President Marion G. Romney on feeling and demonstrating gratitude to the Savior

President Marion G. Romney (1897-1988) was born in the Mormon Colonies in Mexico. He was ordained an apostle in 1951 and served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1972 to 1985. After the death of President Spencer W. Kimball, President Romney was released and returned to serve in the Quorum of Twelve until his death in 1988.

"To the Lord Jesus we owe an undying debt of gratitude, for he bought us with a great price. It is impossible for us, weak mortals as we are, to fully comprehend and appreciate the sufferings he endured on the cross that he might gain for us the victory over death. Much less can we understand the suffering he endured in Gethsemane that we might obtain forgiveness of our sins, which, in his own words, 'caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink' (D&C 19:18). Much less, I say, can we understand this suffering that he endured to satisfy the demands of justice and bring about the means by which we, through faith in him, and repentance, can receive forgiveness of our sins.

"None of us could have endured that suffering. No mortal man, nor any number of mortal men together, could have endured it.

"'There was no other good enough
   To pay the price of sin.
   He only could unlock the gate
   Of heaven and let us in.'
   (LDS Hymns, No. 201, 'There Is a Green Hill Far Away.')

"Surely every soul who understands what the Savior did for us loves him and desires to demonstrate, in a realistic manner, thanks and gratitude."

- Marion G. Romney, "Thou Shalt Thank the Lord Thy God in All Things," Ensign, June 1974, p. 3
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As we "count our blessings" in seasons of gratitude, or as part of pondering on a Sabbath Day, there is one thing that should be at the top of the list. President Romney reminds us that we owe so much, more than we can possibly comprehend, to Jesus Christ. The gratitude should include both the sacrifice on the cross that provided "victory over death" to all who live on the earth; and then the opportunity to obtain forgiveness through the atoning power of Gethsemane.

I love that final thought: "Surely every soul who understands what the Savior did for us loves him and desires to demonstrate, in a realistic manner, thanks and gratitude." It's significant that President Romney didn't say express our gratitude to the Savior - but demonstrate it!