The temples of the Lord are the only "universities" for men to prepare spiritually for their graduation to eternal life, observed Elder F. Enzio Busche Sunday afternoon.

Elder Busche of the First Quorum of the Seventy and president of the Frankfurt Germany Temple, said he has learned much while serving in the temple."In the light of my experiences in being close to the house of the Lord, I have come to know that the Lord is urgently inviting all members of His Church to prepare to go to the temple, not only to receive the necessary ordinances for their own salvation and the salvation of their ancestors, but for additional reasons.

"The temple," Elder Busche explained, "is the place where the Lord wants us to make a sincere evaluation of our mortal lives. He wants us to know the consequences of the fact that this life is a probationary time.

"Understanding this," he continued, "it seems to be imperative to ask ourselves these questions: `How are we really doing? Is there a way to find out or to know where we are and whether we are on the right track?' "

The answers to these questions, he said, are found in the Book of Mormon. He then quoted Alma 41:10, " `Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.'

"We cannot afford to ignore the situation if we observe that we are not really happy," Elder Busche declared. "When the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn even in part, we feel it. . . . Shadows of darkness will fall upon the soul and, in this state, an awareness of what is happening to us is essential."

Elder Busche noted that much can be learned from the experiences of others while reading and studying the scriptures. He also urged those listening to sharpen their awareness as the Lord calls them to the continuous process of repentance.

"It seems that we can only effectively go through the process of continuous repentance if we literally learn to become our own judge," Elder Busche noted. "We, ourselves, and the Lord are the only ones who really know us. We do not even know ourselves unless we have learned to walk the lonely and most challenging road toward self-honesty as constantly guided by the Spirit."

The temple is the place to grow in understanding of those principles of honesty, Elder Busche observed. "Temples have been erected as houses of the Lord. They are standing ready to serve as instruments to our own gradual awakening on our inevitable road to eternity."

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