In the second in a series of 15 videos now being released by members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder Ulisses Soares testified of the Savior as the Prince of Peace.
The video, based on Elder Soares’s April 2023 general conference message, begins with video from the Bible Videos of the Savior arriving in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. His followers placed palm leaves on the ground as Jesus entered the city on the back of a donkey. Elder Soares said that the Savior’s followers today have been taught to live in unity.
“As His followers, we are His peculiar people, called to proclaim His virtues, promoters of the peace so generously offered through Him and His atoning sacrifice. As disciples of the Prince of Peace, we have been instructed to live with hearts knit together in unity and love, one towards another,” he said.
Elder Soares taught that drawing closer to the Savior changes the way individuals act toward others.
“One of the most evident signs that we are drawing closer to the Savior and becoming more like Him is the loving, patient and kind way with which we treat our fellow beings, whatever the circumstances.”
Elder Soares concludes with an invitation to put down metaphorical robes and palm leaves in celebration of the Resurrection.
“May we today spread out our robes of love and palm leaves of charity, walking in the footsteps of the Prince of Peace as we prepare to celebrate the miracle of the empty tomb.”
Videos like this one will be published each day leading up to Easter Sunday and will share testimonies of the many ways Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of the world. The videos will be published on the social media platforms of each respective Apostle and will culminate with videos from President Russell M. Nelson and his counselors in the Church’s First Presidency.
Elder Soares on the Savior
Elder Soares has spoken about the Savior many times since being sustained as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in March 2018.
He has spoken in general conference 17 times. The Savior is named in the title of his last seven general conference messages.
In 2018, Elder Soares invited members of the Church to be more welcoming to those who are learning about the Church or who have recently been baptized.
“My beloved companions in the work of the Lord, I believe we can do much better and should do better in welcoming new friends into the Church. I invite you to consider what we can do to be more embracing, accepting and helpful to them,” he said.
He said this type of love comes naturally as individuals obtain and refine Christlike attributes.
“As we strive to acquire His divine attributes in our lives, we become different than we were through the Atonement of Christ the Lord, and our love for all people increases naturally,” he said.
In 2020, Elder Soares taught how the Book of Mormon helps individuals draw closer to the Savior and better understand His role in the plan of salvation.
“The Book of Mormon testifies of God’s love for His children, of the Lord Jesus Christ’s selfless and divine atoning sacrifice, and of His crowning ministry among the Nephites soon after His Resurrection,” he said.
He described his own experiences in gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon’s veracity and said, “The Book of Mormon indeed became the keystone that sustains my faith in Jesus Christ and my testimony of the doctrine of His gospel. It became one of the pillars that testifies to me of Christ’s divine atoning sacrifice.”
In 2022, Elder Soares taught about building a solid relationship with the Savior in marriage and being unified with Him as a married couple.
“I testify to you that as we — women and men — work together in a true and equal partnership, we will enjoy the unity taught by the Savior as we fulfill the divine responsibilities in our marriage relationships.”
He taught that couples should be like Adam and Eve, who despite being cast out of the Garden of Eden, “became one flesh, creating a dimension of unity that allowed them to walk together with respect, gratitude and love, forgetting about themselves and seeking each other’s well-being on their journey to eternity.”
