by: Deacon Paul Rooney (deaconpaul@cox.net)
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
(Cycle “C" - November 7, 2004)

Q. 292: Why is it necessary to speak of the “resurrection of the body” as an Article of Faith?

A. 292: This article of our Catholic Creed was originally designed to counter the false teachings of Greek philosophers on the subject. The Greek pagan “thinkers” just may have been influenced by oriental philosophies such as Buddhism, which found one outlet in Gnosticism – holding a “dualistic” view that contrasted the importance of body versus soul. The conclusion of these pagans was that only the spirit or “soul” counted; “body” was not important.

In the monotheistic world of Israel, only the Sadducees (conservative priestly aristocracy) did not believe in the resurrection of the body, since they could find no compelling evidence of that in the Torah (Hebrew) scriptures. The Pharisees, however, did believe based on the full Septuagint (Greek) scriptures, such as Daniel 12:2. Jesus is clear that the laws of this world no longer hold after the resurrection from the dead. In addition, his answer affirms a bodily resurrection, and affirms that a whole person, with all its natural faculties, is raised to an other-worldly existence. Bodily happiness belongs to complete happiness for an Israelite. Hence the promise of God to the patriarchs (Gen 15:1ff) cannot be fulfilled by a life that ends with death. Jesus’ answer is a consequence of God’s faithfulness to his covenant, and affirms the dignity of humankind in its fullness.

In terms of the New Testament, it seems to me that the belief in the general resurrection perhaps finds its best expression in John 5, especially 5:25 and 5:28. Belief or disbelief in Jesus is the factor through which we decide on our future destiny right now.

Know Your Catechism! One resource you could review is “The Creed in the Gospels” by Fr. Alfons Kemmer (Paulist Press) which tracks the arguments above. Our Catechism of the Catholic Church adheres faithfully to the teaching of Jesus, to St. Paul, and to the Ecumenical Councils, that “resurrection of the body” means the soul will live on after death, and our ‘mortal bodies’ will come to life again (CCC #990). If there is no resurrection, our faith is in vain (CCC #991).

Deacon Paul Rooney
Mary Our Queen Parish, Omaha