Many
people think that the ultimate goal of holiness is Heaven. While, indeed, our
goal is to get to Heaven, it is only so that we can experience the fullness of
that reward in the Resurrection, because, ultimately, the Resurrection is the
culmination of holiness.
The Resurrection is, indeed, the defining moment for us as Christians, this is why Easter is so triumphant, this is why we celebrate as long as we do, 10 days longer than Lent.
The reality of the Resurrection of Christ does not just mean He destroyed death, it also means that He has restored a broken world, a restoration we see, most clearly when He returns to His disciples and shows them His resurrected body.
And, this body, while similar to the one He had on earth, is also vastly different, so that, as we see in the Gospel, while He may look the same, He’s not the same, in fact, they think He is a ghost. This is why He asks them for something to eat, to prove that His body, though changed, is still capable of functioning as a body, of eating and drinking and speaking.
The difference, however, is that His body has a few upgrades, as it were, which allows Him to do things that we are not normally able to do, but also shows us what the Resurrection actually entails.
Now, this is the teacher part of me, but there is actually believed to be 4 distinct but really amazing characteristics of this risen body. While some may sound a little interesting, these four characteristics help us to understand Jesus’ appearances after His Resurrection and the hope that is in store and has been promised to every single one of us as well.
First, there is what is known as Impassibility, it is a theological term that simply means that the body can no longer suffer or experience pain. The second is Brightness, something we see foreshadowed in the Transfiguration, which means that the resurrected body will shine in different degrees, sometimes as bright as the sun, the moon or the stars, respectively.
The third is what is called Agility, which means that the body will no longer be limited to the laws of physics, in particular, space and time, so that like the angels, the body can be present anywhere at any time, as demonstrated by the saints who can bilocate. The body can also pass through walls, as demonstrated by Jesus today. Lastly, there is what is called subtility, which means, ultimately, that the body will no longer contend with the soul, but, instead the soul will have absolute dominion over the body. That is why Jesus appears ghost-like to His Apostles, because His soul and body are, literally, one.
The Resurrected body then shows us what we get glimpses of in the saints and what the culmination of holiness entails.
This too, is why the Apostles were so amazed, but it is also what, as Jesus says, they are called to be witnesses to. However, to understand the full impact of what He is saying, we need to understand the multiple meanings of that word witness. Because while they are called to be witnesses to both Jesus’ death and Resurrection, the word, if read in the original language it was written, that is Greek, turns from witness to martyr.
In fact, this whole experience in our Gospel is a turning point for the Apostles, because after this, they don’t just become stronger in their faith, they become fearless in their faith. They start to understand as they have never understood before everything that Jesus spoke about when He was with them. And their hope is rekindled when they see what this Resurrection that Jesus spoke about actually means. In fact, St. Peter, the same man who cowered in fear, who rejected Christ three times, who ran away when things got intense, is, as we see in our first reading, preaching to the people and telling them to repent of their ways and to be converted.
What’s more, is that His greatest fear of martyrdom, of being a witness as demonstrated elsewhere, by Him not understanding what Jesus meant by asking him so many times how much he loved Him, is realized. Because, St. Peter was not only martyred himself, he was crucified, like Christ, but because he did not feel himself worthy to die in the same way as Christ, he was crucified upside down.
The other disciples, too, were also martyred, except for St. John who was exiled and died of natural causes. Yet, the reason they endured such torture, persecution and death, was because they became a witness, not just by what they saw, because they saw a lot, but also by what they preached, by how they lived, they became a living embodiment of the faith they professed, they became a Christian, a follower of Christ, because of what Christ endured and because of what Christ did for them as He did and continues to do for us.
And, that turning point was, indeed, the reality of the Resurrection, it was the fulfillment of what Christ promised. Perhaps, it is not something we often think about or aspire to, but that is why this is the very source of our hope and what we mean when we profess the Resurrection, because the same thing that happened to Jesus over 2000 years ago is also what has been promised to us as well. The same source of strength given to the Apostles is imparted to us as well, so, that, on the last day, we will not just rise from the dead, only to die again, but we will have a brand-new life, a resurrected life, a life, indeed, where, in the end, God will be all in all.
