More Holiness Give Me

I recently had the privilege of attending a training on Sabbath day observance. It was one of the most spiritual meetings I have attended. It gave me a greater love and appreciation for the Sabbath and especially the sacrament. It perhaps prepared me to recognize and appreciate what would happen a month later.

A couple of Sundays ago, I had a very sweet teaching moment. Since our ward doesn't have many young men, the Young Men's presidency and usually a few other men in the ward help with the sacrament. On this particular Sunday, I was even more aware of the uniqueness of our ward. Of the eight priesthood holders, three had visible handicaps. One has spina bifida, one has Down syndrome and the other is deaf and has had one of his legs amputated above the knee. The man who is legally deaf and has a prosthesis is a recent convert to the Church. He has passed the sacrament for several months. But on this Sunday, it was his first time to bless the sacrament. Tears filled my eyes as he said the prayer on the bread. Not only is it challenging for him to kneel, speaking also takes effort. His voice, though somewhat loud and muffled, was deliberate and reverent. It was evident that this was a very special experience for him - as it was for many of us. I then watched the sacrament being passed by one who has great difficulty walking and another who needs someone to walk beside him to help show him where he should go. There, in my ward, I was watching three men with outward "imperfections" administer the sacrament to a congregation of imperfect people. Aren't we all a little spiritually deaf, whose walk in life is often hard and who needs Someone to show us the way? Isn't that what the sacrament is all about? It is, or should be, a time of personal introspection to determine where we stand with the Lord and what we can do to bring ourselves closer to Him. If we come with a repentant and willing heart, the sacrament is a time we renew our covenants with our Heavenly Father and recommit to be better and more like His Son.

Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone said, "The privilege of partaking of the sacrament is a profound expression of the Lord’s love for us." On that Sunday, I truly saw a profound expression of the Lord's love! I saw with my physical eyes the great effort it took, by men with obvious physical difficulties, to administer the sacrament. I have great love and admiration for these men and their willingness to serve - no matter how hard. But what I saw taught me an even greater spiritual lesson! With my spiritual eyes, I was reminded of the spiritual suffering and the great spiritual effort needed to always remember Him and keep His commandments. Sometimes our difficulties are visible to all, but usually not. More often, as President Ezra Taft Benson said, "Some of the greatest battles you will face will be fought within the quiet chambers of your own soul."

The sacrament is a physical and spiritual reminder that the Savior took our sins, our pains, our imperfections upon Him. All we need to do is come to Him. He is the One who has shown us the way. He is the One who can make us whole.

Because we have the opportunity to partake of the sacrament weekly, if we aren't careful, we can become complacent and totally miss out on the tremendous spiritual experience it should be. I love Elder James J. Hamula's talk from October 2014 General Conference. It made such a profound impression on me. I have studied it over and over. I highly recommend reading or re-reading it! Elder Hamula said, "The ordinance of the sacrament has been called one of the most holy and sacred ordinances in the Church. It needs to become more holy and sacred to each of us."

That, I am sure, will be a life-long quest.