Of Souls, Symbols, and Sacraments | Jeffrey R. Holland | Jan 1988

Jeffrey R. Holland discusses the sacred nature of physical intimacy. It is a power of souls, symbols, and sacraments gifted from God to man.

This devotional was given on January 12, 1988.

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This responsibility to speak to you never gets any easier for me. I think it gets more difficult as the years go by. I grow a little older, the world and its litany of problems get a little more complex, and your hopes and dreams become evermore important to me the longer I am at BYU. Indeed, your growth and happiness and development in the life you are now living and in the life you will be living in the days and decades ahead are the central and most compelling motivation in my daily professional life. I care very much about you now and forever. Everything I know to do at BYU is being done with an eye toward who and what you are, and who and what you can become. The future of this world’s history will be quite fully in your hands very soon—at least your portion of it will be—and an education at an institution sponsored and guided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the greatest academic advantage I can imagine in preparation for such a serious and significant responsibility.

But that future, at least any qualitative aspect of it, must be vigorously fought for. It won’t “just happen” to your advantage. Some­one said once that the future is waiting to be seized, and if we do not grasp it firmly, then other hands, more determined and bloody than our own, will wrench it from us and follow a different course.

It is with an eye to that future—your future—and an awareness of this immense sense of responsibility I feel for you, that I approach this annual midyear devotional message. I always need the help and sustaining Spirit of the Lord to succeed at such times, but I especially feel the need for that spiritual help today.

Human Intimacy

My topic is that of human intimacy, a topic as sacred as any I know and more sacred than anything I have ever addressed from this podium. If I am not careful and you are not supportive, this subject can slide quickly from the sacred into the merely sensational, and I would be devastated if that happened. It would be better not to address the topic at all than to damage it with casualness or carelessness. Indeed, it is against such casualness and carelessness that I wish to speak. So I ask for your faith and your prayers and your respect.

You may feel this is a topic you hear addressed too frequently at this time in your life, but given the world in which we live, you may not be hearing it enough. All of the prophets, past and present, have spoken on it, and President Benson himself addressed this very subject in his annual message to this student body last fall.

I am thrilled that most of you are doing wonderfully well in the matter of personal purity. There isn’t as worthy and faithful a group of university students anywhere else on the face of the earth. You are an inspiration to me. I acknowledge your devotion to the gospel and applaud it. Like Jacob of old, I would prefer for the sake of the innocent not to need to discuss such topics. But a few of you are not doing so well, and much of the world around us is not doing well at all.

The national press recently noted,

In America 3,000 adolescents become pregnant each day. A million a year. Four out of five are unmarried. More than half get abortions. “Babies having babies.” [Babies] killing [babies]. [“What’s Gone Wrong with Teen Sex,” People, 13 April 1987, p. 111]

That same national poll indicated nearly 60 percent of high school students in “mainstream” America had lost their virginity, and 80 percent of college students had. The Wall Street Journal (hardly in a class with the National Enquirer) recently wrote,

AIDS [appears to be reaching] plague[like] proportions. Even now it is claiming innocent victims: newborn babies and recipients of blood transfusions. It is only a matter of time before it becomes widespread among heterosexuals. . . .

AIDS should remind us that ours is a hostile world. . . . The more we pass ourselves around, the larger the likelihood of our picking something up. . . .

Whether on clinical or moral grounds, it seems clear that promiscuity has its price...

[Chillymosquito]

This is one of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard.

[stickijimmi]

One of the greatest BYU speeches ever given.

[frontpage]

I was there in the Marriott Center when he gave this talk. Just as powerful and even more needed today. Thank you Elder Holland!

[JoshuaMarley-ry]

Not a single negative comment. I just read through every one. And that’s for good reason. Elder Holland is a truly incredible disciple.

[lauranewman]

He's so amazing! I love him and I love this talk, and have for many years

[chrisbusath]

One of the best talks if all time. I love Elder Holland!

[tedmunford]

Can you imagine the heartache and loss that could be avoided if more people today understood, and lived, what he is explaining here. Our world would not be the same. Our children would not be the same.

[OtherMike]

This is the GREATEST talk on Chastity I've EVER witnessed.😮

[Diamond_Aura]

Sometimes the world confuses me, but I’m so thankful to have people who have such experience and gifts to speak in a way that really hits you in your heart, and makes you not just logic your way into doing what’s right, but FEEL like doing what’s right.

[arianamauery]

I can’t express the breadth of feeling I felt when listening to this in any way other than saying I know it’s true. Thank you!

[BoiseMan]

Great talk, I think he reiterated abou half of it while an apostle more appropriate for general audiences.

[israelcaigoy]

That is a powerful truth ..one of the great speech by elder holland

[maryloumackelprang]

We can’t hear this often enough and has no age limit.

[Tutankhamen]

This talk is a religious, doctrinal, spiritual, common-sense, masterpiece. Thank you Elder Holland!

And condolences to you on the passing of your eternal companion. God speed Sister Holland!❤❤

[pamweinberg]

Thank you for you powerful words. You are right. It hurts the soul and it’s hard, so very hard, to learn and accept what you have done to your soul after you have done it. Even after you have repented and realize what’s Christ’s Atonement has done for me, it brought me tears that Christ had to go their for me. If I could ever warn anyone the effects it has on your soul. I would beg you, not to do it. I am happier now. I’m so very Thankful to say that I have come back to Church after many years. I am still working on going to the Temple but, I’m much happier because, I have the Guidance and support of my Bishop, Missionaries, my husband, my family, the beautiful Ward Members, Prayer, The Book of Mormon, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Your words are truth. 💛🙏😇

[jonnygregg]

This is needed now more than ive ever seen. Hope everyone can take from this instead of acting like they havent lost anything which is far from whats gone on. And this was 10 years before i was born.

[js]

I wish the whole world could hear this talk and understand it.

[faleafitipa]

Elder Holland speech on January 1988 was a powerful back than even today September 2021 because it still happen . I think it is the best reminder to the young generations today.

[EmmanuelRodriguezhz]

Extremely powerful!! Thank you Elder Holland!

[MANUGIN]

Say it louder for the people in the back!! Holland went ham on this one. I needed to hear this foreal 🙏🏽🙏🏽❤️