I believe in the resurrection of the body…

“I believe in the resurrection of the body.” We profess this faith every time we say the Apostles’ Creed. But do you? Do you personally believe in the resurrection of the body? But does my faith impact my daily life? Do I live and act as a person who believes in the resurrection of the body? Let’s dig a little deeper into these words, asking the Risen Lord to help us understand them so we can follow him more closely.

Now here’s why we can appeal to the Risen Lord: The first resurrection we believe in is that of Jesus Christ. God the Son was born into this world with a human body and human soul. But he went farther than that: he offered that body for us on the cross. His body was buried in the grave. And he went even farther than that: on that first Easter Sunday, he rose again in glory—in that very same body. He still shows the signs of his love in the marks on his hands and his feet and in his open heart. As we heard in today’s gospel, he invites his disciples to touch him and see him. He’ll eat some baked fish with them, all things done in the body. But what an amazing change! He can never be wounded again, he will never die again. This body, now glorified, not only rises from the grave. It can rise all the way up to heaven, united forever with his heavenly Father in a new and beautiful way.

This is what Jesus offers to you and to me: if we follow him in life, if we follow him in death, we will follow him to a new and glorious and everlasting life of joy with his Father forever. So the next resurrection of the body that we must believe in is our own. Christians cannot hate their bodies, seeking to be free of them in some new and spiritual age, transformed into something not-human. Why? Because our bodies are made to carry the life of God. We must not destroy or mutilate them. Through grace, through baptism, we hold the treasure of God’s life in these earthen vessels of our bodies. (2Cor 4:7)

There is also the temptation to worship our bodies. We do this when we give in to sinful human pleasures in this world and ignore the world to come. Our we spend all our time and energy developing our power and beauty in a vain love for ourselves or a desire to be worshipped by others, all in the body. Here we see the healing power of death sent by God to cure us of this sin. Let’s not forget the lesson of Ash Wednesday that brought to this Easter glory: Remember, your body came from dust, and do dust it will return.

So how then should we treat our bodies? How do we live each day? We should live each day in the presence of the Risen Lord. As St. Paul will say, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” (1Cor 10:31) I can spend my entire day in the presence of the Risen Lord. In my body, I can know him, love him, and serve him. Each day he is teaching me how to live in the body, just as he did. I care for it properly, as an act of love. I hand it over in sacrifice out of love for others. And this is something I don’t do alone, but in communion with the living Christ. How? Because he still gives his Body to me in Holy Communion. In his Body he nourishes us as we travel through our earthly home to our heavenly home. If you are faithful to our Lord each day, when all days end he will raise up your body to be like his in glory! On that day, Easter won’t be something that we know about Jesus—it will be fulfilled in our own flesh! Truly, the Eucharist, the Body of Christ, is food for our bodies on this journey.

Let’s be grateful that Jesus has made himself known to you and me in the ‘breaking of the bread,’ just as he did to those first disciples. As you receive him today in the Eucharist, respond with your body. Truly say, with faith renewed, “Amen!” “I believe!” Lord, I believe in the resurrection of the body—yours and mine.

With my prayers,

Fr. Jerome