Clothed With Righteousness
The Church website says this about the temple endowment ceremony: “The word endow has two related meanings: ‘to bestow a gift’ and ‘to clothe upon.’ In this context, the temple endowment is a sacred gift whereby we are clothed with blessings from God now and forever.” I was familiar with that first meaning, particularly because we use it in the world to speak of an endowment as a permanent fund for something. In that sense the temple endowment should be for us a permanent source of strength and knowledge. But I don’t think I have ever thought of the word endow as a synonym for the verb to clothe . And yet putting on physical clothing is part of the endowment in two ways. First, as the same website says, “As part of these ordinances, you will also be authorized to wear the sacred temple garment and covenant to wear it throughout your life.” This becomes clothing that is to be used daily for the rest of the lives of those who receive the endowment. It is to permanently cover those who ...