Per Christum

A recent Scripts Howard/Ohio University (my alma mater) conducted a Poll on the Resurrection of the Body and found that only 36% of Americans believed in it. 38% of Catholics believed in it, 50% of regular churchgoers did, and it was affirmed by 59% of those calling themselves “born again.” These are pretty pathetic numbers, especially among Catholics. However, since most people are “Catholic” by birth regardless of the last time they received a Sacrament, it doesn’t surprise me really. Even the “born again” number seems a bit low. I will admit that in this case the way the question is phrased could have been confusing or misleading. Still, the bodily resurrection is an essential Christian belief and there needs to be more emphasis on the bodily resurrection of Jesus and our future bodily resurrection in preaching and teaching.

Why is the resurrection of the body important? Since this is Easter season, celebrating when Jesus rose bodily from the dead, I thought I’d post a few excerpts from an article I wrote awhile back for the website I co-edit, Ancient and Future Catholics, called On the Resurrection of the Body: A Catholic and Postmodern View. Of course, I give Church teaching, but try to explain it in a way that is accessible to all. Here are some points (see original link for sources/citations):

Almost all of the [resurrection] stories involved appearances to his followers and almost all involve Jesus imparting wisdom and most importantly doing things. The Church has a word for the reality of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead: the bodily resurrection. This means that Jesus was raised from the dead in his body, not merely as a spirit or a ghost. The story above from Luke makes this abundantly clear since a phantom or spirit does not eat.

When the Church speaks of the bodily resurrection of Jesus, what do we mean? It is important to mean that we do not believe in a mere resuscitation. Jesus’ resurrection was different, for example, from the raising of Lazarus. Lazarus was resuscitated and lived, but died again. In Jesus’ bodily resurrection, his human body is transformed into a glorified body for which there is no future death. (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:35-56). Yet, it is not a different body, but the same body he had since his birth: just transformed. So, the Church affirms the continuity of the pre and post-Easter body of Jesus. Tertullian (early 3rd century) wrote: “…you will also allow that it was in the flesh that he was raised from the dead. For the very same body which fell in death, and which lay in the sepulcher did rise again.” The exact “how” of this event is a mystery, but it is still Christian Truth (believed in faith). Jesus is alive today in his glorified body; there are no bones lying around somewhere! Belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is essential doctrine.

Why is the resurrection of the body important? The bodily resurrection is key to not only the belief in the resurrection, but also other tenets of the Christian faith (e.g. the Sacraments). First, it is a continuation of the Incarnation. God’s loving identification with his people is in both death and the victory over death. Second, the bodily resurrection affirms the goodness of and God’s lordship over the created realm. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s original purpose for mankind is fulfilled. We were created for a bodily existence and are redeemed by Jesus Christ in that state. The bodily resurrection also finalizes and affirms the redemption of all creation begun when God become man in the Incarnation. Third, the bodily resurrection has important ethical implications. Because the redemption of the world has come through the created order, it demonstrates how highly God values the created order and specifically the body. Our bodies can and must be dedicated to God’s glory now. This forms the basis for not only personal holiness, but also social justice. How we treat others, in the now, in the material realm, matters. Redemption did not occur in the some abstract spiritual realm, but in history, in creation. Thus, the living of God’s kingdom is now, in creation, not just in some future spiritual state.