The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-04-10
ON RESURRECTION
Bishop Kahn breaches an Interest
ing and Impressive Sermon
AT HIGH MASS SERVICE YESTERDAY,
/" Resurrection of tho Body" the
Theme Disooursed Upon-A Large
Congregation Listened to the BIsh.
ops Words of Counsel and Instruc.
ton,

At the high mass yesterday, Bishop
Kahn took for the subject OF his sermon
the doctrine OF the resurrection OF the
body-a doctrine, as he remarked, sug-
gested and confirmed by the resur-
reCtion Of Christ.
The Apostles creed teaches this con-
aoling doctrine in these few, but most
expressive words; II believe in the
resurrection of the body" or as the
Latin and Greek have tin tho
resurrection OF the flesh" On the last
day, our mortal bodies clothed then in
immortality. shall rise from their
graves, and be terminated by the souls
which parted from them at death,
The identity Of the risen bodies is a
doctrine Of Christian faith-its denial
is manifest heresy. This heresy was
taught by tho saducees in the time Of
Christ, and condemned by the Saviour
Matt, Xxi, 1892. 1t was broached
in Apostolic times by Hymenus and
Philetus, who were declared to have
erred from the truth by st. Paul,
III Tim, II, II, 1877
The Identity Of the resurrected bodies
will not be destroyed by their changed
conditions; for though the bodies OF tho
just will shine with heavenly glory, and
those OF the reprobate will BIO most re-
pulsive in their hideous deformity, they
will be- substantially tho same bodies
which belonged to the Just and repro
bate in this life,
The resurrection is indeed q rppru=
duction Of what has already existed,
and not a new creation. This is tho
express teaching of st. Paul "Christ
will reform the body Of our lowness,
made like to the body Of His glory"
phil. iii:21). This change Of form will
not, however, destroy the identity Of
these risen bodies.
How clearly Holy Job proclaims this
consolatory doctrine when no proClaims
that sin his flesh he shall see God"
xix, 26.) When We read in ". Kings
protestant version II. Kings, kill, 2l)
that dead man was brought to life by
mere contact with the bones Of the
buried prophet, does it occur to US that
the revivited man was clothed in any
other body than the very one which
had been his beforeP When tho al.
ready purifying body OF Lazarus came
forth from the tomb at tho command Of
Christ was it not the very same body
that had been buried three days be-
fore?
Again: when the Saviour rose tri.
umphant over death, did He not have
the same body which had been nailed
to the cross? Does He not, in the
Gospel Of this Sunday, John, Xxx,
l9-3l) show His pierced hands and
feet, and bid the incredulous Thomas to
examine His sacred wounds2 Does He
not Himself proclaim the identity OF
His gloritied body and insist that He is
not mere spirit, but that He has flesh
and blood-a real bodyP
But the resurrection OF Christ is not
only tho efficient cause OF our re ur-
rection, but 1t is also the pattern on
which the risen bodies OF tho Just shall
DO reformed. May we not then ask
with st. Paul (Cor. XIV, 12) "Now If
Christ be preached that He arose again
from the dead, how do some among YOU
say, that there Is no resurrection OF the
dead2"
Deny this article OF the Christian
creed, says the Apostle, and you under
mine the whole fabric OF Christianity.
"For II the dead rise not again, neither
is Christ risen again. And Ii Christ be
not risen again, your faith Is in vain,
for you are yet in your sins"
To say that tho scriptures do not
speak Of the resurrection OF the body,
but OF the resurrection OF tho dead, IS
mere child's talk. The soul does not,
cannot die; therefore it cannot rise
again to life; there can DO no such
thing as the resurrection OF the soul.
Moreover the assertion is not true
since We read in Matt. XVIII 81, So,
"And the graves were opened; and
many bodies OF the saints that had
slept, arose, and coming out OF the
tomhs after His resurrection, came into
the holy city, and appeared to many"
II is the body-it is tho flesh which
will rise, rs in the case Of our Lord, OF
Lazarus and the others mentioned in
Scripture as having been brought back
to lie.
This has ever been the belief of the
Christian church. We cannot indeed
demonstrate it by reason, any moro
than we can prove by reason the real
presence Of Ohrist's body in tho euch-
artist; but our faith does not rest on req.
son, but on the unerring word OF God.
To every alleged difficulty we may
reply with st. Augustine, that He who
made our mortal bodies, can also ro.
make them.