'The most sacred, the most holy'
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In Doctrine and Covenants 20:75, the Lord directed members of the Church to meet together often to partake of the sacrament.
During the October 1995 general conference, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve said that every ordinance of the gospel "focuses in one way or another on the atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ."
He spoke of the ordinance of the sacrament: "Surely that is why this particular ordinance with all its symbolism and imagery comes to us more readily and more repeatedly than any other in our life. It comes in what has been called 'the most sacred, the most holy, of all the meetings of the Church.' (Joseph Fielding Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1954-56, 2:340.)
"Perhaps we do not always attach that kind of meaning to our weekly sacramental service. How 'sacred' and how 'holy' is it? Do we see it as our passover, remembrance of our safety and deliverance and redemption?
"With so very much at stake, this ordinance commemorating our escape from the angel of darkness should be taken more seriously than it sometimes is. It should be a powerful, reverent, reflective moment. It should encourage spiritual feelings and impressions. As such it should not be rushed. It is not something to 'get over' so that the real purpose of a sacramental meeting can be pursued. This is the real purpose of the meeting. And everything that is said or sung or prayed in those services should be consistent with the grandeur of this sacred ordinance."
