What does it mean to be
“I Believe in the
Resurrection of
the Body”
Our bodies, long corrupted, will one day
be reunited with our souls in glorified form
forever. But what does this difficult truth
of the faith really mean?
Dr. Daniel Keating
D
o we really believe in the resurrection of the body?
Why bother about bodies anyway? Wouldn’t we be
better off in eternal life without bodies, living like the
angels? And if we do believe in the resurrection of the body,
how will this happen and why is this important?
These are not merely academic questions. Some years
ago, when leading a Bible study for college students, a young
Catholic woman asked me just these questions. It seemed to
her that it would be far simpler just to “be with God” in our
souls, free from the body.
Why, she asked, does Jesus speak about raising the dead
from the grave (Jn 5:28-29), and why should this be important
to us? For her part, she was happy to do away with the body
in the next life. I was grateful for her honest questions—they
led to an engaging discussion on our hope in the resurrection
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