Moroni 4:3, 5:2 Sacrament Prayers

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee int he name of thy Son, Jesus Christ
(always ask in the name of the Son)
1. to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it;
(why?)
that they may
1. eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son,
2. and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to
1. take upon them the name of thy Son,
2. and always remember him,
3. and keep his commandments which he hath given them,
(blessing:)
that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

***
O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of they Son, Jesus Christ,

1. to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it;
a. that they may eat in remembrance of the body of they Son,
b. and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are
1. willing to take upon them the name of thy Son,
2. and always remember him,
3. and keep his commandments which he hath given them,
that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen.

***
O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ,

to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it,

that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them;
that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father,
that they do always remember him,
that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen. (blessing)

Moroni 2 Priesthood Leaders Meeting

The Lord does not do things in secret. But then why is the Priesthood session not recorded? Why are bishopric meetings kept private? Why are temple covenants kept private?

Because they are sacred and do not need to be discussed among those who may not understand the sacred nature of the topic.

Why were these words to the disciples kept from the Nephites? The Nephites alive at the time were righteous since the most wicked people were destroyed before Christ's appearance.

Even righteous people may not be completely prepared to hear extremely sacred things. For example, a convert of 6 months can be a very strong and faithful member. However he still needs to be nourished and strengthened in his testimony before he can enter the temple to make sacred covenants after a year. There are even members that have been attending church their whole lives, but do not have the valiant steadfast testimony needed to comprehend or appreciate some sacred things. Meanwhile the weaker in testimony have plenty of resources and means to grow spiritually and they will eventually come to know the mysteries of God, just like any other persistent student of the gospel.

Moroni 1: An unexpected twist

Moroni explains to us that he had a certain expectation, but that things turned out another way: "Now I, Moroni, after having made an end of abridging the account of the people of Jared, I had supposed not to have written more, but I have not as yet perished... Wherefore, I write a few more things, contrary to that which I had supposed; for I had supposed not to have written any more; but I write a few more things, that perhaps they may be of worth unto my brethren, the Lamanites, in some future day, according to the will of the Lord." (Moroni 1:1,4)

The Lord has a plan for each of us. It is funny how life doesn't always turn out the way we plan it to. In relief society on Sunday we talked about how "If it isn't all right, it isn't the end." We may even think that we know what the Lord wants. For example, Moroni had worked hard on the record and probably felt content about it being finished. But later I imagine that he probably had some kind of stirring inside of him that told him that he wasn't done.

This has happened to me, too. The summer before coming to college I planned on majoring in music. However just before arriving I changed my major, and it felt very good. I felt much more content and it just felt right. I didn't plan on changing again. However a few years into that major I started feeling not sure about it. I started to pray telling the Lord my plan, and if that plan was not the best plan, I prayed that he would let me know. A few months later another route was placed before me. It was an exciting change, and once again I felt lighter and happier and very content with my new major. The Lord had a great plan prepared for me. I just needed to be flexible and trust in Him.

This also brings up another point. Even if we feel that we know the Lord's will for us at a certain time, we need to be flexible and continue to pray for guidance. Perhaps it is important to take a detour to our life plan to gain experience, and the Lord will direct us as we trust in Him. It turns out that when I changed my major I had to take a couple of classes which I thought were unnecessary. However, in one of those classes I grew close to my future husband. Now I have graduated in a major that is very exciting to me, and I am married to the very most wonderful man I have ever known. Having to take a couple extra classes was a small price to pay.

Ether 15:34 It Mattereth Not

Ether was alone at this point. Millions of people had died, leaving a stench of death all around the land. What was going to happen to him? Hopefully he knew how to find his own food and live by the land with only his own strength. Some lonely and difficult times were ahead of him.

Yet Ether made an interesting statement - that it did not matter what happens to him after this point. What mattered is if he were saved in the kingdom of God.

The same is true for all of us. There can be extreme trials and period of loneliness for all of us, but what really matters is if we live worthily to obtain Eternal Life. Whatever tribulations come our way, the important thing is to stay on the pathway that leads to our eternal destination. Nothing in mortality is more important.