The Feast of the Assumption of Mary provides the occasion to remember that, according our creeds, Christians believe in the “resurrection of the body,” not the immortality of the soul. Mary’s assumption “body and soul” into glory is the model and example of our own eternal fate. St. Paul puts it, “In Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.” Mary, in this image, is the second fruits and we will be the third or fourth or… What, exactly, are we saying when we profess belief in the “resurrection of the body.” We should not think in terms of this particular set of chemicals that make up our bodies today. St. Paul says we are raised as “spiritual bodies,” whatever that means. Remember that even those who knew Jesus intimately did not recognize him after his resurrection. I like to think that resurrection of the body means that what is raised is our history, all that we are and all that has happened to us during earthly life. C.S. Lewis has a small book entitled The Great Divorce where he envisions purgatory as the time when we look back on our history and decide whether we are going to cling to our hurts, resentments, proclivities, and practices or are we going to surrender them to God for cleansing and healing. Those redeemed memories and history which make up the spiritual bodies that are raised into glory.
