In my D&C class this morning, we were reading D&C 88 and got to the part about the soul being composed of body and spirit. The professor put up a quote from Jeffrey Holland’s talk “Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments”. It’s so good it gave me goosebumps:
In trivializing the soul of another (please include the word body there), we trivialize the Atonement that saved that soul and guaranteed its continued existence. And when one toys with the Son of Righteousness, the Day Star himself, one toys with white heat and a flame hotter and holier than the noonday sun. You cannot do so and not be burned. You cannot with impunity “crucify Christ afresh” (see Hebrews 6:6). Exploitation of the body (please include the word soul there) is, in the last analysis, an exploitation of him who is the Light and the Life of the world.
Wow.
I haven’t re-read the rest of the talk yet, but I skimmed down and found this paragraph which encapsulates the very thing I’m looking forward to in marriage. (And I loved the Brahms and Beethoven bit. :))
…Such a total, virtually unbreakable union, such an unyielding commitment between a man and a woman, can only come with the proximity and permanence afforded in a marriage covenant, with the union of all that they possess–their very hearts and minds, all their days and all their dreams. They work together, they cry together, they enjoy Brahms and Beethoven and breakfast together, they sacrifice and save and live together for all the abundance that such a totally intimate life provides such a couple. And the external symbol of that union, the physical manifestation of what is a far deeper spiritual and metaphysical bonding, is the physical blending that is part of–indeed, a most beautiful and gratifying expression of–that larger, more complete union of eternal purpose and promise.
Mmm. If you haven’t yet read this talk, read it now. And if you have, read it again. :) Elder Holland gave a similar address in the October 1998 General Conference, by the way. But I prefer the wording in the original BYU devotional. “Toying” with Christ certainly puts it in perspective.
[tags]LDS, Mormon, BYU[/tags]
Comments
This is one of my favorite talks of all time. Elder Holland has such a way with words. Guess that happens when you’re an English major.. :)
He does indeed. As for the English major bit, I agree, but I think we can pinpoint it even more narrowly: those who read a lot will almost always have such a way with words. It’s not so much about the major as it is about whether one reads voraciously or not. (But English majors do read a ton, which is why I agree. :))
Anyway, words are a tremendously powerful tool that can be used for either good or evil, and when they’re used for good in poetic ways like this, I feel like leaping to my feet and applauding till long after the curtain falls and everyone else goes home.
Throw in your two cents