— This Easter morning, whatever the heartache or wounds we may carry, and although our burdens sometimes seem too heavy to bear, every person should find comfort in the supernal words of the angel as he met Mary at the tomb of Jesus on that Easter morning: “He is not here: for He is risen.”

What a glorious message to the world!

It is a message that I believe is as true today as it was when it was declared long ago.

How, one might ask, can the Savior who lived more than 2,000 years ago be qualified to understand what we go through in these so-called modern days?

As I ponder His life, I believe that He is indeed uniquely qualified and understands with perfect clarity the strains and difficulties we experience in life.

As we navigate our way through life, let us remember this about the Savior:

He was mocked.

He was spat upon.

He was betrayed.

He hungered.

He was tempted.

He thirsted.

He was persecuted.

He was beaten.

He was forsaken.

He was wrongly accused.

He forgave.

He loved.

He healed.

He had compassion.

He suffered, for us, unspeakable agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, agony our finite minds cannot possibly comprehend. There, He atoned for the sins of every person who has lived or ever will live upon this earth.

His suffering was so great that Luke records, “And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

He trembled under the pain and was astonished at the magnitude of His divine mission, and as Mark recorded, “He pleaded with his Heavenly Father, ‘…if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.’ ”

Our Savior did not waiver and drained the cup to its bitter dregs.

The thought that I might be responsible for some of His anguish prompts me to pause and consider my decisions in life. It causes me to think about where I came from, why I am here, and where am I going after this life is over.

On this Easter morning, we celebrate not His death, but His glorious resurrection.

His sacrifice made it possible that we also will one day enjoy a glorious resurrection.

This is His gift to us.

Happy Easter!



Robin L. Quillon is the publisher of The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at rquillon@tribdem.com.