“On Sunday, February 28, 1897, …a great meeting was held here in this Salt Lake Tabernacle. It was to honor President Woodruff on his ninetieth birthday. The Tabernacle was beautifully decorated. There was appropriate music with talks of tribute. Then President Woodruff, old and somewhat crippled, stood to speak, and he said to the young…
“One of the hallmarks of a strong [priesthood] quorum is the feeling of fellowship among its members. They care for each other. They help each other. Quorum presidents can build that fellowship best if they remember the Lord’s purpose for unity in the quorum. It is of course so that they will help each other….
“Often we speak of keys of priesthood authority. Fifteen living men–the First Presidency and the Twelve–have been ordained as Apostles and have had all keys of priesthood authority conferred upon them. President Gordon B. Hinckley recently explained that ‘only the President of the Church has the right to exercise [those keys] in their fulness. He…
“Now, as a boy I knew from what I had learned in Sunday School that John the Baptist had been killed by a wicked ruler, that he had been beheaded to satisfy the lustful desire of an evil woman. And in 1829 it was this same John who had come and given the priesthood to…
“May I offer counsel of a general nature, first with comments about General Authorities. We recognize them as instruments in the hand of the Lord, yet realize that they are ordinary human beings. They require haircuts, laundry services, and occasional reminders just like anyone else. President Benson once shared with us a story to illustrate….
“I testify of the refining, spiritual, comforting, strengthening, and restraining influence the priesthood has had in my life. I have lived under its spiritual influence all my life—in my grandfather’s home, in my father’s home, and then in my own home. It is humbling to use the transcending power and authority of the priesthood to…
“I hope our granddaughters and grandsons grow up knowing that they are not and have never been third-party observers of the priesthood. The blessings of the priesthood, which ‘are available to men and women alike’ (Dallin H. Oaks, “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church,” Ensign, Nov. 2005, 26), are woven in and through…
“I have learned over the years that the strength in a quorum doesn’t come from the number of priesthood holders in it. Nor does it come automatically from the age and maturity of the members. Rather, the strength of a quorum comes in large measure from how completely its members are united in righteousness. That…
“May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments. May our testimonies ever grow stronger as we seek to find the fountain of eternal truth. May the brotherhood that exists in our quorum be of comfort and strength and security…
“I would have enjoyed being present when the priesthood was restored. It would have been exciting to be across the Susquehanna River, sitting by a bush, watching John the Baptist ordain the Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. (See D&C 13.) “As exciting as that would have been, I have come to understand that what…