Priesthood the great Equalizer

"Priesthood blessings are the great equalizer. Those blessings are the same for men and women, for boys and girls; they are the same for married and single, rich and poor, for the intellectual and the illiterate, for the well-known and the obscure.

"I am grateful that through the infinite fairness and love of God, all men and women were given equal partnership, gifts, blessings, and potential through priesthood ordinances and spiritual gifts. Because of the priesthood, which is woven in and around and through our lives, every power, every covenant we need to do our life's work and walk back to our heavenly home has been poured out upon our heads."
- Julie B. Beck, First Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency, in *An Outpouring of Blessings* from April 2006 General Conference.

As I pondered this, the following thoughts occured to me --

The phrase equal partnership brought to mind the 'issue' of women/men equality, feminists wanting the priesthood (because they don't really understand it), etc. This brought to mind the 'response' (teaching) that man is not without the woman and woman without the man in the Lord; that we cannot have a Celestial Marriage and thus enter the highest degree of the Celestial Kingdom, and thus, be Gods(Kings & Priests, Queens and Priestesses), without our equal partner; that each has a seperate role, but one cannot fulfil her/his role without the other.

This caused me to think of other priesthood ordinances that are equalizers, as mentioned in this quote -- for example, baptism (since Maya was baptized recently) and Father's Blessings (since Rebekah was blessed recently). Neither of those ordinances can be performed alone -- they require two people. The baptizer and the baptizee. The blesser and the blessee. I could no more 'perform' the ordinance of baptism without the other person than a person can baptize themselves. Thus, Maya and I were equal partners in the ordinance of baptism -- each filling one of the required roles.

This causes me to realize that performance of priesthood ordinances -- all of which are to *serve* -- requires two participants. It could be said that I did not 'perform' the ordinance of baptism, but rather, Maya and I together performed the ordinance of baptism, each in our respective roles.

Now, it makes no sense for Maya to feel slighted because she wasn't the one doing the baptizing rather than the one being 'dunked'. She was performing the role of one accepting the covenant of baptism. I performed the role of intermediary (commissioned of Jesus Christ) to help her take that step. She couldn't perform her role without me, nor I without her. In the same token, it makes no sense for a woman to feel slighted with regards to holding Priesthood office. Just as the Deacon passing the sacrament can no more fill his role without someone to partake of what he is passing, a person cannot partake of the sacrament cannot do so without the deacon passing it. Each has their respective, distinct but absolutely vital role in the ordinance. So too a bishop cannot perform his role without the corresponding ward members performing their roles. And, so too a husband cannot perform his role without his corresponding wife performing their role. To be upset by our roles, say for a woman feeling slighted for not being the Bishop (or for that matter, a man feeling slighted for not being bishop), or to wish to reverse our roles, would be like Maya wishing that rather than being the one immersed, she were the one doing the immersing. It makes no sense.

There is yet a higher ordinance that could be used as an example -- that of the Atonement. Christ performs the role of the Atoner. We perform the role of one who has faith, repents is baptized, and endures to the end in order to benefit from the saving grace of Christ in his role. Does it make any sense to feel slighted because our role is one in this ordinance of the Atonement while Christ's role is another? It makes absolutely no sense at all. To wish to 'elevate' ourselves to the position of taking Christ's role, would be near equivalent to Satan wishing to elevate himself into God's role. -- "and give all the glory to me". This bring to focus that one who is malcontent with fulfilling their role, and wishes to have a more exalted role (one with more 'authority' as they suppose) is suffering from the great sin of Pride.

The woman who feels slighted about not able to be bishop and the man who feels slighted about not being the bishop and believes he should be are both usurpers in their hearts.

To wish that God's plan worked differently, is to essentially with great pride say, "if only God were as smart as I am, He would have set it up this (my) way". "This way", of course being an alternate plan under which I would be more exalted, and have more authority, than under the current plan. I would imagine that one who believes this way would be one of the 'many' who when they *do* get a little authority as they suppose, immediately begins to exercise unrightous dominion. For they do not understand the true nature of the Priesthood, nor indeed of the perfectness of the plan.