H E N CHRIST ROSE FROM THE GRAVE his body that had, for 36 hours spread over three days, paid the penalty of death, was now immortal identically the came body he had always had but endowed with special powers and qualities.
DUR1NG Our Lord's "second life" of forty days, between His resurrection and ascension. His bodily senses were the same as before. He enjoyed the faculties of sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell, but none were subject to fatigue or pain. Nor did He suffer any physical need. When He asked His apostles for food, it was simply to convince them of the reality ' of His body. It was the same when He told the Ten, and later Thomas, to touch Him. This was literally solid proof of His resurrection, althowth his glorified body had now the property of passing through such solid objects as the doors of the Upper Room without affecting either them or His body. For the same purpose of convincing His apostles of His victory over death. He kept the scars of His crucifixion, though for the rest of us, when our bodies rise to immortal glory, such marks of mortality will have disappeared. Our Lord's risen body had two other powers. He could move from place to place with the speed of thought, which explains His various sudden comings and goings. And lastly His body had taken on a quality St. Thomas Aquinas calls "clarity ". whereby the physical features reflect the shining glory of the soul enjoying the Vision of God. This will explain why, on several occasions, the disciples did not immediately recognize their Master in the " new look " of His glorified body. The reality of the Saviour's resurrection is a warranty of ours. Su ton are its characteristics.
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ST. PAUL was quick to point out: " You may ask, how are the dead raised? In what kind of body? A senseless question! ... The dead will rise immortal and we shall be changed. What is mortal shall be clothed with immortality . Then the sayings of Scripture will come true: swallowed up; victory is won! 0 Death where is your victory? 0 Death where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and sin gains its power front the law; but. God be praised, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.