“Of all the victories in the chronicles of humanity, none is so great, none so universal in its effects, none so everlasting in its consequences as the victory of the crucified Lord, who came forth from the tomb that first Easter morning. . . .”
“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! Today and forevermore, God’s grace is available to all.”
| The Gift of Grace (April 2015
“These are the most reassuring words in all of human history [referencing (Matt. 28:1–2, 5–6)]. Death—universal and final—had now been conquered. Never had this occurred before. There had been only death without hope. Now there was life eternal. Only a God could have done this. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was the great crowning event of His life and mission. It was the capstone of the Atonement. The sacrifice of His life for all mankind was not complete without His coming forth from the grave, with the certainty of the Resurrection for all who have walked the earth.”
| “This Glorious Easter Morn”
Of all the tests we face, none hurts more than the death of a loved one. Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ all are delivered from death, and all will rise in the Resurrection. And by the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all may gain peace in this life washed clean from the sorrows of sin and have hope of a glorious resurrection with the just…At this Easter season we give our sure witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Redeemer of all mankind. Because of His atoning sacrifice, He stands as our Advocate and Savior. Though He was crucified, He rose triumphant from the tomb to our everlasting blessing and benefit.
| First Presidency Easter Message [Thomas S. Monson, Henry B. Eyring, Dieter F. Uchtdorf], LDS Church News, March 31, 2013
“I confess that I have reflected at length upon that moment and the resurrection which was shortly to follow it. I have wondered what that reunion must have been like: the Father that loved this Son so much, the Son that honored and revered His Father in every word and deed. For two who were one as these two were one, what must that embrace have been like? What must that divine companionship be yet? We can only wonder and admire. And we can, on an Easter weekend, yearn to live worthily of some portion of that relationship ourselves. As a father, I wonder if I and all other fathers could do more to build a sweeter, stronger relationship with our sons and daughters here on earth. Dads, is it too bold to hope that our children might have some small portion of the feeling for us that the Divine Son felt for His Father? Might we earn more of that love by trying to be more of what God was to His child? In any case, we do know that a young person’s developing concept of God centers on characteristics observed in that child’s earthly parents.”
| “The Hands of the Fathers,” Ensign May 1999
“Brothers and sisters, Easter is a time when the Christian world focuses on the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. That one moment in time changed everything forever. The Savior broke down every barrier that stood in the way of our return to a loving Heavenly Father.”
| The Essential Role of Member Missionary Work (April 2003)
“I have read—and I believe—the testimonies of those who experienced the grief of Christ’s crucifixion and the joy of His Resurrection. I have read—and I believe—the testimonies of those in the New World who were visited by the same risen Lord. I believe the testimony of one who, in this dispensation, spoke with the Father and the Son in a grove now called sacred and who gave his life, sealing that testimony with his blood.”
| “He Is Risen!”
In that first bright Easter morn, Peter and John ran with alarm to the empty tomb, into which had been placed the lifeless body of the Savior Jesus Christ just days before. Similar concern must have filled the mind of Mary Magdalene as she gazed into the sepulcher now void of the body of the Master. Confusion and dismay were not to last, however, as the Resurrected Lord made manifest to those so dear to Him in life the reality of eternal life and the miracle of the Resurrection. (See John 20.)
We now rejoice with all of faithful Christendom at the marvelous message of the Resurrection. By virtue of His loving gift of life, each of us will rise from the grave, body and spirit joined together inseparably throughout eternity.
We proclaim that the “bands of death” (Mosiah 15:8) have, in very deed, been broken for the children of men. Each of us may lay aside all wonder, all fear of the darkness of death and rejoice, “having a perfect brightness of hope.” (3 Nephi 31:20)
We offer our solemn testimony that He lives; that the blessings of the Resurrection will be realized for each of us. We join with you in an expression of humble gratitude for His willing sacrifice and pray the blessings of heaven will attend us all, as we commemorate at this Easter time the hope and eternal promise of the Resurrection.
| The First Presidency Easter Message [Gordon B. Hinckley, Thomas S. Monson, James E. Faust], March 1997
“If the Savior, having breathed his last on the cross, had never come back to the world in life as he promised, then the Star of Bethlehem might as well never have flamed, the angels as well never have sung ‘Glory to God in the Highest’ in the midnight sky, and the wise men from the east need not have taken their journey to find the babe in the manger. We might have wept over our crucified king if he had never risen from the dead, but we sound his praises now because he lives and reigns forever and ever.”
| He Rose Again - Elder James A. Collimore
In this Easter season of the year – when we are reminded yet again of all Christ has done for us, how dependent we are upon his redeeming grace and personal resurrection, and how singular his name is in the power to dispel evil and death and save the human soul – may we all do more to respect and revere his holy name and gently, courteously encourage others to do the same.
| Conference Report, April 1993
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