Growing emotional at the memory of his late father, the son of Jeffrey R. Holland urged students of Brigham Young University, the flagship school for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to read the Book of Mormon in “good times and bad,” especially to strengthen the grieving soul.
During the Provo school’s weekly devotional Tuesday in the Marriott Center, Matthew S. Holland, a general authority Seventy for the church, explained how his parents held fast to faith’s foundational scripture and the role it played in his upbringing.
Holland shared with the audience how his parents treasured the book and explained that it has been a resource for him while dealing with his grief.
He described his father as his hero, adding that the recently departed apostle was his “best friend.” Two weeks after his dad’s death, Holland said, he broke down crying when the reality of his departure hit him once again.
“Losing him leaves an enormous hole for me. As long as I can remember, he brought laughter, confidence and wisdom to my life like no other,” Holland said. “So, I wasn’t really prepared the other day when I turned on my phone and realized I needed to remove his contact from my favorites list.”
In this moment of mourning, Holland opened his Book of Mormon and began reading where he left off. He read a section in Alma 58, which spoke to him and assuaged his concerns. The passage read:
“We were grieved and also filled with fear. … Therefore we did pour out our souls in prayer to God, that he would strengthen us and deliver us. … Yea, and it came to pass that the Lord our God did visit us with assurances that he would deliver us; yea, insomuch that he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith, and did cause us that we should hope for our deliverance in him.”
That passage, Holland said, was a godsend.
He further explained to the audience that while his father’s emphatic testimony of the Book of Mormon was well known, his mother had treasured the sacred text as well.
When Patricia Holland dealt with a serious illness before she died in 2023 and when her husband was not around to comfort her, her son recalled, she would cling to her copy of the Book of Mormon with both arms whenever possible.
“My dear brothers and sisters, with my mother’s example and other impressions from today ringing in your heart, may I invite you, again, to cling to the Book of Mormon, and make regular reading of it a lifelong commitment, whatever else you are reading for school and church,” he said. “Cherish it in good times and bad and you will remain unshakable in difficulty and conquer in your aim to achieve your fullest potential and divine destiny.”
At the conclusion of his speech, Holland promised the students that if they held fast to the Book of Mormon, as did his mother, they would find peace and optimism despite their personal and academic challenges.