The power of God will bring about wonderful effects in the mystery of our resurrected bodies.

 

INTRODUCTION: Many of us learned the Apostles Creed early in life, when it was little more than a catechism exercise of placing words in their proper order.  Later we gained a deeper understanding of the truths in the Creed and realized that these truths not only spoke about God and His Church, but also about us.  I believe in the resurrection of the body and life everlasting is a statement that seems like a footnote in the sweeping catalog of great mysteries pertaining to God Himself.  But to us it is among the most important truths of all.  For how can we relax and enjoy the beauty and goodness of life, and of the God of life, if we are doubtful and apprehensive about the ultimate outcome of our bodily existence?

POINT 1: Is the resurrection of our bodies possible?  From the time of the Sadducees of Christ’s day to the materialist of today, the resurrection of the body has been denied.  Such denials obviously ignore Sacred Scripture.  Christ proved his power over death when he restored the daughter of Jairus to life, even though the manner of her resurrection was not what we expect to experience.  His own resurrection has withstood the investigations of skeptics in every age, yet remains irrefutable evidence that it is possible.  Jesus’ words to Martha just before he called Lazarus from the tomb is proof that we, too, will rise: “Whoever believes in me, though he should die, will come to life.”  Once Christ told the Sadducees that they were badly misled in denying the resurrection because they did not know the power of God.  Certainly if God had the power to create us once, is it not possible that he could do it again?

 

 

POINT 2: What will our resurrected bodies be like?  We naturally wonder what we will be like in the next world.  Since life in eternity will be supernatural, the natural sciences cannot answer this question.  We must consult Scripture to glean the few available hints of what our bodies will be like.  On Easter the Apostles recognized Christ, so we may assume that our bodies will have the familiar shape and features they had on earth.  He appeared to them even though the doors of the room were locked.  Our bodies, too, will be free of physical laws that now restrict them.  On Mt. Tabor Christ gave the Apostles a preview of what his glorified body was like.  He has promised us this glory, so we may expect also to shine forth brilliantly in the glory of eternal life.

 

POINT 3: How will the resurrection take place?  Science tells us that our bodies change completely every seven years.  At death, therefore, a man of seventy would have had ten different significant changes (bodies).  Which one would he have in heaven?  What happens to one’s body when it is completely destroyed by fire or animals?  In the case of organ transplants, will there be disputes in heaven over who owns the particular organ?  Questions like these naturally make us ask how the resurrection of the body will take place.  We will never fully answer this question, for resurrection is a mystery.  Indeed to ask it at all is really to miss the point, since we would be trying to apply natural laws to a body that is spiritual and has been raised to a glorified state where the laws of nature do not apply.

 

CONCLUSION: In contrasting the deaths of Socrates and Christ, we see the importance Christians placed in the resurrection of the body.  Socrates’ death was peaceful and resigned; Christ’s was sad and sorrowful.  For the ancient Greek, death was a relief; for the Christian, a destruction.  The Greek thought the body a prison and the soul its prisoner.  The Christian believed the body a necessary partner of the soul.  When death came, it was a misfortune, for it destroyed the complete life God created for us, a life that will only be restored on the last day when our bodies will rise from the grave.

 

QUESTIONS THAT MAY LEAD TO OTHER THOUGHTS

 

1. If we truly realized the resurrection of our body, would death be accepted more readily?

 

2. Do you think that the beauty of resurrected bodies would help create a more charitable attitude to the poor and sick?

 

3. When we beautify our bodies with cosmetics and clothing, are we reminded to seek our salvation?

 

4. The resurrected body will possess marvelous qualities, such as beauty, impassibility, and agility.  Are these more important than the possession of God?

THOUGHTS TO PONDER: The war against terrorism and the wars that plague many nations of the world are long and will continue for quite some time.   The solutions will be difficult and hard to achieve.  Globalization continues and adjustment to it is taking great tolls in the form of loss of jobs and in the shifting economies and an uncertain future for all of us.  Migration and shifting populations will continue to confront us into the distant future. There are no quick fix solutions to these problems.  New strains of disease will face us as our globalized populations continue to intermingle at an ever-increasing rate. Avian (bird) flu is but one example. There will be more.  Changing climate poses underknown consequences. What we know of as the traditional family and our traditional understanding of marriage will continue to be challenged as alternative life-styles and relationships gain momentum by force of law.  Given this list of things, a list that is by no means complete, is it any wonder that many of us are depressed? Is it any wonder that having faith is seemingly more difficult? Extensive waves of bad news wash over us like the tsunami that swept through southeast Asia a year and a half ago. These waves of news can sweep away the psychological and spiritual internal structures that, in the past, have protected us and sustained us.

How can we have faith in the face of all of these things? How can we withstand the withering sarcasm and ridicule of those who laugh at us for being believing Christians and for belonging to the Catholic Church?

It is in this context that the Church puts before us today’s first reading and Gospel reading we just heard. We need to step away from all that’s happening in our world and take a few moments to reflect on the big picture. Things too specific can capture our attention and take our eyes away from the greater reality that’s out there in our world.

In the first reading we are confronted with the problem of evil and reminded that evil does not come from the heart of God, it comes from the heart of darkness. Evil finds its origins in hearts far removed from God’s light and love. The Book of Wisdom reminds us that: God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it.

God was not willing to tolerate the miseries and evils that beset the human soul, nor is he willing to tolerate them now. But to take a hold of God’s power and love for us we must first recognize that death, debilitating illnesses, and all that besets us in our world shatter the illusion that we have control over life. Technology and political power cannot save us. We only have a tenuous hold on life and have little control over it. We simply must turn to the Lord of life.

To encounter Jesus’ power over life we have to place ourselves in the shoes of the hemorrhaging woman. We must also recognize ourselves in the daughter of Jairus. Both were hidden, little people. In the eyes of the world they were small and insignificant – just like we are. Like the hemorrhaging woman our faith, our trust, and our hopes are being drained out of us. Years of seeking cures from professionals have availed us nothing. Like the woman in today’s gospel, our condition has only been made worse.

We need to notice, too, that when Jesus approached the little girl, declaring that she was not dead, there were people around him who laughed at him. They ridiculed him.

Sound familiar? Are not there those around you who in your lives laugh at you and ridicule you for having faith? For being a Catholic? Those whose opinions are broadcast and published in the media have little that’s good to say about Christianity and about the Catholic Church as well.

Ask yourselves this question: Are those who mock you for having faith in Jesus Christ living successful lives? Are they sacrificing themselves for the sake of others, or are they living only to grasp, acquire, and have those things they think will make them happy? Who has a better chance at overcoming the evil and all that’s wrong in our world, you or those who mock you?  Both of these healings are not just physical healings, at a much deeper level they are spiritual healings. Overcoming fear and approaching God in faith leads not only to being cured but to being saved. Notice Jesus’ final words to the woman were “Daughter, your faith has saved you.”

We need also to be saved. Doubt, disappointment, disillusionment, depression, defeat, despair, and spiritual death bedevil us. They are the “sacraments” of the devil, his weapons to attack us. To overcome them we need to draw close to Jesus, let him touch us, and there, because of our faith, find our cure and our salvation. God and God alone is the One who can save us. Human experience gives ample testimony that we cannot.