Becoming ordained into the priesthood is a requirement for all males in order to return to the presence of Heavenly Father in the eternal afterlife, and to become gods themselves. The priesthood is the authority to represent Heavenly Father and Jesus on earth and act in their name. It is also the power Jesus used to create worlds and perform miracles. Worthy males may receive priesthood when they reach the age of 12.
Males first enter the Aaronic Priesthood, which is named after Moses’s brother Aaron. The mission of this, the lesser priesthood, is to help those who hold it to become converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and to live by its teachings. It also prepares its holders for the greater priesthood and to serve on full-time missions. Among other duties, Aaronic priesthood holders assist with church rituals, collect tithing, teach others, and administer baptisms.
God has commanded priests in the Aaronic priesthood to visit the houses of Church members and strongly urge them to pray and attend to their duties. There was once an Aaronic priesthood holder who had become less active in the Church, and spent his Sundays working around the house. One Sunday while he was painting a room in his house, three leaders in the priesthood visited him and asked if he would like to come to a priesthood meeting. He told them no. The leaders refused to give up and visited him every Sunday until he returned to the Church.
At age 18, worthy holders of the Aaronic Priesthood become eligible to receive the higher, Melchizedek Priesthood, which is named after a great high priest from the time of Abraham in the Old Testament. A solemn promise is made to God to follow every one of his commandments. Melchizedek Priesthood holders are under a mandate to serve a two-year full-time mission at their own expense in a location assigned by Jesus through revelation to Church leaders.
Men who hold the Melchizedek Priesthood have the authority to lead the Church, give patriarchal blessings, and heal the sick. When healing the sick, a small amount of consecrated oil is applied to the sick person's forehead. Then the priesthood holders put their hands on the person's head and one of them speaks a blessing whose words come as inspiration from the Holy Ghost. Many have been healed in this way, or felt better.
It is crucial that priesthood holders maintain their worthiness at all times. Satan has used evil in the media, however, to make great inroads into the lives of some. One bishop discovered that many of the young priesthood holders in his area had been watching R-rated movies. R-rated movies and videos—and many that are rated PG-13—are produced under satanic influences. When young people watch them, Satan laughs and his angels rejoice.
There was once a great man whose son had died. As he held the body of his son in his arms, he said, "In the name of Jesus Christ and by the power and authority of the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, I command you to live." His son opened his eyes and came back to life. There is no way this great man could possibly have done that if he had been looking at pornography a few nights beforehand.
The only limits to what worthy men can do with the power of the priesthood are ones that God, in his wisdom, puts upon each man. It is for the best that Melchizedek Priesthood holders cannot heal all the sick, because limitless power with only limited understanding might result in healing people who God intends to suffer or die.
Why is it that only males may become ordained into the priesthood? It was God and not man who organized the Church this way, and God has not revealed his reason for this. Do not waste your time attempting to overhaul or adjust God's plan. Instead, accept on faith that God has organized his Church in the way that is best for all his children, both males and females
The patriarchal order is a spiritual law that was instituted before the creation of the world and is eternal and unchangeable. No protest, pressure, or legislation can change it, for even if the whole of mankind were to wish it differently, it is not in their power to change it in the slightest. Further, there are eternal consequences for those who disobey such laws.
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