Ministering of Angels

The most fundamental and very first responsibility of the priesthood is the key of the ministering of angels. Elder Holland has said, "When we speak of those who are instruments in the hand of God, we are reminded that not all angels are from the other side of the veil. Some of them we walk with and talk with—here, now, every day. Some of them reside in our own neighborhoods. … Indeed heaven never seems closer than when we see the love of God manifested in the kindness and devotion of people so good and so pure that angelic is the only word that comes to mind.” When we remember that in the original feel angel simply means messenger, then the ministering of angels means sharing the good message of the gospel with those around us, but especially those to whom we have been called to minister. It is no accident that the program that has replaced home teaching and visiting teaching is called ministering. We are to minister to one another as angels, as messengers of God's love and kindness. Ministering can sometimes seem inconvenient or unrewarding, but if we do so with a pure heart and with kindness and devotion, then when we minister we are God's angels on this side of the veil.