LDS apostle speaks of hope to worldwide audience of young adults
Delivering a message of a new year filled with hope, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Patricia “Pat” Holland, spoke Sunday to a worldwide audience of young adults — mostly members of the church.
Before getting into the major portion of his talk, Elder Holland spoke of the world coming out of the “scourge” of the COVID-19 pandemic, the “scourge” of the war in the Ukraine and of those innocents also living inside Russia.
Holland referenced the “tragedies” of mass shootings, immoral content in entertainment and political activity in which, he said, fundamentals like integrity, kindness and honesty have been forgotten.
Following these examples, he did something that is rarely done. While not referring to any aspect or issue brought against the church, he apologized to the younger generation.
“We recognize the understandable malaise that hangs over your generation and we apologize that our generation hasn’t resolved some of these problems you are now faced with,” Holland said.
The couple went on to speak of hope and looking forward.
“Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men,” Elder Holland said, emphasizing words from the Book of Mormon.
“That brightness of hope, born of love for God and all men — that’s what we want for every one of you in the New Year,” the apostle said in an hour-long broadcast from the campus of Utah Tech University in the Hollands’ native St. George. “Accompanying that bright hope will be the undeniable whisper that God loves you, that Christ is your advocate, that the gospel is true. Its brightness will remind you that in the gospel there is always, every day, every hour, a new chance, a new life, a new year. What a miracle. What a gift. And because of Christ’s gift, the best things in life are ours if we steadfastly keep believing and keep trying and keep hoping.”
Pat Holland reminded young adults of Church President Russell M. Nelson’s recent call for people to share their light with the world.
“My most earnest prayer tonight — my hope — is that you as young adults all over the world will receive this call as your personal ministry, that you will take the hope of which the savior spoke and carry it like a torch to those who feel the world is a very dark and difficult place,” she said.
Sister Holland offered a simple approach to the religious life: “Please have faith in God, hope that he will help you, and receive the charity that enables him to work through you to accomplish what only you can do.”
“You can’t get these blessings by chasing them,” she concluded. “Please stop running to the point of exhaustion. Be quiet. Be still. Simplify. Be meek and lowly of heart and pray. I testify that miracles will come when we slow down, when we calm down and when we kneel down. All that the Father has can one day be yours. What a truly hopeful way to face your future.”
Jeffrey Holland acknowledged the world’s many problems and the “understandable malaise that hangs over” the rising generation. But, he added, “we call you and every other young Latter-day Saint to be in the forefront of the moral force that can resolve these problems, that can turn back the tide of fear, pessimism and anxiety surrounding us.”
Holland urged young adults to “change whatever is wrong” in their lives, “large or small.” This is the pathway to exchange “anxiety for peace” and “sorrow for some happiness,” he said.
Leaving a special apostolic blessing with the young adult audience, Holland said, “I bless any among you who might be speaking these days of a faith crisis. Real faith — life-changing faith, Abrahamic faith — is always in crisis. That’s how you find out if it’s faith at all. I promise you that more faith will mean less crisis until, finally, God says, ‘Well done, thou good and faithful servant.'”
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- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and his wife, Patricia, acknowledge attendees at the end of the afternoon session of the 192nd semiannual general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022.
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- During a worldwide devotional on Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke of his recent trip to Europe. This photo of Holland was taken at a chapel in Finland.
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- A screenshot of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland and his wife, Patricia, from their RootsTech Connect broadcast during Family Discovery Day on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021.
Faith
