Memo #30
November 1, 2002
From: R. M. Pratt
To: all I love
Re: Marriage
Last months memo on marriage was far too brief and tho basically I covered the main points. Yet I feel that I need to bare down harder on all we men! That doesn't mean you wives are free of responsibility but for the most part you automatically respond when the husbands do their part.
Now a question, a serious question to each of you husbands as tho you and I were having a face to face discussion of the matter.
Will you be happy living single eternally? Resurrected a eunuch, de sexed, totally bereft of ever associating with one of the opposite sex other than as a platonic friend. For that will be the fate of ALL MEN who do not take advantage of the great gift God is trying to give you thru the Holy law of matrimony.
Marriage for eternity is the highest ordinance of the gospel (God’s Law) on earth and to be eternal it must be performed by a man who has received authority to act in God’s behalf and can only be performed in a holy building called a Temple. And a Temple can only be entered after its dedication, by a person who has followed the basic steps of God’s laws. Which are,
1. Faith (belief) in Jesus Christ as our creator and Savior.
2. Put ourselves in compliance with His laws. This is called repentance.
3. Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins by an authorized servant of God.
4. Reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands of authorized servants.
5. Men must then qualify to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. This Priesthood is defined as the power of God delegated to man to act in his behalf.
All this the Savior plainly teaches in the New Testament and other scriptures. The women do not receive the Priesthood but they receive all its blessings by obedience.
6. Having complied with the five points above a man is now qualified to take a sister of his choice who has obeyed the first 4 points above to a temple of God and enter into the holy and eternal covenant of marriage. And if both then continue to the end of mortal life keeping that holy covenant they will claim each other in the resurrection and proceed on to Godhood. Being Kings and Queens and filling their kingdom with their own posterity.
Now here is the important thing. All this must be done in this life. For this life is the time to prepare to meet God. There is no promise that we will have a second chance if we could have done it here.
Now it doesn’t matter how long you have been living together as man and wife (until death do you part any of you can qualify in one years time to be ready to have your wife sealed (married) to you in God’s Temple. Yes only one year to comply with the simple and easy steps thus outlined.
I remember the first time I served as Bishop. Zealously I contacted all the couples in the ward who had not entered into this covenant of everlasting happiness and tried to get them to understand that mortal life is too fleeting and insecure to put it off.
One such couple in their early 30's with three lovely children met in my office at the appointed time. He was a handsome man and she was an exceptionally beautiful woman.
At my questioning they freely expressed their love for each other and their desire to go to
the temple and be sealed as eternal companions. I conveyed my happiness and said then lets get it done.
He said, “I can’t because you won’t give me a Temple recommend because I smoke cigarettes.”
Said I, “No problem, throw them away tonight and in only 30 days I can issue you the recommend.”
He answered, “No I like to smoke and intend to keep doing so.”
This so provoked me that I held up a piece of chalk between my thumb and forefinger (it looked somewhat like a cigarette) and said to him, “you’re telling me that you love this lousy cigarette more than you love this beautiful woman. And in 30 to 40 years you will have neither wife or tobacco. For it is not available in Heaven and it’s a sure cinch that the Devil will withhold it from all those who enter His realm.”
With that he stormed out of the office in a rage muttering. “I’m not going to quit smoking.”
The poor wife broke into a terrible fit of weeping. And with the mother crying, all three kids also wept and wailed.
I was sorry that I had made it so dramatic, but it was true.
Now my sons consider carefully what I have plainly taught in this memo. I promise you it is true. God will not be mocked. Or when I was a kid my Dad taught us that you “sass” me or your Mother and I’ll whale the daylights out of you and that’s what God is saying.
In plain language he is saying, “I love you. I want the best for you, now and forever and here is the way I’ve provided for you to receive it. And if you turn down this free gift, that is mockery.”
And I sent my best son, the first born in Heaven and my only begotten on earth to bring to pass this great gift.
He sweat blood in his agony in Gethsemene and on that awful cross he suffered and died that all who would believe in him might have all that I have to give which in short is ETERNAL FAMILIES.
Incidentally, God also said that those who do not accept the sacrifice Christ made for them, that they must suffer even as he did which suffering is beyond man’s imagination. Finally when they have paid for their foolishness and are pronounced clean they may come forth in the second resurrection and dwell in some degree of happiness but without wife, children etc.
As a carpenter I was once nailed to a wall by an 8 penny nail (about the size of a wooden match.) It passed through the base of the nail on my second finger of my left hand. I immediately broke into a terrible scream, I sounded like a fire truck siren and I couldn’t stop until that nail was pulled out. That gave me just a small idea of what my Savior suffered for me because he loves me and is trying to give me the best that God has to give.
Or as the Savior said: “He who accepts my servants, accepts me, and he who accepts me accepts my Father. And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s Kingdom; therefore all that my Father hath shall be given unto him. (Doctrine & Covenants 84:36-38)
I am Christ’s servant. If you will accept this teaching by acting on it you have accepted the Savior, and the Father and will heir all that the Father has to give. To which I testify in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
My love eternally,
Dad, grandpa, friend etc. Richard Marden Pratt
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