(Christopher Wendt)
Good evening, and welcome to another broadcast of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Fatima. We are honored to warmly welcome His Excellency, Bishop Athanasius Schneider. Thank you, Your Excellency, for joining us once again.
Tonight’s broadcast features a catechism lesson drawn from the Roman Catechism, and we are now on the Eleventh Article of the Creed, which concerns the Resurrection of the Body. We are especially excited for this topic, as His Excellency continues to guide us in the truths of the faith throughout all seasons and stages of life.
It’s hard to believe, but we are now approaching the conclusion of our journey through the Creed. The next broadcast, scheduled for July, will take the form of a question-and-answer session. I’ll be sending out an email in the coming weeks with details, so you’ll have the opportunity to submit your questions in advance for His Excellency to address during that session.
And now, without further ado, I will turn it over to His Excellency, who will begin by leading us in prayer, followed by this evening’s catechism instruction.
(His Excellency)
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.
Gloria Patri, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto.
Sicut erat in principio, et nunc, et semper, et in saecula saeculorum. Amen.
In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters,
Today, we reflect on and discuss the article of the Creed: “The resurrection of the flesh.”
In Sacred Scripture, the word flesh sometimes refers to the whole human being. For example, the prophet Isaiah writes, “All flesh is grass,” and St. John declares, “The Word was made flesh.” But in this article of the Creed, the word flesh specifically refers to the body.
This distinction helps us understand that of the two essential parts of the human person, body and soul, it is only the body that undergoes corruption and returns to dust. The soul, by contrast, remains incorrupt and immortal.
Since a person cannot be said to return to life unless he has first died, and since the soul does not die, it cannot properly be said to rise again. The resurrection, therefore, applies to the body. The Creed mentions the body explicitly to correct certain ancient errors.
St. Paul, in his second letter to Timothy, speaks of two such men, Hymenaeus and Philetus. During the apostle’s lifetime, they claimed that the resurrection spoken of in Scripture refers only to the soul, that is, the soul’s rising from the death of sin to the life of grace.
But this article of the Creed clearly refutes that idea. It affirms the real, physical resurrection of the body.
Let us now consider the effects of the resurrection, drawing from the witness of Sacred Scripture.
In the Old Testament, some individuals were restored to life by the prophets Elias and Elisha. In addition to those whom our Lord Himself raised from the dead, many others were raised to life by the Holy Apostles and various saints. These numerous instances confirm the doctrine taught by this article of faith. For if we believe that many were recalled from death to life, we are naturally led to believe in the general resurrection of all.
In the Old Testament, the clearest witnesses to this truth are found in the words of Job, who says that “in my flesh, I shall see God,” and the prophet Daniel, who, speaking of those who sleep in the dust of the earth, says, “some shall awake to everlasting life, and others to everlasting reproach.”
In the New Testament, the principal passages include those found in the Gospel of St. Matthew, particularly in chapter 22, where our Lord refutes the Sadducees concerning the resurrection. Also significant are the passages in which the Evangelist speaks of the Last Judgment.
To these, we may also add the clear and compelling reasoning of the Apostle Paul on this subject, especially in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 15, and in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 4, verse 13.
There are also analogies from nature which, though the resurrection is most certainly established by faith, are still helpful. It is advantageous to show, through analogy and reason, that what faith proposes is not contrary to nature or human reason.
To someone who asks, “How can the dead rise again?” there are possible answers drawn from both Scripture and nature. As St. Paul writes:
“Foolish man, that which you sow is not quickened, except it die first. And that which you sow, you sow not the body that shall be, but bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of some other kind. But God gives it a body as He will.”
And a little further on, he says:
“It is sown in corruption; it shall rise in incorruption.”
(1 Corinthians 15:36-37, 42)
St. Gregory the Great also calls our attention to many other natural analogies that support the same point. For example, he says that the sun is, in a sense, withdrawn from our sight each day, as if it were dying and then reappears again, as if rising anew. Trees lose their leaves, appearing dead, and yet return to life in the spring. Seeds decay in the ground, but from that death comes new life through germination.
There are also arguments drawn from reason. The reasoning of ecclesiastical writers is particularly useful in establishing this truth.
