13 years ago, the Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City. Among many of the memorable events was the opening ceremonies where the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, under the baton of the impeccable John Williams premiered an anthem called, "Call of the Champions"

The Choir started out by almost shout-singing three words: Citius! Altius! Fortius!, which mean Faster, Higher, Stronger. These words resonated with the athletes that were to perform at this particular olympics. Indeed, many new records were established as a result of Citius! Altius! Fortius! I think those same three words can result in a call to action even in 2015.

Citius!

Faster and faster, the work of the Lord rolls forth. From President Spencer W. Kimball's favorite quote that was on his desk (Do it), to our present prophet announcing the lowering of missionary age requirements, we see the fruition of the work moving along. Elder Bednar counseled us to use Social Media as a wave upon the earth. The Work of the Lord is indeed moving Citius!

Altius!

In this day and age, where the world is ripe for iniquity, where men are lovers of themselves, where the basic tenets of commandments of God are being challenged, we who call ourselves Disciples of Christ need to look higher for our guidance. Our Heavenly Father is always there to help us, but it is us that need to look up to live. We have been counseled many times to be in the world, but of it. We need to try and live the higher law so that our light can surely be a beacon for all to see.

Fortius!

As the latter days progress, we can see that Satan's power is growing by leaps and bounds. His influence is felt throughout the entire world through television, movies, government, and lifestyle. The constitution as our Forefathers wrote it is being challenged, amended, and overturned every new session of congress. New laws are enacted that, in one sense are said to protect, but in the eternal sense, they are imprisoning, or damning us. As members of Christ Church, we can and are strong. Our youth are the ones saved for this particular time because our Heavenly Father knew they proved themselves worthy in the pre existence. He knows that they are the ones who can, through their faith be much stronger than the adversary and can thwart Satan and his legions. They are our hope. We, as parents need to recognize this and also be strong with them.


There is yet one more word shout-sang near the conclusion of the piece. And that word is Clarius! which translates to More Brightly.

Clarius!

I see this (fittingly at the conclusion) of life journey with all its trials, temptations, and woes. Sometimes it takes all of our life to discover the most important things in life. For many, they look back at the wasted years where they could have been actively pursuing different things. I know I have some of those, "I wish i could turn back the hands of time" moments. But we need to look at today and tomorrow. We can do nothing about the past. We need to live for today. As we gain wisdom, things become much clearer to us. We understand why we shouldn't have touched the stove. We may understand the importance of saving money, staying out of debt, and going to church each week. Our Heavenly Father sees even the bigger picture. We may not understand why our Savior offered Himself as the sacrificial Lamb. We accept it, but may not understand it completely. There are many such things that we may not fully understand in this lifetime. But we have the promise of a bright day where all things will be revealed. That nothing will be left unanswered. That is the Brightness of hope. That is what I live for in this life. Hope.

So, as the athletes back in 2002 and in other olympics trained, competed all in the name of Citius! Altius! Fortius!, and Clarius!, so can we. We have the spiritual tools necessary to compete and even soundly defeat our adversary. We can live the higher law, we can be an example to others so they can see that we are different somehow and may want to share in that same light. Citius! Altius! Fortius! Clarius!
Continue reading at the original source →