, and who will continue to take advantage of the opportunities afforded in these great institutions that have been prepared for them will say, ". . . wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" ¶

With reference to the matter of ages, as I said, the Lord does not worry so much about the age as he does about the loyalty and devotion of those assigned to do his work. ¶

When speaking of youth, I think of the accomplishments of Mormon as recorded in the Book of Mormon. As a young man at the age of fifteen, he desired to ask the Lord a question in prayer, and his answer was the appearance of the Father. Can you imagine God the Father revealing himself to a boy at the age of fifteen? Well, that is exactly what happened in Mormon's experience. ¶

At the age of sixteen, Mormon became the general of the Nephite Army. It is something to think about that at the age of sixteen Mormon was called to be the general of the great army of the Nephite people. It was not so much a matter of age. The thing that counted was the fact that Mormon knew the Lord, and the Lord knew him, and Mormon met his assignment with all of the responsibilities involved therein and was very successful. ¶

Then, of course, we think of the Prophet Joseph Smith who, at the age of fourteen, as has already been indicated here many times during this conference, asked the Lord where the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ might be found. In answer to his prayer, there appeared the Father and the Son, and, of course, he was called upon to establish the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ to which you and I belong. ¶

Then, too, I think of President Joseph F. Smith who, at the age of fifteen, was ordained an elder and sent on a mission into the Hawaiian Islands. Upon arriving there, he found he was among a people whose language he did not understand and who did not understand his language. But having complete faith in God, he made it a matter of prayer and, thereafter, was able to talk with that people. They understood what he said, and he understood what they said. Within one year, at the age of sixteen, he became the president of that mission. It was not a matter of age again, brethren and sisters, it was a matter of understanding the will of the Lord and living the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. ¶

It is glorious to think of the opportunities that our sons and daughters have in these great organizations within the Church. But I am sure there is also a tremendous responsibility that devolves upon us as fathers and mothers. ¶

I think the greatest source of inspiration for young people is found, of course, in the home, where they notice the attitudes and the feelings of the father and the mother. If the father and the mother are living the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ as they should, there is little question but that the children will follow them very closely. ¶

I think it is a wonderful opportunity when we can talk with our children about the matter of prayer. I am so grateful for my dear mother who taught me to pray. I recall at the age long before we children were reading, during the evening hours, she would call us together and say, "Now, we will have prayers." She would then explain to us the existence of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. Those teachings became a reality to us, that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, and those teachings remain with us today. When she talked to us about the Prophet Joseph, there was no question in our minds but that Joseph Smith actually saw the Father and the Son. ¶

Therefore, because of the fact that Mother taught us how to pray, why we should pray, and what to pray for, prayer has always been a great source of comfort and inspiration to me. I always enjoy reading the admonitions of the Prophet Amulek: ¶

Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. ¶

Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. ¶

Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. ¶

Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. ¶

Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. ¶

Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. ¶

Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. ¶

Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. ¶

But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. ¶

Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. (Alma 34:18-27.) I am sure that our sons and daughters will have that same attitude and that same inspiration if we teach them the necessity of prayer, of becoming acquainted with God the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, and also of remembering that if they will live the right kind of lives, and be sweet and clean, they will enjoy the power and the gift of the Holy Ghost. I am sure they do enjoy these blessings, as a short time ago I attended a fast meeting during which a little girl about twelve years of age stood up and bore her testimony. ¶

Among other things, she said, "I know that God lives. I know that Jesus Christ is his Son. I know that Joseph Smith saw the Father and the Son," and she went on and bore her testimony very impressively. ¶

Brethren and sisters, I was convinced as I listened to that little girl that, without a doubt, she had been given the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost. ¶

If our sons and daughters realize the blessings of this great gift, I am sure they are going to live and pray and work to the end that the power and the gift of the Holy Ghost will come to them as they live throughout the years. ¶