First, consider that the soul is immortal and, as part of human nature, has a natural inclination to be united with the body. Its perpetual separation from the body, then, must be seen as unnatural. And since what is unnatural and violent cannot remain forever, it is fitting that the soul should once again be reunited with the body; therefore, the body must rise again.
This argument was employed by our Savior Himself. In His disputation with the Sadducees, He deduced the resurrection of the body from the immortality of the soul.
Furthermore, since God promises punishments to the wicked and rewards to the good, and because many of the wicked die without receiving due punishment for their crimes, while many of the virtuous die without receiving the rewards for their goodness, it is fitting that the soul should be reunited with the body. The body, having been the partner in sin or the companion in virtue, ought also to share in the corresponding punishment or reward.
To this effect, the Apostle Paul, speaking of the resurrection, says:
“If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”
(1 Corinthians 15:19)
These words of St. Paul cannot be understood to refer to the soul alone. Since the soul is immortal, it is capable of enjoying eternal happiness even without the resurrection of the body. Therefore, his words must refer to the whole human person, body and soul.
For unless the body also receives the due rewards for its labors, those who, like the Apostles, have endured so many afflictions, persecutions, and sufferings would indeed be the most miserable of all people.
…and calamities in this life, would necessarily be the most miserable of men.
While the soul is separated from the body, man cannot enjoy the fullness of happiness, which consists in the complete possession of every good. Just as a part separated from the whole is imperfect, so too is the soul when separated from the body. Therefore, to complete and perfect the soul’s happiness, the resurrection of the body is necessary.
All men shall rise again. Writing to the Corinthians, St. Paul says:
“As in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)
The good and the wicked alike, without distinction, shall rise from the dead. However, the conditions of their resurrection will not be the same.
“Those who have done good shall come forth to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:29)
When we say “all men,” we refer to those who will have died before the Day of Judgment, as well as those who will die at that time.
The Apostle, in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians, does not contradict this when he writes:
“The dead who are in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, shall be taken up together with them in the clouds to meet Christ in the air.”
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
St. Ambrose, in his commentary on this passage, explains that in this being “taken up,” death will occur as in a deep sleep. The soul, having briefly departed from the body, will instantly return. Those who are alive at that time will, as it were, die in that moment of transformation, so that coming before the Lord, they may receive their souls again from His presence, for in His presence, none can remain in death.
This opinion is also supported by St. Augustine in his City of God.
The body will rise again, substantially the same as it was. This is clearly affirmed by St. Paul when he says:
“This corruptible must put on incorruption,”
indicating with the word “this” his own body.
(1 Corinthians 15:53)
It is also clearly expressed in the words of Job:
“In my flesh I shall see God, whom I myself shall see, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.”
(Job 19:26-27)
Further, this truth is affirmed by the very definition of resurrection. St. John Damascene defines resurrection as “a return to the state from which one has fallen.” Man, therefore, is to rise again in the same body with which he either served God or was a slave to sin, so that in that same body, he may receive his reward and crown of victory, or endure just punishment.
There will also be a full restoration of all that pertains to the nature and adornment of the body. Not only will the body rise, but everything that belongs to its true nature, dignity, and ornament will be restored.
For this, we have the admirable teachings of St. Augustine, who says:
“There shall then be no deformity of the body. If some have been overburdened with flesh, they shall not resume its full weight. All that exceeds the proper proportion shall be considered superfluous.”
On the other hand, if the body was wasted by disease or old age or disfigured by any other cause, it shall be restored by the divine power of Christ, who will not only give the body back to us, but will also repair whatever it has lost through the miseries of this earthly life.
In another place, St. Augustine writes:
“A man shall not resume his former hair, but shall be adorned with such as will become him,”
referring to the words of our Lord in the Gospel:
“The very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
(Matthew 10:30)
God will restore the body according to His wisdom. As St. Augustine says, the restoration will include all that pertains to the integrity of the body. The members of the body, especially because they belong to the completeness of human nature, shall be fully restored.
Thus, the blind (whether from birth or disease), the lame, the maimed, and the paralyzed in any of their members shall rise again in full bodily integrity and perfection. Otherwise, the desires of the soul, which naturally long for union with a complete body, would remain unsatisfied. But we are fully convinced that in the resurrection, these desires will be perfectly fulfilled.
