Happy Easter All!
New life and resurrection. But what is the resurrection? St. Paul states that with the resurrection, Jesus had a spiritual body and many of the disciples do not immediately recognize Christ in his resurrected body.
Hence, it is fair to say this is not a resuscitation of his old, dead, earthly body. And if his old body was missing, this points to a body that has been transformed by God, the Father (or Mother). This is a taste of the resurrection that we hope for. But at the same time, we know that it is completely different and almost unrecognizable from our present state.
With this is mind, it is probably foolhardy to imagine a heaven where we will walk around chatting with our old relatives and friends. With a beautiful understanding and manner, Benedict XVI, in his encyclical Spe Salvi, described heaven as "plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time—the before and after—no longer exists."
In any case, Happy Easter, let us look joyfully towards the day where we will be born to eternal life.
A Faithful Catholic
6 comments:
"But at the same time, we know that it is completely different and almost unrecognizable from our present state."
Except for the risen Lord's charcoal-grilled fish sandwiches, see John 21:9-10.
Most bible scholars would say that John 21 was an addition to the original Gospel of John with the purpose of stressing the role of Peter and stressing the truth of a "bodily" (though transformed) resurrection against the gnostics. It should not be viewed on the same level as other resurrection narratives.
"It should not be viewed on the same level as other resurrection narratives."
Like, for example, Luke 24:42-43, "They gave him a piece of baked fish; he took it and ate it in front of them."
Where was the body in the tomb if you are so against the Physical Resurrection?
My Bible scholars, are you refering to the Jesus Seminar? I think you need to first recognize that many "Bible" Scholars aren't even Christian and have as their agenda the destruction of traditional Christianity, they have more in common with the Gnostics than with the Apostles.
Why would the Apostles die for a lie?
C.S., this being Milwaukee, perhaps F.C. is concerned that there is not explicit indication of a fried fish option post-resurrection.
I'm referring to mainstream and respected Catholic scholars like Raymond Brown and Luke Timothy Johnson
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