Among all the sins mentioned in scripture, ingratitude seems to draw some of the sternest condemnation.

In a revelation through the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord warned, "In nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments" (Doctrine and Covenants 59:21).

And the apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy, spoke of a strain of wicked behavior that would characterize men in the last days, including "unthankful" among such deplorable descriptors as "covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents" and "unholy" (See 2 Timothy 3:2).

But, referring also to the latter-days, President Thomas S. Monson, now first counselor in the First Presidency, spoke in a positive vein during an April 1992 general conference sermon: "While there are some things wrong in the world today, there are many things right, such as teachers who teach, ministers who minister, marriages that make it, parents who sacrifice, and friends who help.

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within ourselves an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

A study of selected scriptural passages, some of them reflected in this special issue of the Church News, leads to the conclusion that gratitude, while being a noble virtue in and of itself, is integral to other virtues, doctrines and righteous acts.

In preaching to the Zoramites, for example, Amulek exhorted them to humble themselves "to the dust" and to "live in thanksgiving daily" for the mercies and blessings that come from God. (See Alma 34:38.) Indeed, humility cannot exist where gratitude is not genuinely felt. Nor is it possible to feel true gratitude without fostering within one's own soul an increased measure of humility.

The Psalms repeatedly enjoin gratitude as an inseparable element of worship: "Offer unto God thanksgiving" admonishes one passage, "and pay thy vows unto the most High" (Psalm 50:14). Similarly, another resolves, "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms" (Psalm 95:2).

Clearly, it is pleasing to the Lord when we worship in a spirit of gratitude, occasionally expressing ourselves through hymns of praise, both at Church and in a home setting.

It is significant that the temple, where we strive most to draw close to our Heavenly Father, has been denoted as "a place of thanksgiving for all saints" (Doctrine and Covenants 97:13).

Gratitude, according to the scriptures, is appropriate in times of want as well as abundance, in affliction as well as blessing.

Having been abused by his brothers during their ocean voyage to the promised land, and now, with his wrists and ankles injured from the cords with which they bound him, Nephi did not murmur against the Lord. On the contrary, he said, "I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long" (1 Nephi 18:16).

Like Nephi, one of the 10 healed lepers in Christ's parable took occasion to glorify God and give thanks to the Savior for his deliverance, this in marked contrast to his nine associates who merely went on their way. The parable, of course, teaches much regarding the differing ways in which men and women respond to the healing and deliverance offered by Christ's atoning sacrifice.

In his landmark "Counsel and Prayer for Youth" transmitted via satellite from the Conference Center on Nov. 12, 2000, President Gordon B. Hinckley listed "Be grateful" as the first item in his "Six Bs."

"The habit of saying thank you is the mark of an educated man or woman," he affirmed. "Walk with gratitude in your hearts, my dear friends. Be thankful for the wonderful blessings which are yours. Be grateful for the tremendous opportunities that you have. Be thankful to your parents.... Say thank you to your friends. Say thank you to your teachers. Express appreciation to everyone who does you a favor or assists you in any way.

"Thank the Lord for His goodness to you. Thank the Almighty for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who has done for you what none other in all this world could do."

On the threshold of a new year, we commend this wise counsel to all, adults as well as youth.