Besides, the resurrection, like the creation, is clearly to be numbered among the principal works of God. Just as the creation of all things came forth perfect from the hands of God, so too must we believe that it will be the same with the resurrection of the body.
These observations are not limited only to the bodies of the martyrs. St. Augustine teaches that the mutilations they suffered, being deformations, will be healed, and they shall rise with all their members restored. Otherwise, as he points out, those who were beheaded would rise without their heads. Yet the scars they received for Christ shall remain not as disfigurements, but as glorious marks of victory. These scars shall shine with a brilliance far more resplendent than gold or precious stones.
St. Augustine also writes that all the faithful will rise with their members intact, even those they lost through their own fault. This is because merit or guilt is not assigned to the individual members themselves, but to the person as a whole, to whom the body belongs. Therefore, those who have done penance will have their members restored as sources of reward, while those who have scorned repentance will find them restored as instruments of punishment.
Keeping in mind the trials and sufferings of this earthly life, we may look forward with eager expectation to that great blessing, the glory of the resurrection, that awaits the just.
The condition of the risen body will also be different. The chief difference between the state of the body before the resurrection and after is this: before, the body was subject to decay and dissolution; but when reanimated, all bodies, both of the good and the wicked, shall be clothed with immortality.
This marvelous restoration of nature, as Scripture testifies, is the result of the glorious victory of Christ over death. As it is written:
“He shall cast down death headlong forever.”
(Isaiah 25:8)
And again:
“O death, I will be thy death.”
(Hosea 13:14)
Explaining these words, the Apostle Paul says:
“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
(1 Corinthians 15:26)
St. John also says:
“There shall be no more death.”
(Revelation 21:4)
It was fitting that the sin of Adam should be far exceeded by the merit of Christ, whose law overturned the empire of death. It is also in keeping with divine justice that the righteous should enjoy endless felicity, while the wicked, condemned to everlasting torment, shall seek death and not find it; they shall desire to die, but death shall flee from them.
(cf. Revelation 9:6)
Immortality, therefore, will be common to both the good and the wicked.
The Qualities of the Glorified Body
In addition to immortality, the bodies of the risen saints will be distinguished by certain transcendent endowments, which will raise them far above their former condition. Among these endowments, four are especially mentioned by the Fathers, inferred from the teachings of St. Paul. These are traditionally called the gifts of the glorified body.
1. Impassibility
The first endowment is impassibility, which places the glorified body beyond the reach of suffering, discomfort, or pain of any kind. Neither the piercing severity of cold, nor the burning heat of fire, nor the violence of water will be able to harm them.
As the Apostle says:
“It is sown in corruption; it shall rise in incorruption.”
(1 Corinthians 15:42)
This property is referred to as impassibility rather than simply incorruptibility in order to distinguish it as a special quality unique to the glorified body.
It should be noted, however, that although the bodies of the damned will also be incorruptible, they will not be impassible. They will remain capable of suffering heat, cold, and a variety of afflictions, as fitting instruments of divine justice.
2. Brightness (Clarity)
The next quality is brightness, or clarity, the radiance by which the bodies of the saints will shine like the sun. Our Lord Himself affirms this in the Gospel of St. Matthew:
“Then the righteous shall shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.”
(Matthew 13:43)
To remove any doubt on the subject, Our Lord Himself exemplified the glory of the resurrected body in His Transfiguration. This quality, which the Apostle Paul sometimes refers to as “glory” and at other times “brightness,” is described in the words: “He will reform the body of our lowness made like to the body of His glory,” and, “It is sown in dishonor; it shall rise in glory.” An image of this glory was revealed to the Israelites in the desert when the face of Moses, after speaking with God, shone with such brilliance that the people could not look upon it. This brightness is a radiance reflected upon the body from the supreme happiness of the soul. It is a participation in the beatific joy that the soul possesses, just as the soul itself is radiant through its participation in the divine life of God.
Unlike impassibility, however, this brightness will not be the same for all. All glorified bodies will be equally impassable, incapable of suffering or harm, but brightness will differ in degree, corresponding to each one’s merit. As the Apostle says, “There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the star,s for star differs from star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead.”
Another gift of the glorified body is agility, by which it will be freed from the heaviness and limitations that weigh it down in this life. The body will move with ease and swiftness wherever the soul wills. This is taught by St. Augustine in The City of God and affirmed by St. Jerome. The Apostle speaks to this when he says, “It is sown in weakness; it shall rise in power.”
