| Contributed by: Ann Scriptures
Abraham 2:9-11
9 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee
above measure, and make thy name great among all nations, and thou shalt be a blessing
unto thy seed after thee, that in their hands they shall bear this ministry and Priesthood
unto all nations;
10 And I will bless them through thy name; for as many as receive
this Gospel shall be called after thy name, and shall be accounted thy seed, and shall
rise up and bless thee, as their father;
11 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse them that
curse thee; and in thee (that is, in thy Priesthood) and in thy seed (that is, thy
Priesthood), for I give unto thee a promise that this right shall continue in thee, and in
thy seed after thee (that is to say, the literal seed, or the seed of the body) shall all
the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the
blessings of salvation, even of life eternal.
Quotations
Quote 1
"The purpose of a patriarchal blessing [is] to interpret and
reveal to us, through the inspiration of the Almighty, why we are here and what is
expected of us that we might fill the measure of our creation here upon the earth"
(LeGrand Richards, "Patriarchal Blessings," New Era, Feb. 1977, p. 4).
Quote 2
"[Patriarchal blessings are given] to meet our special
requirements in life, for our comfort, success, and strength. Our special needs may be
pointed out; special gifts may be promised us; we may be blessed to overcome our
weaknesses, to resist temptation, or to develop our powers, so that we may the more surely
achieve the promised blessings. Since all men differ, their blessings may differ; but a
patriarchal blessing always confers promises upon us, becomes a warning against failure in
life, and a means of guidance in attaining the blessings of the Lord" (John A.
Widtsoe, Evidences and Reconciliations [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1960], pp.
322-23).
Quote 3
Statement from President Spencer W. Kimball:
"I have great confidence in the patriarchs and in their
blessings. When the patriarch is a faithful Latter-day Saint and remains close to the Lord
and is a student of the scriptures, the promises which he makes under his special
authority and calling will be fulfilled, if the recipient of the blessing is faithful and
true" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, p. 4; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, p. 4).
Story
Susan’s patriarchal blessing contained several warnings to
keep the Word of Wisdom strictly. It specifically warned her to allow no one to tempt her
to violate any part of that commandment so that she could keep herself pure and clean.
This warning surprised Susan because she had long since made the commitment to obey this
commandment. Most of her friends were members of the Church, and she had never been
tempted to break the Word of Wisdom.
Several years after receiving her patriarchal blessing, Susan
found a job in a hospital in a big city. She was the only member of the Church working
there. Most of her friends respected her beliefs and did not ask her to smoke or drink
with them. But one night at a party, one of the supervising doctors poured a glass of wine
for everyone, including Susan. When she did not join in the toast, he asked, "What
can one small glass of wine hurt?" When she again declined, he began making fun of
her, and others began tempting her to join the party. Since she was feeling uncomfortable,
she was considering taking the drink when the words of her patriarchal blessing came into
her mind: "Allow no one to tempt thee to violate any part of that commandment."
Remembering those words gave her the strength she needed to resist temptation.
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