During Holy Week, Jesus Christ taught a timeless lesson about pure love and sacrifice. As we reflect on His greater love—the kind that surpasses any other—we can find ways to share that love with others!
One powerful way to share this greater love is by participating in His work of uniting families for eternity in temples. This work blesses those who have passed on as we provide them with ordinances, and it also strengthens us as we draw closer to the Savior in His House.
Honor Jesus Christ’s Sacrifice Through Temple Worship
Jesus Christ's great sacrifice allows us to live with our loved ones for eternity. By giving of our time and talents in family history and temple work, we reflect a small portion of the sacrifice He made for us. It may sometimes seem tedious to spend hours and hours at the temple or in search of a family name. However, as President Russell M. Nelson once said, "Every minute of that time will bless you and your family in ways nothing else can."
Participating in family history and worshiping in the house of the Lord strengthen our personal relationship with Christ. This work can also strengthen our personal relationship with our ancestors.
“When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves," President Nelson has also said. "Our inborn yearnings for family connections are fulfilled when we are linked to our ancestors through sacred ordinances of the temple." Through our faithfulness in honoring our temple covenants, we are able to help those who have passed on. With each ordinance, we bring them closer to an eternity with Christ and their loved ones.
This Easter season, remember Jesus Christ’s sacrifice by setting aside time to find a family name and take that name to the temple. As you show greater love for your ancestors, you will begin to feel His greater love for you.
How Basilio and Angelica Have Shown Greater Love
Basilio recently set a goal to help his wife, Angelica, find records of her ancestors who migrated from the Middle East to Colombia. While they have encountered some challenges, they’ve also made some amazing discoveries! For example, they have found different versions of Angelica’s last name in Spanish, French, and Arabic, which has helped them add new names to the tree. This progress has brought them hope that many more family names are waiting to be uncovered.
As Basilio and Angelica trace their ancestors’ records, they’ve come to realize that this journey goes beyond adding names to a tree. They have learned what it’s like to show greater love. Their sacrifices of time and effort for their ancestors are a small reflection of the great sacrifice our Savior made for all of us.
This process has also drawn their immediate family closer together. Basilio and Angelica have helped create FamilySearch accounts for their children, who have actively joined in the effort to find the missing links in Angelica’s family tree. Their oldest son, Simon, has already participated in baptisms and confirmations at the temple, and his siblings are eager to follow his example and connect with their heritage.
Basilio and Angelica have also recognized that their testimonies about temple covenants have been strengthened. These testimonies have deepened their understanding of the importance of performing ordinances for their ancestors. This Easter, they are more committed than ever to honoring their covenants, helping others feel Christ’s love, and drawing closer to Him.
How Can You Show Greater Love?
Doing family history and serving in the house of the Lord for ancestors is a sacred work. As we help our ancestors, we strengthen our testimony of Jesus Christ.
These everyday small sacrifices, like those of Basilio, Angelica, and their children, draw families closer together, foster deeper spiritual connections, and invite us all to feel Christ’s love as we bring our ancestors to Him.
Below are some ideas of how you can show greater love for your ancestors this Easter season:
- Launch the Family Tree app on your phone, or go to FamilySearch.org.
- Select an ordinance for your next visit to the house of the Lord.
- Print the family name card, or save the code to your phone to print at the temple.
At FamilySearch, we care about connecting you with your family, and we provide fun discovery experiences and family history services for free. Why? Because we cherish families and believe that connecting generations can improve our lives now and forever. We are a nonprofit organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about our beliefs, click here.
