From editorial director of news Kate Shellnutt: We started discussing our coverage of Lent, Holy Week, and Easter back in January. A couple of the pieces we ran last week came from ideas we came up with over a year ago. Working for a Christian publication, I can sometimes view these long-planned-for articles as content to check our holiday boxes and fill out the editorial calendar. It’s one of the liabilities when your faith is wrapped up in your job. 

The weeks before Easter hit hard, though. A friend’s beloved dog died. Two of my neighbors passed away within days of each other. A family lost their son to suicide. I couldn’t read Easter devotions without thinking about what these words mean for people who are grieving—knowing that the risen Christ is the greatest comfort, or perhaps even the only comfort, for them right now. 

At church on Easter Sunday, as we sang about our “Living Hope” and declared it a “Happy Day,” I found myself glancing from family to family, face to face, thinking of how hard it might be for them to muster joy in the midst of their suffering but also thanking God for the good news of the empty tomb. It felt both heavier and sadder and more joyful and more comforting than ever.