Whenever you have such an opportunity, do all you can to prepare yourself, whether you are performing the ordinance or receiving it.
You may receive many opportunities to participate in priesthood ordinances. The Lord has provided them to help us come unto Him and receive eternal life. Ordinances and covenants help us remember who we are. While they are not essential to our salvation, they are important for our comfort, guidance, and encouragement.
Other ordinances, such as naming and blessing children, consecrating oil, and administering to the sick and afflicted, are also performed by priesthood authority. With each of these ordinances, we enter into solemn covenants with the Lord. They include baptism, confirmation, ordination to the Melchizedek Priesthood (for men), the temple endowment, and the marriage sealing. These ordinances are called saving ordinances.
Some ordinances are essential to our exaltation. In the Church, an ordinance is a sacred, formal act performed by the authority of the priesthood.
