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A Sense Of The Sacred

A sense of the sacred

"The importance of having a sense of the sacred is simply this--if one does not appreciate holy things, he will lose them. Absent a feeling of reverence, he will grow increasingly casual in attitude and lax in conduct. He will drift from the moorings that his covenants with God could provide. His feeling of accountability to God will diminish and then be forgotten. Thereafter, he will care only about his own comfort and satisfying his uncontrolled appetites. Finally, he will come to despise sacred things, even God, and then he will despise himself. "On the other hand, with a sense of the sacred, one grows in understanding and truth. The Holy Spirit becomes his frequent and then constant companion. More and more he will stand in holy places and be entrusted with holy things. Just the opposite of cynicism and despair, his end is eternal life."
Ref. (D. Todd Christofferson, "A Sense of the Sacred," CES fireside for young adults, Nov. 7, 2004)

Sacred The Sense A

Brother Christopherson makes a good point here. When I was young I remember the sacred feeling I had whenever I entered a chapel. Just being in the church building had a sense of reverence, knowing it was the Lord's house. But the chapel held an extra sense of sacredness. We never even entered the chapel unless we were dressed appropriately and spoke in hushed tones. It was always a peaceful place. Kind of what you would experience in the temples today.
As the years have passed this sense of sacredness has diminished. Probably because, as Brother Christopherson said, we have become "increasingly casual in our attitude and lax in our conduct." It is not just the chapel where this has occurred. It is in our homes and our everyday lives. I think one of the reasons we have been admonished to make our homes a sacred santuary is to help us "grow in understanding and truth." These days it is becoming more and more difficult to find holy places in which to stand.
I work in an atmosphere of disorganized chaos and it becomes easy to be distracted by the world. I find if I take time to really appreciate the sacred moments and to invite the Spirit to be with me as much as possible I am better prepared to withstand the distractions and remain focused on what is really important.