Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-9; Eph. 1:17-23; Lk. 24:46-53
Today our Easter time joins Jesus passion, death and resurrection to his ascension. First, “shouts of joy” to the pilgrimage group from EWTN led by Father Miguel as we visited the shrines of Italy in May. It was a blessing to celebrate Mass daily whether in large basilicas or down in caves and catacombs where Christians were buried. One of these places we visited was the Shrine of the Holy Face of Jesus in Manoppello. Divine providence allowed us to be present as the community was celebrating Mass on the day the Holy Face of Jesus was being exposed for veneration by the community.
Here we learned about the studies that have been done on Veronica’s veil, the Shroud of Turin and the Holy Face of Jesus burial cloth. Jesus in his love and mercy has left us these signs to increase our faith. Science has determined that these three cloths overlap each other perfectly representing the same person who suffered, died, and was coming to life.
They are a sign of his passion, death, and resurrection. In Veronica’s veil we recall Jesus scourging and bloody mouth which Veronica wiped away. In the Shroud of Turin we recall Jesus death as he lay in the womb three days. In the Holy Face of Jesus we have the hood that covered the face representing the moment of the resurrection as he came to life. Together they represent our Easter time.
“This Jesus who has been taken up…will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.” “Only the one who came from the Father can return to the Father: Christ Jesus” (CCC 661). Christ now opens the gates of heaven to share in his glorified life, not by our own power but through his coming for us. What is this glorified life we are promised?
After the resurrection for forty days Jesus appeared to the disciples and revealed his glorified state in which we are all to share. The church speaks of four properties of a glorified resurrected body. They include: impassability, subtlety, agility and clarity. Reflecting on each is seen in the resurrected body of Jesus who leaves us his witness of the glorified state.
Impassability is the promise that we will no longer pass through suffering, physical sickness or death for the body “shall rise in incorruption” (1 Cr. 15:42) There is no reincarnation or return to “try again” at a more perfect state of life from our past sins. Even science demonstrates the world is in perpetual motion forward and no second chance. We pass from mortality to immortality.
Subtlety is the spiritualized nature of the body with the ability to pass through the material. Jesus appeared to the disciples as he passed through the doors. It is important to remember that the body and soul is one nature of humanity thus our spiritualized resurrected body will be of one nature in its subtlety. Just as a hand runs through running water the spiritualized nature will remain as one.
Agility is the glorified body’s ability to obey the soul and be transported at the speed of thought (1 Cor. 15:43). This was seen in Jesus appearance and disappearance on the walk to Emmaus to the two men. We also have seen testimony of this in saint’s ability to bilocate, is to have appeared in other places.
Clarity indicates the glorified body will be free from any deformity, filled with beauty and radiance (Math: 13:43/Wis. 3:7). This is the healing Jesus provides us when he heals the blind, and paralytic. You may ask then why did Jesus’ resurrected state remain with his wounds, a sign of imperfection. In a homily by Father Wade Menezes (EWTN homily 05/29/19) he expressed the need for perfection of charity. That is to the degree we demonstrate our charity we are perfected. Jesus wounds remain as a sign of our imperfect love which he so desires of us.
It is important to clarify that the glorified state is a grace obedient to the will. When someone we love dies in their humanity they are alive in Christ. Saints often expressed their intent to do more for us in dying than in their humanity. This can only be by our will to pray and ask of them, of our Blessed Mother Mary, and of God in the Trinity. The glorified state honors the will of the other thus Jesus stands at the door of our hearts but we must invite him in.
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