This excerpt is from an article published by Elder Holland in 1980 in the Friend magazine for children, when he was serving as Church Commissioner of Education.
"Easter is always a special time for us (to me it is the very best day of the whole year), and we should all try to remember that we once faced a most difficult problem and needed someone to help us. It was a problem much worse than a lost pet or a broken toy or a fall into a cactus plant. Through a long history of experience, beginning with Adam and Eve and stretching down to our own lives, it was a problem that if unsolved, would have left us in the presence of Satan and his hateful followers. We could then never be united again with our family, with our friends, and with our Heavenly Father who loves us. We would have been in a prison forever.
"But Jesus, our elder Brother, did not allow himself to be captured by Satan. He was still safely outside the prison gates. In a way that we may not fully understand, even when we are very old, Jesus set us free. It was as though He had the only key to the prison door and that only He had the strength to swing it open. In doing so, He saved our lives so our families can be kept together and so we can someday return to our heavenly home. But He paid a terrible price to do this for us, a price for which we must give Him honor and reverence by keeping His commandments. He suffered a horrible death on a cross. In that anguish of physical and spiritual pain Jesus, too, momentarily thought He was all alone and without help, and yet He did not turn away from helping us.
"Jesus died for us, and only the mountains that trembled and the sun that darkened seemed to understand the gift that was being given. Then something wonderful happened! One who had died and was buried came to life again in a special way called resurrection.
"In the peaceful setting of a spring garden, Jesus arose from His burial tomb to live again with our Heavenly Father. And in some wonderful, miraculous way, He gave us the same power and privilege. I do not know exactly how this will happen, but I know that we have, through Jesus, been given the opportunity to conquer all doubt and despair and death. That is what Easter means to me.
"Each year at Eastertime... I would especially like you to remember our Brother Jesus Christ to whom we owe everything, for He came to heal our wounds, calm our fears, and bring us safely home when we really, really needed Him."
- Jeffrey R. Holland, "Friend to Friend: The Cactus, the Cross, and Easter," Friend, April 1980, 6
Click here to read the full article
This is a wonderful article, written by Elder Holland some 36 years ago and addressed to young children. He tells a personal story from his childhood of falling into a large cactus plant while hiking and being rescued by his older brother. The analogy of desperate need and timely rescue is a perfect one, and gives tender insights into the role of the Savior in our struggles and challenges.
Elder Holland teaches that we would have been "in a prison forever" because of our mortal mistakes, if not for the rescue of the Savior and his atonement.
When our Savior made His sacrifice on our behalf, "only the mountains that trembled and the sun that darkened seemed to understand the gift that was being given." That was true then, and is largely true now in our world. It is up to each one of us to make sure that His gift is not forgotten in our personal world, but is recognized and appreciated to the extent we can.
The most poignant testimony Elder Holland offers for me is this: "I know that we have, through Jesus, been given the opportunity to conquer all doubt and despair and death. That is what Easter means to me." What a perfect, complete hope that is!
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