“Mourning with Hope: Reflections on the Meaning of Easter,” Liahona, Mar. 2026, United States and Canada Section.
Mourning with Hope: Reflections on the Meaning of Easter
Easter reminds us that in the face of death, our testimony of the Savior’s Atonement and Resurrection enables us to mourn with hope.
On the spring morning of Sunday, March 20, 1842, Joseph Smith stood in a grove of trees near the construction site of the Nauvoo Temple. He was speaking to a group of Saints who had gathered to hear him preach on baptism. However, because of the recent death of a young child, a two-year-old girl named Marian Lyon, the Prophet had altered his remarks to include thoughts on death and resurrection. At one point in his sermon, the Prophet said, “[We] mourn the loss, but we do not mourn as those without hope.”
Where does the hope that Joseph spoke of stem from? The answer to this question is significant. Death is both universal and personal—perhaps more than any other experience of mortal life. All of God’s children must deal with deep loss throughout mortal life, and all must eventually contemplate their own assured death.
Easter, the Most Important Holiday
As the “firstfruits” of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20, 23), the Lord Jesus Christ—our Savior and Redeemer—turns darkness into light and mourning into joy. His entire existence witnesses the reality that death is not the end. Like the first glimmer of dawn that turns into a glorious morning sun after the darkest and coldest of nights, He has gloriously risen as the supreme embodiment of light and life. Weeping did endure for a night, but joy has come with the rising Son (see Psalm 30:5).
If graded by the significance of what is being celebrated, Easter could be (perhaps should be) thought of as the most important of all the modern holidays. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is “the greatest of all events in the history of mankind.” President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught:
“On Easter Sunday we celebrate the most long-awaited and glorious event in the history of the world.
“It is the day that changed everything.
“On that day, my life changed.
“Your life changed.
“The destiny of all God’s children changed. …
“When I think of what the Savior did for us leading up to that first Easter Sunday, I want to lift up my voice and shout praises to the Most High God and His Son, Jesus Christ!
“The gates of heaven are unlocked!
“The windows of heaven are opened!”
The Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ are at the core of who we are as a Church and who we are as disciples of Christ. Joseph Smith declared, “The fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it.”
Latter-day Saints boldly believe in literal everlasting life. We do not fear an unending consciousness. Said President Uchtdorf:
“In light of what we know about our eternal destiny, is it any wonder that whenever we face the bitter endings of life, they seem unacceptable to us? There seems to be something inside of us that resists endings.
“Why is this? Because we are made of the stuff of eternity. We are eternal beings, children of the Almighty God, whose name is Endless and who promises eternal blessings without number. Endings are not our destiny.”
Christ Rose, and So Will We
The scriptures are rife with the reassurance that not only did Christ rise from the dead but all humankind will follow Him through their individual resurrection. The promise is sure. The kind mother, the gentle father, grandparents, siblings, the best of friends—all will live again. This is one of the most joyful messages in all the world!
We cannot comprehend what difficulty the Savior had to endure to ensure resurrection for all humankind (see Mosiah 3:7; Doctrine and Covenants 19:16–19). Each time the phrase sting of death is used in the Book of Mormon, it is followed by the word swallowed. Mormon states that by Jesus Christ “the sting of death [is] swallowed up” (Mormon 7:5). Abinadi comments that “the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ” (Mosiah 16:8). Aaron teaches King Lamoni’s father that through Christ “the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory” (Alma 22:14).
The word swallow suggests the idea of encompassing, covering, or completely surrounding something. In that regard, the knowledge of Christ’s Atonement and Resurrection does swallow up and balm the sting of death. However, the Savior has also repeatedly told us that He has drunk out of the “bitter cup” (see 3 Nephi 11:11; Doctrine and Covenants 19:18). With such a picture in mind, the sting of death being swallowed up in Christ takes on a different meaning. It was in Christ’s partaking of the bitter cup that death was swallowed up and overcome.
Joyful Reunions
Because of Jesus Christ, the certainty of our resurrection can help mitigate the shock and bereavement of losing a beloved family member or friend to death. No matter where we “turn for peace,” every other source will “cease to make [us] whole.” While the deep pain of loss and trauma of a changed daily life is not taken away, the surety of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ can calm the stormy seas of the heart. We are bereaved, but such grief is, mercifully, only temporary. Our knowledge of the plan of salvation, the Fall of man, the role of death, and the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus Christ enables us to mourn with hope.
Mourning with hope means celebrating the time spent in mortality with those we love. Mourning with hope means placing all your hope in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. It means acting in faith upon His commandments and making and keeping sacred covenants so we can look forward to joyful reunions in the eternities.