“My Life-Altering Holy Week,” Liahona, Apr. 2026, United States and Canada Section.
My Life-Altering Holy Week
I placed my broken heart and my contrite spirit on the altar of sacrifice as I tried to make sense of what happened.
The Empty Tomb, by Brian Call, may be copied for Church use only
On Palm Sunday, 2014, my husband, Robert, bore his testimony during our sacrament meeting. He spoke about the Church’s “Because of Him” Easter campaign. This short video reminded us that the impossible is possible because of Him, because of Jesus Christ. While he spoke, I sat in the back of the chapel with my sweet, squirmy two-year-old daughter, still feeling the Spirit.
That night, as I was falling asleep, Robert woke me. He insisted that we needed to watch the Church’s “Because of Him” Easter video. He said I needed to see it. So, we watched it together.
Before the sun rose the next morning, my husband went into cardiac arrest.
The week was filled with decisions, family members, and hospitals—it was all a blur. And on Good Friday, the day of commemorating Christ’s Crucifixion, my husband passed away. I went to the cemetery to choose his resting place.
Easter morning came and a miracle happened: I made it to church and partook of the sacrament. Entering the building surrounded by friends and family required great courage. My whole life had changed. Last Sunday, I was a wife, and this Sunday, I was a widow—a single mother to four young children. I had to ask myself if I really believed in the Savior’s sacrifice for me.
Accessing His Atonement
To me, Holy Week is a remembrance of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for me. When my husband passed, I placed my broken heart and my contrite spirit on the altar of sacrifice as I tried to make sense of what happened. It became a time of sanctification for me as I became holier through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Amid my sadness, I found moments of happiness because of Jesus Christ and His Atonement. President Russell M. Nelson (1924–2025) said: “Whatever questions or problems you have, the answer is always found in the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Learn more about His Atonement, His love, His mercy, His doctrine, and His restored gospel of healing and progression.”
As children, we often think of the family gatherings, egg hunts, and visits from the Easter Bunny. But as we mature and gain more life experience, layers of complexity are added to our understanding of the celebration of Easter. We remember the Atonement of Jesus Christ and how we receive it into our lives. The love of the Savior is real. In times of deep loss and heartache, He has provided me comfort through His sacrifice for me.
The author lives in Idaho, USA.