The Icon of the Resurrection
"We still await the end of the human life journey, which is very short in the eyes of God; we have patience to wait for the delicate considerations that the Lord has for human freedom, and we will see at the end of time the true fullness of that Redemption which, having destroyed the bonds of death, restored to us the original splendor of original justice, and made us freely heirs of eternal glory." - Don Dolindo (Commentary on the book of Numbers chapter 21)
These profound words of Don Dolindo remind us that although Christ's redemption secured our victory over sin and death, we still await the final consummation of this victory at the end of time. When a loved one dies, we grieve the separation of their soul from their earthly body. Though we rejoice in the hope that their soul lives on with God in heaven, we ache over the corpse that remains behind, soon to decay and return to dust. This rightful sorrow arises from our human nature, created by God as a union of body and soul, which death cruelly divides. Yet we cling to the hope that this division will not be final. As Don Dolindo explains, "The mystical body of Jesus Christ cannot rise from the dead until it is all complete and wholly buried, as His real body was; nor can it completely overcome sin and death unless the Passion of Jesus Christ is complete in it, as it was in His real body." Just as Christ rose bodily from the dead, so too will all those united to Him through baptism and faith.Â
The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms this hope in the bodily resurrection by stating, "The 'resurrection of the flesh' (the literal formulation of the Apostles' Creed) means not only that the immortal soul will live on after death, but that even our 'mortal body' will come to life again. Belief in the resurrection of the dead has been an essential element of the Christian faith from its beginnings. 'The confidence of Christians is the resurrection of the dead; believing this we live.' How can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.... But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep." (CCC 990-994)
Don Dolindo uses the example of grafting a diseased plant to illustrate how the redemption of Christ takes root in our souls now but will bloom fully in our resurrected bodies later: "A poisoned and rotten plant is grafted; the grafting is its salvation, it is as if it has been redeemed, but it cannot produce its buds immediately until its entire life is transfused into the graft. At first, it still appears like a rotten plant, and its graft seems in vain; it is necessary to wait until gradually the new, revived buds are formed from the graft, and the infected buds fall rotten as before; when its branches are complete and all its flowers have bloomed, then the effectiveness and reality of the renewal given by the graft are seen."
Though we still struggle with sin and suffer decay and death, the grafting of Christ's redemption onto our souls through baptism and faith has truly saved us. Its full fruits will blossom gloriously in our resurrected bodies on the last day. The Catechism affirms, "The 'resurrection of the flesh' means not only that the immortal soul will live on after death, but that even our 'mortal body' will come to life again" (CCC 990). This is the Christian hope that sets us apart from philosophies that see the body as disposable or worthless. As the Catechism states, "We believe in the true resurrection of this flesh that we now possess" (CCC 999). Our bodies are integral to who we are, and God will raise them up, just as He raised up the body of Christ.Â
However, our resurrected bodies will not be exactly the same as our earthly bodies, but transformed and glorified. The Catechism explains, "He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body" (Phil 3:21). Though we cannot imagine or describe this new, glorious body precisely, we know through faith that it will be imperishable, glorious, powerful, and perfectly suited for the happiness of our souls in union with God (CCC 999-1004). Don Dolindo hints at this transformation when he says Christ "restored to us the original splendor of original justice." Just as Christ's resurrected body revealed His divine glory, though bearing the wounds of His Passion, so too will our resurrected bodies reflect our share in that glory as adopted children of God.Â
As we continue our earthly pilgrimage, awaiting the resurrection of the dead, Don Dolindo encourages us to find strength and hope in the redemption that even now dwells in our souls through Christ: "In a soul that accepts Redemption and unites itself to Jesus Christ, sin is greatly defeated, grace is abundant, and happiness overflows even though it is all internal. The riches of the Sacraments, the sublime riches of the Priesthood, the Eucharist, the Liturgy, the revealed Truth, the holy Water, the Sacramentals, the Indulgences, every manifestation of the life of the Church is an immense wealth of the soul that accepts Redemption and is a living part of the mystical body of Jesus Christ."
Though we wait in hope for the redemption of our bodies, the redemption of Christ is already mysteriously at work within us through the life of grace. This grace sustains us on our pilgrim way and "blossoms in a thousand flowers" even amidst the thorns until that day when our souls and bodies will unite forever in the glory of the risen Lord. Let us live in the joyful hope of that day, when Christ's redemption will reach its completion, destroying sin and death once for all, and we will participate fully in Christ's resurrection.