'This is the knowledge that sustains
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"The darkness of death can ever be dispelled by the light of revealed truth." — President Thomas S. Monson
Speaking Sunday morning of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, President Thomas S. Monson said: "Suddenly, without warning, devastating destruction left death in its wake and snuffed out the lives of enormous numbers of men, women and children. Evaporated were the well-laid plans for pleasant futures. Substituted therefor were tears of sorrow and cries of pain from wounded hearts."
Explaining that death comes to all mankind, President Monson, first counselor in the First Presidency, observed: "Frequently death comes as an intruder. It is an enemy that suddenly appears in the midst of life's feast, putting out its lights and gaiety. Death lays its heavy hand upon those dear to us and at times leaves us baffled and wondering. In certain situations, as in great suffering and illness, death comes as an angel of mercy. But for the most part, we think of it as the enemy of human happiness.
"The darkness of death can ever be dispelled by the light of revealed truth. 'I am the resurrection, and the life,' spoke the Master. 'He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.'"
President Monson noted that out of the darkness and the horror of Calvary came the voice of the Lamb, saying, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit."
"And the dark was no longer dark, for He was with His Father. He had come from God, and to Him He had returned," President Monson declared. "So also those who walk with God in this earthly pilgrimage know from blessed experience that He will not abandon His children who trust in Him. In the night of death, His presence will be 'better than a light and safer than a known way.' "
President Monson then related the testimony of Paul, who, on the road to Damascus, had a vision of the risen, exalted Christ and later bore witness of His atoning sacrifice and resurrection.
"In our dispensation, this same testimony was spoken boldly by the Prophet Joseph Smith, as he and Sidney Rigdon testified: 'And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives! For we saw him. . . and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father — That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.' (Doctrine and Covenants 76:22-24.)
"This is the knowledge that sustains," President Monson continued. "This is the truth that comforts. This is the assurance that guides those bowed down with grief out of the shadows and into the light. It is available to all.
"How fragile life, how certain death. We do not know when we will be required to leave this mortal existence. And so I ask, 'What are we doing with today?' If we live only for tomorrow, we'll have a lot of empty yesterdays today."
President Monson counseled: "Let us ask ourselves the question, 'Have I done any good in the world today? Have I helped anyone in need?' What a formula for happiness! What a prescription for contentment, for inner peace — to have inspired gratitude in another human being."
President Monson then spoke of the unenviable position of Jacob Marley's ghost in A Christmas Carol. "Marley spoke sadly of opportunities lost. Said he, 'Not to know that any Christian spirit, working kindly in its little sphere, whatever it may be, will find its mortal life too short for its vast means of usefulness! Not to know that no space of regret can make amends for one life's opportunities misused! Yet, such was I. Oh, such was I.' "
Continuing, President Monson asked: "Why is the story, A Christmas Carol, so popular? Why is it ever new? I personally feel it is inspired of God. It brings out the best within human nature. It gives hope. It motivates change. We can turn from the paths which would lead us down and, with a song in our hearts, follow a star and walk toward the light. We can quicken our step, bolster our courage and bask in the sunlight of truth. We can hear more clearly the laughter of little children. We can dry the tear of the weeping. We can comfort the dying by sharing the promise of eternal life. If we lift one weary hand which hangs down, if we bring peace to one struggling soul, if we give as did the Master, we can — by showing the way — become a guiding star for some lost mariner.
"Because life is fragile and death inevitable, we must make the most of each day," President Monson affirmed. He then read a portion of a tender story written by Louise Dickinson Rich of the decades-long feud between her grandmother and her next-door neighbor, Mrs. Wilcox, in a small town:
"I don't know how Grandma could have borne her troubles so long if it hadn't been for the household page of her daily Boston newspaper. . . . Besides the usual cooking hints and cleaning advice, it had a department composed of letters from readers to each other. The idea was that if you had a problem — or even only some steam to blow off — you wrote a letter to the paper, signing some fancy name like Arbutus. That was Grandma's pen name. Then some of the other ladies who had the same problem wrote back and told you what they had done about it, signing themselves One Who Knows or Xanthippe or whatever.
"Very often, the problem disposed of, you kept on for years writing to each other through the column of the paper, telling each other about your children and your canning and your new dining-room suite. That's what happened to Grandma. She and a woman called Sea Gull corresponded for a quarter of a century. Sea Gull was Grandma's true friend."
The author then wrote how one year Mrs. Wilcox died, and "Grandma" offered the family some service, "out of common decency." She was directed to clean an already-immaculate front parlor. "There on the parlor table in the place of honor was a huge scrapbook; and in the scrapbook, pasted neatly in parallel columns were Grandma's letters to Sea Gull over the years and Sea Gull's letters to her. Though neither woman had known it, Grandma's worst enemy had been her best friend. That was the only time I remember seeing my grandmother cry. She was crying for all the wasted years which could never be salvaged."
President Monson added: "May we resolve from this day forward to fill our hearts with love. May we go the extra mile to include in our lives any who are lonely or downhearted or who are suffering in any way. May we 'cheer up the sad and make someone feel glad.' May we live so that when that final summons is heard, we may have no serious regrets, no unfinished business, but will be able to say with the Apostle Paul, 'I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.'"
