Editor’s note: To support personal and family gospel learning, the Church News is publishing articles on messages from April 2025 general conference. It is recommended to listen to or read the full address in addition to reviewing these resources.
About this talk
- “Reverence for Sacred Things”
- Elder Ulisses Soares | Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
- Sunday afternoon session of April 2025 general conference.
- Theme: Reverence for the sacred transforms discipleship, invites spiritual revelation and brings greater joy.
Read the full message here.
Read a summary of Elder Soares’ message here.
Outline
- Moses saw a burning bush that was not consumed and represented God. With reverence, humility and wonder, he removed his shoes and prepared himself to enter the Lord’s presence. This experience connected Moses to his divine identity. Likewise, believers can transform their discipleship by making the virtue of reverence part of their character.
- Reverence means “to stand in awe of” and to have a feeling or attitude of respect, love and gratitude. Reverence is “one of the most elevated experiences of the soul” and directs thoughts, hearts and lives toward Deity. Spirituality is built upon reverence, and the more it is felt, the greater the joy and delight in one’s life.
- The world celebrates irreverence, leading to apathy and misery. Irreverence can lead believers away from covenants and accountability. Irreverence toward sacred things furthers the adversary’s aims and disrupts the ability to receive revelation.
- Reverence toward God is essential to attain the celestial kingdom. The Church strives to hold the Father and the Son in the utmost sacredness and respect. This includes the use of artificial intelligence. Technology cannot simulate the wonder, awe and amazement found in reverence from the influence of the Holy Ghost. Followers of Christ must not let technology and AI-generated content weaken their connection with God and His Son.
- Temples are a place of reverence to God. Like Moses, covenant keepers remove their worldly shoes and step onto holy ground in the temple, signaling they are ready to be transformed in higher and holier ways. Like temples, homes should be a sacred environment that is protected from worldly influences. Church services and singing hymns enable worshippers to turn their attention to the sacrament and focus on the Savior and His Atonement.
- Regular worship in the temple can cause spiritual change as one strives to live with covenant confidence, especially when faced with trials. Before burying his child who was born prematurely, Elder Soares prayed and asked for help during that trial. The answer he received was a powerful spiritual assurance that all would be fine as long as they endured and held on to the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
- Reverence for the sacred fosters gratitude, true happiness, increased revelation and greater joy. Those who strive to incorporate reverence into their life will gain confidence and understanding of God’s will for them. By embracing the gift of reverence, the perfect love of God and Jesus Christ can fill one with astounding amazement and awe.
Reflection questions
How has reverence for sacred things brought you joy?
What does reverence look like in your life?
How can your home become a more sacred environment?
How do you prepare to enter into holy places?
How can you be more in awe of the sacred in your life?
Speaker quotes
- “Reverence for sacred things is the greatest manifestation of a vital spiritual quality; it is a by-product of our connection to holiness and reflects our love for and proximity to our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is also one of the most elevated experiences of the soul. Such virtue directs our thoughts, hearts and lives toward Deity.”
- “The absence of respect for the sacred produces an increasing casualness in attitude and carelessness in conduct, which can rapidly spiral one generation into apathy and catapult the next generation into misery.”
- “Reverence for the sacred fosters genuine gratitude, expands true happiness, leads our minds to revelation and brings greater joy to our lives.”
Reference scriptures
- “God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And [God] said, … put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.”
- “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh.”
- “Before whose throne all things bow in humble reverence, and give him glory forever and ever.”
Invitations and promises
- “Such expression for the sacred by those who have a contrite heart and deep devotion to God and Jesus Christ fosters increased joy in their souls.”
- “As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are invited to cultivate the gift of reverence in our lives in order to open ourselves to a deeper communion with God and His Son, Jesus Christ, simultaneously strengthening our spiritual character. Had we more of such feelings in our hearts, there would be undoubtedly greater joy and delight in our lives, and there would be less room for sorrow and sadness.”
- “We must remember that showing reverence for sacred things gives meaning to much of what we do every day and strengthens our feeling of gratitude-inspiring awe, respect and love for higher and holier things.”
Stories
- On Mount Horeb, Moses saw a bush that was burning but was not consumed. God spoke to him through that bush, saying, “Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). The reverent experience connected Moses to his divine identity and gave a foundation on which he could transform “from a humble shepherd to a powerful prophet.”
- After Elder and Sister Soares lost their second child, who was born prematurely and did not survive, Elder Soares prayed and asked for help through this trial. He received an answer that “everything will be fine in our lives if my wife and I endure, holding on to the joy that comes from living the gospel of Jesus Christ.”
Additional resources
- Related image: “Family Prayer”
- Related video: “3 Ways To Make Your Home a Place of Gospel Peace”
- Related hymn: “Children’s Songbook,” No. 31, “Reverence Is Love”
Recent conference talks on reverence
- Elder Patrick Kearon: “Welcome to the Church of Joy” (October 2024)
- Elder David A. Bednar: “Be Still, and Know That I Am God” (April 2024)
- Elder Gerrit W. Gong: “Love Is Spoken Here” (October 2023)
Who is Elder Soares?
- Elder Ulisses Soares was sustained to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on March 31, 2018. The first Apostle from South America, he was formerly an accountant and auditor for multinational corporations in Brazil and, later, director for temporal affairs in the Church area office in São Paulo, Brazil.