It is a wonderful thing, as I said, to teach them to pray. I cannot help thinking of another experience that comes to mind in connection with three children, one boy and two girls, the boy about ten and the daughters about eight and five. It was a Sunday afternoon. The mother was taken suddenly ill. The doctor was called. The sisters of the Relief Society came in to render whatever service they could. The children could not get into the room because it was so small. They walked around the house as they wondered about their mother. Finally, one of them said to the others, "Mother has taught us time and time again to pray if we have difficulty and trouble. Now, Mother has trouble. Mother is sick and ill. Let us pray." So, going around to the rear of the building, they found a little old hut where coal was kept. They knelt down in the coal, and first the son called upon the Lord to bless the mother; secondly, the older sister prayed and asked the Lord to heal their mother. ¶

That day before the sun went down, that mother was comparatively well. ¶

Brothers and sisters, that came about because three children had been taught to believe in God. They believed what their mother had told them, that if they had difficulty, or if anyone else in the family had difficulty, to call upon the Lord. As a result of the mother's teachings, the children prayed for her, and she was made well. ¶

There is no question in my mind but what our children believe in God and in his Son, Jesus Christ. If in our homes, we will teach them to pray, to remember that the Lord hears and answers prayers, it will make a great difference to them in the way they will live and the kind of Latter-day Saints they will become. ¶

It is as Brigham Young said upon one occasion: ¶

Whether we are poor or rich, if we neglect our prayers and Sacrament meetings, we neglect the Spirit of the Lord, and the spirit of darkness comes over us. ¶

How true it is in the lives of individuals who fail to pray, and how dark is the darkness that comes into their souls. ¶

And again, we must remember this in connection with our children, that we owe something each Sunday to the Lord. The matter of remembering that the Sabbath is a holy day has already been stated by President Joseph Fielding Smith. We should remember that the Sabbath day is the Lord's day — the holy day. Concerning our responsibilities, President Brigham Young said that we should teach our children to attend Sacrament meeting. His statement was, "After the Sunday School is over, let the parents take the pains to bring their children to meeting." ¶

Of course, we all know the meeting President Young had in mind — the Sacrament meeting where our children have the privilege of partaking of the Sacrament and learning of its significance. ¶

I am sure if our sons and daughters have that experience and realize they are partaking of the Sacrament, they will understand its sacred purpose, and out of it there will come a great source of inspiration. I am sure of that. ¶

Now, concerning the Aaronic Priesthood: Fathers and mothers who have sons who are deacons, teachers, or priests, please help them to realize that they have the greatest gift of God to his sons. ¶

With that thought in their minds, and living lives that are sweet and clean, and with the encouragement of Father and Mother, without a doubt they will receive the assignments that are given to them from time to time, and the faithful performance of their responsibilities will be a great source of inspiration to live as the servants of the Lord should live. ¶

It is wonderful to know that in a home where probably the father holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, he may have a son who is a deacon, a teacher, or a priest. What an inspiration it must be when the father will say to his sons, "Now, Sons, let's go to our meeting together. Let us be together. We both hold the priesthood. You hold the Aaronic Priesthood, and I hold the Melchizedek Priesthood." By attending their priesthood meetings together, I am sure it must be a great source of inspiration to the father, the mother, and, of course, to the sons who are endeavoring to carry out the assignments that come to them. ¶

In the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, our people have so many responsibilities, so much that brings to them the sure knowledge that this is the work of the Lord. ¶

In conclusion, if we continue to pray, there is no doubt in my mind but that we will always have divine direction in all of our endeavors. I am sure we will. Should there come a time of difficulty and trouble, we should remember what the Savior said through the Prophet Joseph Smith: "Pray always, that ye may not faint. . . ." That ye may not faint! I am sure, brethren and sisters, that in our lives we have some difficulties perhaps when we do feel faint. To all such, the Savior said: ¶

Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen. (D & C 88:126.) I am sure that if we will all live the gospel as we should, we will enjoy its blessings, and when we have difficulties, through the power of prayer, the Lord will bless and inspire us in our work and in our homes. ¶

Now, may the Lord continue to bless us and so inspire us that each one of our children will be happy and thrilled to follow our attitudes in the matter of living the gospel as it has been restored. ¶

My humble testimony to you is that this is the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ, that he who stands at the head is a prophet, an apostle, who receives from time to time the mind and the will of our Heavenly Father as it should be given to his people for their blessing, for their benefit, and for their inspiration, which I humbly say in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. ¶