July 24, 2000
Memo #1
From: The Pen of Grandpa Pratt
To: All Pratt family adults
Re: Eternal Families and the Passing of Grandma
Note: Memos require No Answer, altho answers will be
appreciated.
I have witnessed death many times,
but with Grandma’s passing it was impressed upon me as never before that it is
so totally final. Never again in this life will the survivors have any contact
with the deceased, except in very rare cases when they are allowed to return to
certain loved ones with a message. This has happened in our own family but is
not the purpose of this memo. Perhaps at a future date, if requested and
appropriate, I could recount the few times (very few) that it has happened in
our immediate family.
What is the purpose of death?
Simply to free us from a mortal body that is not built to last forever. It is a
great blessing and the next step in our eternal progression. For we have the
assurance that Jesus, the Son of God, has provided a resurrection for ALL, in
which at the appointed times, the body (mortal) will come forth from the grave
to be enlivened once more by the Spirit to live eternally.
It is part of the great “Plan of
Happiness” for the Whole Human Family. The FAMILY is central to the Creator’s
plan for the eternal destiny of his children.
Authority has been conferred upon
man once again, whereby in Sacred Temples a man can be eternally sealed to his
wife, a woman to her husband; parents to their children and the extended family
eternally linked together forever.
The earth and all life upon it
are of divine origin. The creation did not happen by chance. It did not come
out of nothing. No building has ever built itself. How absurd. Where there is a
building or creation of any kind there is always a builder, a creator. It is
God who made us. We are his children. The Creation itself testifies of a
Creator.
Simply summarized, the earth was
created so that families might BE. Scripture explains that a husband and wife
“shall be on flesh, and all this that the earth might answer the end of its
creation.”
The Creation, great as it is, is
not an end in itself but a means to an end. We come to earth for a brief period
of time, endure our tests and trails, and prepare to move onward, through
death, and up ward to a glorious home coming. And we are to love and care for
one another.
129 of us had dinner together and
socialized after the funeral out of a possible 160 (112 blood descendants and
38 spouses). What a comfort it was to have you all there. Thank you so much for
leaving your cares, jobs and responsibilities to be present. I love you all and
look forward to not only earthly reunions, but an eternal reunion.
Love,
Dad
P.S. In a future memo I would like to write to the subject
of so-called “Natural Law” or Nature’s Laws which are God’s laws and show how
freedom to be an eternal family is based on “knowing the law” and obeying the
same to gain total freedom eternally.
Enclosed is a copy of Roger’s
masterful talk where, in only seven minutes time, he explained the five steps
to Eternal Togetherness.
~ 2 ~
“Nothing matters if there is not a
resurrection; everything would end in the darkness of death...the reality of a
resurrection gives hope; it is uplifting, a joy to the righteous.”
By President Howard W. Hunter
P.P.S. I would like toe expand this to a monthly family news
letter. In order to do so, each family would have to send in family news items.
(These you could submit by postal service or by e-mail via one of my
daughters.) What do you think?
The great plan of
happiness - Eternal Families -- Roger Rowbury
Adaline Pratt, our wife, mother,
grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and friend lives. She is now free of all pain. She can see, even without her glasses. She doesn’t have to drag an oxygen cord every
place she goes. Oh what a joyous
occasion. But why do we here in this
room shed tears? It is because we want
to be with her - or more exactly because we want her to be with us.
At 2:34 am on July 13, 2000 this
wonderful lady slipped through the vail into the arms of her mother and father,
her daughter Kay, son in-law Vern, and sisters and brothers and others who
preceded her. Oh what a joyous occasion
for them, for they are family, loving and caring just as we in this gathering
are a loving and caring family. I’m sure
that she wants all of us to be with her when that time comes.
As this is the largest gathering of
her family to this point, let me take this opportunity to remind each one here
what has to be done to fulfill the laws which will allow that to happen.
1.
We have to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and the Redeemer
of all mankind. Mosiah 3:17 And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be
no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto
the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord
Omnipotent.
D&C 132:21-24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye
abide my law ye cannot attain to this glory.
For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the
exaltation and continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it,
because ye receive me not in the world neither do ye know me. But if ye receive me in the world, then shall
ye know me, and shall receive your exaltation; that where I am ye shall be
also. This is eternal lives to know the
only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. I am he.
Receive ye, therefore, my law.
2.
We must show the world that acceptance through baptism by
emersion as did Jesus Christ, by someone who has the proper authority. Then we must renew these covenants on a
weekly basis by attending church and partaking of the sacrament.
Matthew 3:13-15 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto
John, to be baptized of him. But John
forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to
me? And Jesus answering said unto him,
Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all
righteousness. Then he suffered him.
3.
All adult males must receive the authority from God or the
priesthood. This allows them to bless
their families and others with ordinances they need. It also allows them to receive their
endowment
~ 3 ~
from God in his holy temple and do work for those who have
passed on without doing this work for themselves.
4.
Every adult must choose a companion and enter into a contract or
covenant with our Heavenly Father. This
can take place only in a Temple of God again requiring the proper authority.
D&C 132:15,19 Therefore, if a man marry him a wife in the
world, and he marry her not by me nor by my word, and he covenant with her so
long as he is in the world and she with him, their covenant and marriage are
not of force when they are dead, and when they are out of the world; therefore,
they are not bound by any law when they are out of the world. And again, verily I say unto you, if a man
marry a wife by my word, which is my law, and by the new and everlasting
covenant, and it is sealed unto them by the Holy Spirit of promise, by him who
is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this power and the keys of this
priesthood; and it shall be said unto them- ye shall come forth in the first
resurrection, and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next
resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers,
dominions, all heights and depths.
5.
We then need to keep the Commandments and endure to the end serving
faithfully.
John 6:60,66-69 Many therefore of his disciples, when they
had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? From that time many of his disciples went
back, and walked no more with him. Then
said Jesus unto the twelve, will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom
shall we go? Thou hast the words of
eternal life. And we believe and are
sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
These five steps allow us to fulfill
the law of happiness. There is no other
way.
We must accept Christ, be baptized
through his authority, receive the priesthood if we are man and honor that
authority, be married in the Temple and sealed for time and eternity, and keep
the commandments to the end. There is no
other way.
Now if any here have not started this
process or have strayed from the path, or are making and living other laws than
these, we whole heartedly invite you to follow the outlined steps. We want all of this family to be together in
the Celestial Kingdom.
That we will do so is my humble
prayer In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
