Bishop's Remarks

These is the talk given by our wonderful Bishop Milne:

Willa Michele Tolman Funeral

October 27, 2014

As I contemplated the brief sojourn of Willa Tolman in mortality, I turned to the teachings of one who experienced the death of his newborn children and had a divine perspective on such a tragedy.

Of the eleven children of Joseph and Emma Smith - nine born to them and two adopted - only five lived to adulthood.  Four of them died shortly after birth.  Joseph also lost three brothers to untimely deaths.

I quote the following statements from the prophet Joseph Smith (Teachings of Presidents of the Church – Joseph Smith, Chapter 14):

"I have ... asked the question, why it is that infants, innocent children, are taken away from us... The strongest reasons that present themselves to my mind are these: This world is a very wicked world; and it … grows more wicked and corrupt. … The Lord takes many away, even in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man, and the sorrows and evils of this present world; they were too pure, too lovely, to live on earth; therefore, if rightly considered, instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil, and we shall soon have them again.”

“… The only difference between the old and young dying is, one lives longer in heaven and eternal light and glory than the other, and is freed a little sooner from this miserable, wicked world. Notwithstanding all this glory, we for a moment lose sight of it, and mourn the loss, but we do not mourn as those without hope.”

“A question may be asked--‘Will mothers have their children in eternity?’ Yes! Yes! Mothers, you shall have your children; for they shall have eternal life, for their debt is paid.”

“Children … must rise just as they died; we can there hail our lovely infants with the same glory - the same loveliness in the celestial glory.”

“And I also beheld that all children who die before they arrive at the years of accountability are saved in the celestial kingdom of heaven.” (D&C 137:10)

I quote the following from Joseph F. Smith (Teachings of Presidents of the Church – Joseph Smith, Chapter 14):

“Joseph Smith taught the doctrine that the infant child that was laid away in death would come up in the resurrection as a child; and, pointing to the mother of a lifeless child, he said to her: ‘You will have the joy, the pleasure and satisfaction of nurturing this child, after its resurrection, until it reaches the full stature of its spirit.’ …”

On a separate occasion, “Joseph Smith told the mother of a deceased infant that she should have the joy, the pleasure, and the satisfaction of rearing that child, after the resurrection, until it reached the full stature of its spirit; and that it would be a far greater joy than she could possibly have in mortality, because she would be free from the sorrow and fear and disabilities of mortal life, and she would know more than she could know in this life.”

I close my remarks with the words of our beloved prophet, President Thomas S. Monson as he closed the April 2013 General Conference, “There are, of course, those times when we experience disappointments, heartaches, and even tragedies in our lives. However, if we will put our trust in the Lord, He will help us through our difficulties, whatever they may be. The Psalmist provided this assurance: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”  (Thomas S. Monson, Until We Meet Again, April 2013 Conference)

I add my testimony that these words spoken by prophets of God, past and present, are true.  May these words and your trust in God give you patience to bear the pain of grief and endure the time for your spirit to heal.