Closely related to agility is the gift of subtlety, which is the perfect obedience of the body to the soul. In this state, the body will be wholly subject to the soul’s command, entirely governed by its desires without resistance. St. Paul expresses this mystery when he writes, “It is sown a natural body; it shall rise a spiritual body.”
St. Thomas Aquinas also addresses the question of the age of the risen body. He teaches that all will rise at the age of physical perfection, which he places around 32 or 33 years—the age of Christ at His Resurrection. Those who died before reaching this age will be brought forward to it, while those who had passed beyond it will be restored to it. In this way, youth and children will be given what they lacked, and the elderly will regain what they had lost. This accords with St. Paul’s words in the Letter to the Ephesians: “Until we all attain to the unity of faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ.”
Meditating deeply on this article of the Creed offers great spiritual benefit. It brings consolation to us when we mourn the death of loved ones, whether by blood or friendship, by reminding us of the glorious resurrection promised to the just.
Such was the consolation the Apostle himself gave to the Thessalonians when writing to them concerning those who are asleep. In all our afflictions and calamities, the hope of a future resurrection must bring the greatest relief to the troubled heart. We see this in the example of holy Job, who, despite his suffering and sorrow, was sustained by the single hope that the day would come when, in the resurrection, he would be raised up to the Lord his God. This same hope should also serve as a powerful incentive for the faithful to strive with all their might to live lives of righteousness and integrity, free from the defilement of sin. For if they reflect that the boundless riches which will follow the resurrection are now offered as rewards, they will be drawn easily to pursue virtue and piety. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that one of the chief benefits of believing in the resurrection of the body is that it removes the sorrow we feel for the departed. While it is natural and impossible not to grieve the death of a relative or friend, the hope that they will rise again greatly tempers the pain of loss. As St. Paul says, “We do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others who have no hope.” Furthermore, this truth of faith also takes away the fear of death itself.
If one does not hope for another, better life after death, then without a doubt, one would live in great fear of death and might be willing to commit any crime rather than suffer it. But because we believe in another life that will be ours after this one, we do not fear death nor act wrongly out of fear. As Scripture says in the letter to the Hebrews, through this belief, Christ “destroyed him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and delivered those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Another truth is that this belief makes us watchful and careful to live rightly in this life. If this life were all there is, we would have little incentive to live well, for whatever we do would be of little importance, measured only by a brief, limited time. But since we believe we shall receive eternal rewards at the resurrection for whatever we do here, we are motivated to do good in this life. Without hope in Christ, we would be, as the Apostle Paul says, “of all men most miserable.” Finally, the truth of faith in the resurrection of the body withdraws us from evil. Just as the hope of reward urges us to do good, so too the fear of punishment, which we believe awaits wicked deeds, keeps us from evil.
As St. John says in the Gospel, “But they that have done good shall come forth unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of judgment.” I believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the resurrection of the dead. Amen.
(Christopher Wendt)
Thank you, Your Excellency, for that great meditation. You covered maybe a couple of dozen points of great joy about our belief in the resurrection. I thought it was interesting that you quoted St. Thomas about the age I was going to ask you that question, but you answered it in advance. So, you’re saying that St. Thomas believes that when we rise from the dead, we’ll be the age of Christ, like 32 or 33?
Your Excellency:
Yes, that’s exactly what St. Thomas Aquinas teaches. I think it’s quite reasonable because God creates all things great in beauty and harmony. The resurrection will be God’s work again, restoring us in perfect harmony.
(Christopher Wendt)
Also, I’ve lost some hair over time, and I think I heard you say that St. Augustine believes every hair on our head is counted. So, even those who are challenged by hair loss will get some of it back?
(His Excellency)
Indeed. It is logical because when God created us, He made every hair. Our Lord said no hair on your head will be lost. We can believe God will restore all that belongs to the beauty and harmony of our body, not just our soul. We will be reunited in the harmony of soul and body to glorify God with all their fullness.
(Christopher Wendt)
It’s amazing to think about the particularity of our flesh. This shows the generosity and love of the Father. We mustn’t forget that our body is already the temple of the Holy Spirit here on earth, but our resurrected body will be a beautiful temple of God.
