The resurrection of Jesus is the basis of our faith in the resurrection of our bodies. Often we hear the suggestion that our bodies are the prisons of our souls and that the spiritual life is the way out of these prisons. But by our faith in the resurrection of the body we proclaim that the spiritual life and the life in the body cannot be separated. Our bodies, as Paul says, are temples of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19) and, therefore, sacred. The resurrection of the body means that what we have lived in the body will not go to waste but will be lifted in our eternal life with God. As Christ bears the marks of his suffering in his risen body, our bodies in the resurrection will bear the marks of our suffering. Our wounds will become signs of glory in the resurrection.
(With thanks to the Henri Nouwen Society)
I was delighted to find this snippet from Henri Nouwen - it has long seemed to me that this must be the case. Surely all that is good and true in us will rise embodied in the resurrection; I know how much I depend, for any good that is in me, on things I've suffered over the years. I know too that the healing I've received for those wounds has not been a matter of wiping the slate clean, of making it as though these things had never happened. Much more it has been about carrying those wounds with Christ into all that I am, and all that I do, so that in a very little way I can shadow his brokenness, and out of my own hurt reach out towards the hurting. To the extent that I can be this, I am being true to my Lord.
6 comments:
Mike, I like what you've written as much as I like Nouwen's words, and I like Nouwen's words a lot.
In fact, I like your words better than Nouwen's, but yours sprang from his, so I give him credit for that.
I've found that in my own life, much greater spiritual growth takes place in the rough times, than the easy times. Inner wounds leave scars, too.
I'm trying to respond in more words, but I find that I can't, because your words say all that I would want to say.
Thank you, Mimi!
Truly this blog thing is more than we know, sometimes!
..."much greater spiritual growth takes place in the rough times, than the easy times. Inner wounds leave scars, too."
Yes, absolutely! And it's those scars, more I think than the physical ones, that we will carry, glorified, into glory - and what a thought that is!
I think you're right on Mike... What Grandmere Mimi said. And, like her, I have nothing to add to your beautiful post except a nod of recognition.
Lindy
Thank you, Linda... and thank you for that blog of yours!
Mike
So, how's it going Mike?
You are the only person I know who has gone longer than me without blogging.
Lindy
Hi Lindy and Rowan! What's up with your feed reader? If you look at The Mercy Blog, I posted more in December and January than ever... There's too much to tell here - you'll have to look at the blog archive (refresh your browser first!) - but I'm a granddad now!
Post a Comment