The Resurrection is, indeed, the defining moment for us as Christians, this is why Easter is so triumphant, this is why we celebrate as long as we do, 10 days longer than Lent.
The reality of the Resurrection of Christ does not just mean He destroyed death, it also means that He has restored a broken world, a restoration we see, most clearly when He returns to His disciples and shows them His resurrected body.
And, this body, while similar to the one He had on earth, is also vastly different, so that, as we see in the Gospel, while He may look the same, He’s not the same, in fact, they think He is a ghost. This is why He asks them for something to eat, to prove that His body, though changed, is still capable of functioning as a body, of eating and drinking and speaking.
The difference, however, is that His body has a few upgrades, as it were, which allows Him to do things that we are not normally able to do, but also shows us what the Resurrection actually entails.
Now, this is the teacher part of me, but there is actually believed to be 4 distinct but really amazing characteristics of this risen body. While some may sound a little interesting, these four characteristics help us to understand Jesus’ appearances after His Resurrection and the hope that is in store and has been promised to every single one of us as well.
First, there is what is known as Impassibility, it is a theological term that simply means that the body can no longer suffer or experience pain. The second is Brightness, something we see foreshadowed in the Transfiguration, which means that the resurrected body will shine in different degrees, sometimes as bright as the sun, the moon or the stars, respectively.
The third is what is called Agility, which means that the body will no longer be limited to the laws of physics, in particular, space and time, so that like the angels, the body can be present anywhere at any time, as demonstrated by the saints who can bilocate. The body can also pass through walls, as demonstrated by Jesus today. Lastly, there is what is called subtility, which means, ultimately, that the body will no longer contend with the soul, but, instead the soul will have absolute dominion over the body. That is why Jesus appears ghost-like to His Apostles, because His soul and body are, literally, one.
The Resurrected body then shows us what we get glimpses of in the saints and what the culmination of holiness entails.
This too, is why the Apostles were so amazed, but it is also what, as Jesus says, they are called to be witnesses to. However, to understand the full impact of what He is saying, we need to understand the multiple meanings of that word witness. Because while they are called to be witnesses to both Jesus’ death and Resurrection, the word, if read in the original language it was written, that is Greek, turns from witness to martyr.
In fact, this whole experience in our Gospel is a turning point for the Apostles, because after this, they don’t just become stronger in their faith, they become fearless in their faith. They start to understand as they have never understood before everything that Jesus spoke about when He was with them. And their hope is rekindled when they see what this Resurrection that Jesus spoke about actually means. In fact, St. Peter, the same man who cowered in fear, who rejected Christ three times, who ran away when things got intense, is, as we see in our first reading, preaching to the people and telling them to repent of their ways and to be converted.
What’s more, is that His greatest fear of martyrdom, of being a witness as demonstrated elsewhere, by Him not understanding what Jesus meant by asking him so many times how much he loved Him, is realized. Because, St. Peter was not only martyred himself, he was crucified, like Christ, but because he did not feel himself worthy to die in the same way as Christ, he was crucified upside down.
The other disciples, too, were also martyred, except for St. John who was exiled and died of natural causes. Yet, the reason they endured such torture, persecution and death, was because they became a witness, not just by what they saw, because they saw a lot, but also by what they preached, by how they lived, they became a living embodiment of the faith they professed, they became a Christian, a follower of Christ, because of what Christ endured and because of what Christ did for them as He did and continues to do for us.
And, that turning point was, indeed, the reality of the Resurrection, it was the fulfillment of what Christ promised. Perhaps, it is not something we often think about or aspire to, but that is why this is the very source of our hope and what we mean when we profess the Resurrection, because the same thing that happened to Jesus over 2000 years ago is also what has been promised to us as well. The same source of strength given to the Apostles is imparted to us as well, so, that, on the last day, we will not just rise from the dead, only to die again, but we will have a brand-new life, a resurrected life, a life, indeed, where, in the end, God will be all in all.
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