(His Excellency)
Exactly.
(Christopher Wendt)
Thank you for grounding your meditation in the writings of the Fathers. It’s a great example for us Catholics to turn to them to learn our faith.
Looks like we have a question here: Where will children, those below the age of 33, be held until they reach the age of maturity? Where will they be held until they attain 33?
(His Excellency)
At the moment of the resurrection, when Christ returns, all bodies will be raised. As St. Thomas Aquinas says, bodies will be raised at the age of Christ, 32 or 33. Even if the bodies have decomposed into dust, Christ will resurrect them to new life.
This also applies to babies who were tragically lost to abortion, like the millions in the United States. They will receive the fullness of their bodies and the perfect age of 33 at the resurrection. God is infinitely just, merciful, and wise, so we can trust He will do this perfectly.
(Christopher Wendt)
One more question: What about birthmarks, blemishes, or moles? What did St. Augustine say about those? Are imperfections like birthmarks or moles going to remain?
(His Excellency)
St. Augustine teaches that the resurrected body will be glorified and perfected. Imperfections like birthmarks, blemishes, and scars caused by sin or illness will be healed and transformed. The body will be restored to its perfect state, free from deformity or suffering, but still recognizable as the same person. So, these marks won’t remain as imperfections they will be renewed in the beauty and harmony God intended.
These particular marks and entities must be understood through the principle that God will restore all the beauty and harmony in our resurrected bodies. God’s work will be lasting, perfect, beautiful, and harmonious. As St. Ambrose said, the martyrs will bear their wounds after the resurrection, just as Christ kept His wounds after His resurrection. He is glorious, yet He bore the marks of His sacrifice. Likewise, the martyrs’ wounds will remain as shining marks of their fidelity a conformity to Christ the martyr. So this is also a possibility.
(Christopher Wendt)
One more question, Your Excellency, thank you for that. They’re asking, what about family members who scattered the ashes of their loved ones? For example, ashes are sprinkled over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. What happens to those parts?
(His Excellency)
Well, ashes are still our bodies. When the body is burned, over time it turns to dust and ashes. God will raise us from dust and ashes, whether they are in graves or scattered. Many martyrs, like those burned at the stake or in concentration camps under Hitler, were reduced to ashes. Saint Maximilian Kolbe, for instance, was completely burned. Yet, with His almighty power, the God who created the universe from nothing can surely gather all those ashes and recreate our bodies anew.
(Christopher Wendt)
Thank you, Your Excellency. Let’s close with your prayer that we may hasten the reign of Mary, which we, as an organization, long for with all our hearts. The coming reign of Mary will be here soon.
(His Excellency)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
All Immaculate Heart of Mary, Holy Mother of God and our tender Mother, look upon the distress in which all mankind lives, overwhelmed by the spread of materialism, godlessness, and the persecution of the Catholic faith. In our own day, the Mystical Body of Christ is bleeding from many wounds caused within the Church by the unchecked spread of Pharisaical attitudes, the justification of sins against the Sixth Commandment, and the pursuit of earthly kingdoms rather than the Kingdom of Heaven. The horrendous sacrileges committed against the Most Holy Eucharist, especially through the practice of Communion in the hand and the Protestant shaping of the celebration of Holy Mass, add to these trials.
These trials will only end by the consecration of Russia to Your Immaculate Heart by the Pope, in union with the world’s bishops. We humbly ask for this act, and we implore Your Divine Son to grant a special grace to the Pope, that he might approve the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays of the month. May Almighty God hasten the day when Russia converts to Catholic unity, when mankind will be granted a time of peace, and when the Church will experience an authentic renewal in the purity of the Catholic faith, the sacredness of divine worship, and the holiness of Christian life.
O Mediatrix of all graces, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary and our sweet Mother, turn Thine eyes upon us, have mercy on us, and graciously hear our trusting prayers. Amen.
Domine, verbum tuum lucerna pedibus meis, et lumen semitis meis.
(Lord, Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.)
Let us hasten the coming of the reign of Mary, that peace may reign on earth.
Amen. Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever.
(Christopher)
This concludes our evening meditation on the Resurrection of the Flesh. As mentioned, we will have a Q&A session on July 13th. I will send an email to all of you with details, and you can submit your questions for His Excellency. Until then, God bless you all.
