Unending Blessings

As we celebrate Easter today, I share with you a talk that has stirred my soul more than any other! It is a talk about the last few days of the Savior's earthly life given by Jeffrey R. Holland in the April 2009 LDS General Conference titled "None Were With Him."

What the Savior did for you and me is beyond my comprehension - but not beyond my gratitude and my devotion! Today I truly celebrate Easter! I celebrate because, as Elder Holland so beautifully put it, "Jesus of Nazareth, the living Son of the living God, restored physical life where death had held sway and brought joyful, spiritual redemption out of sin, hellish darkness, and despair."

Most assuredly the Atonement covers death and sin. But oh how it covers so much more!

"This perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.

"But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish."

Why did He hold on? Why did He press on? The scriptures teach us that it was so "he [could] take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he [would] take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:12) He did it so He would know how we feel! And because He does know, He can ease our pains and sorrows. I know that it is because of Him, my faith triumphed even in my state of anguish, though my anguish came nowhere near His complete anguish!

Elder Holland's description of promised blessings that are available to us because of the Atonement brings tears to my eyes and a profound sense of peace to my soul!

"Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are."

With that etched in our hearts, how can we not respond affirmatively to Elder Holland's request to each of us?

"These scenes of Christ’s lonely sacrifice, laced with moments of denial and abandonment and, at least once, outright betrayal, must never be reenacted by us. He has walked alone once. Now, may I ask that never again will He have to confront sin without our aid and assistance, that never again will He find only unresponsive onlookers.

"May we declare ourselves to be more fully disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, not in word only and not only in the flush of comfortable times but in deed and in courage and in faith, including when the path is lonely and when our cross is difficult to bear. May we stand by Jesus Christ 'at all times and in all things, and in all places that [we] may be in, even until death,' for surely that is how He stood by us when it was unto death and when He had to stand entirely and utterly alone."

With the all love and devotion so easily heard in his voice, Elder Holland shares part of his talk in this Mormon Message, "None Were With Him, an Apostle's Easter Thoughts on Christ"

Especially today, my heart is overflowing with gratitude for the scriptures and for prophets and apostles who teach about the Savior and His glorious resurrection. I am grateful for living prophets and apostles, who are special witnesses of the Savior, who know Him and bear testimony of Him. May we eagerly respond to Elder Holland's plea to stand by Jesus Christ at all times and in all things and in all places.