As we move through the final days of Lent, the Triduum, and into holy Easter, Khrystyna Kvyk’s Resurrection icon (iconart-gallery.com/en/artists/khrystyna-kvyk) provides much for us to ponder this month—confusion, mourning, mystery, and even glory.

In the Gospel account from the Easter Vigil, St. Luke tells us, “the women who had come from Galilee with Jesus took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” In Kvyk’s depiction, the Blessed Mother, wearing a red tunic, is among this group of women. An inscription to her left signals her identity as Mother of God. The inscription in the middle of the group indicates that these are the “myrrh-bearing women.” As they have come seeking to anoint the crucified Jesus, their countenances express confusion and sadness at not finding his body. While the Gospel accounts disagree on the number of messengers at the tomb, Kvyk depicts one angel—the inscription reads “Angel of God”—who points to the abandoned burial cloths, implying that Jesus is no longer in the tomb but has been raised.

In the icon, the resurrected Jesus stands above the entire scene as Pantocrator, ruler of all creation. He stands ready to return in glory for the good of all God’s people—believers and doubters alike. An image of Christ’s appearance to St. Thomas, also by Kvyk, adorns our back cover to remind us that even in our stubborn skepticism, we all have a place in God’s magnificent domain. May we, like Thomas, be filled with the Holy Spirit, overcome our disbelief, and confess Jesus as both Lord and God.