Remember, Remember

This month we celebrate the first anniversary of the dedication of the San Juan Puerto Rico Temple and take the opportunity to remember the blessings we have been given. At the close of King Benjamin’s reign, he called his people together and desired that they remember the things that are true (see Mosiah 2:41). As they acted on his invitation, they recognized their blessings and the Spirit touched their hearts. Filled with gratitude and desire to obey, they promised to keep the commandments of God and were blessed.

The benefits of remembering are also valuable in our day. Elder D. Todd Christofferson and Elder Jorge M. Alvarado gave promises and blessings during the dedicatory sessions of the San Juan temple on January 15 and today we reminisce, knowing that remembering will also bless us.

The symbolic tradition of sealing the temple cornerstone continued at this dedication. A capsule of historical nature was set in the cornerstone of the temple. Regarding the traditional ceremony, Elder Christofferson explained:

“We are here for the purpose of sealing the cornerstone of the temple; although we do not have a cornerstone as such, it is a custom that we still keep today. With this, we are recognizing the role and place of Jesus Christ as the cornerstone of our faith and in the life of each one of us.”

Later, Elder Christofferson shared the significance of the temples: “By entering the temple, we leave the world temporarily. We leave our problems and challenges at the door and focus our minds on the things of God, on the ordinances and covenants of salvation and exaltation. We refocus our thoughts and desires with a divine perspective.”

Then he added: “When we leave the temple, we notice that the problems and challenges that we left at the door are still there. We are forced to carry them again, they have not changed, but fortunately, the time we have spent in the temple has changed us. Our perspective is sure and more accurate. We begin to see that what seemed impossible, with the help of the Lord, we can find a solution, and we have a greater certainty of His help.”

For his part, Elder Alvarado, who is from Puerto Rico and at that time served in the Area Presidency, expressed his sentiments through tears of emotion at this historic event for the island of Puerto Rico: “The power of the Lord is over this land and over this temple. The Spirit that is felt here is extraordinary and I have been able to feel the difference that there is when the Lord comes and accepts His House. It moves me to think of the blessings that the Lord has for the Saints on the island of Puerto Rico. This day I have had a powerful feeling that the Lord is pleased with His people and that He is going to help them grow and prosper.”

At the close of the ceremonies Elder Christofferson said, “What has impressed me the most today is that the Saints of Puerto Rico consider this temple as an offering before the Lord, which moved me. They pray and hope that the Lord will consider their offering as worthy of Him and that He will receive it as the best they can offer. That attitude and feeling of presenting an offering by coming to the temple today and then returning to present additional offerings in the form of covenants for your ancestors will maintain a deeper spirituality than has ever existed among the Saints on this island, especially among those who come to the temple.”

Information taken from 18 January 2023-Caribbean News Release