Christ’s Light Will Prevail

You are all such an incredible sight. Seeing you always inspires both me and Wendy. We are so grateful to be with you today. We love you, and we are thrilled to have each one of you on this campus with us. We earnestly pray for your success and safety in every aspect of your BYU experience.

Last week our little valley experienced a truly dark day. My heart shattered when I heard news of the assassination at Utah Valley University that took the life of Charlie Kirk. Our family is praying for Charlie’s family, and we are praying for our dear friends and neighbors at UVU, so many of whom were traumatized by this horrific event.

I want to echo something I heard earlier this week from Utah’s governor Spencer J. Cox. ¹ Political violence is particularly abhorrent because it targets the very ideals essential to our form of government. Political violence chills the exchange of ideas that is the lifeblood of our democratic republic. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects this precious God-given freedom. Taking the life of someone engaged in the act of speech, in an assembly of people with differing views, is an attack on the bedrock of our inspired Constitution.

So yes, darkness had its day.

But I’m here to testify that better angels will prevail. I’m here to testify that Christ’s light will prevail. His light provides the comfort we need in any time of trial, hurt, or sorrow. It always has and it always will.

Christ Himself declared, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.”²

During these difficult times, the world needs Christ’s peace. I urge each of us to begin by heeding the prophetic counsel of President Russell M. Nelson, who has repeatedly called on us to be peacemakers:

Anger never persuades. Hostility builds no one. Contention never leads to inspired solutions. Regrettably, we sometimes see contentious behavior even within our own ranks. . . .

My dear brothers and sisters, this should not be. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are to be examples of how to interact with others—especially when we have differences of opinion. One of the easiest ways to identify a true follower of Jesus Christ is how compassionately that person treats other people.³

So let’s practice what we preach on this campus. Let’s love one another. Indeed, let’s love even our enemies. Let’s selflessly serve to build something better than animosity and division.

I’m already seeing the light flood back into our little valley. I’ve seen police and security officers work tirelessly, many for extended and challenging hours, to keep our community safe. I’ve seen campus counseling ensure that an influx of students is served during this time of need. I’ve received correspondence about faculty shedding tears and comforting students. I’ve heard about appropriate outreach through appropriate channels to lend assistance to our friends at UVU with law-enforcement officers and counselors where needed and helpful.

During challenging times like these, I appreciate that it can be hard to focus on your studies. The students at Oxford University in 1939 had very similar concerns. You see, in that year, Germany had invaded Poland, and Britain and France had declared war in response. At Oxford, C. S. Lewis addressed the question on every student’s mind: How can we possibly learn at a time like this?

C. S. Lewis’s answer was profound. He said—and I’m paraphrasing—that our response to death and darkness must never be to stop living or to start dimming our light.⁴ No, the answer is the opposite: Christ’s charge to us is to reaffirm life and to learn so that, in the words of President Nelson, we may someday “render service of worth to somebody else” ⁵ in a world that needs more of it.

Thank you for your faith, your character, your Christlike compassion, and your strength during difficult times. Take heart. Be the peacemakers you hope to see in the world. This is the way of our Master, of whom I testify that He lives. He will heal us as we turn to Him. His “grace is sufficient.” ⁶ In the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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