Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1893-04-10
A DOCTRINAL POINT
DISCUSSED BY BISHOP KAHN AT ST. JOSEPH'S
CATHE ORAL.
'Ths Resurrection Of the Body" the Theme Of An
Eloquent and Thoughtful Discourse
Sermon by Rev. N. D. Johnson

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-
Qested ard confirmed by the resurrec-
tion OF Christ.
The Apostles Creed teaches this con-
soling doctrine in these few, but most
expressive words: II believe in the
resurrection of the body" or as the
Latin and Greek have it, sin the resur-
rection Of the flesh" On the last day
our mortal bodies, clothed then in i'm
mortality, shall rise from their graves
and be terminated by the souls which
parted from them at death. The
identity Of the risen bodies is doctrine
OF Christian faith; its denial is manifest
heresy.
This her5sy was taught by the Sadu-
Gees in the time of Christ, and con-
demned by the Saviour Matt. xxi, 20,
32.)
1t was preached in Apostolic times by
Hymenus aud Philetus, who were de-
clared to hare erred from the truth by
ST. Paul, e Tim. ii, II, 49,
The identity of the resurrected bodies
will not be destroyed by their changed
conditions; for though the bodies OF the
inst will shine with heavenly glory, and
those of the reprobate will be most re-
pulslve in their hideous deformity, they
will be substantially the same bodies
which belonged to the just and repro
bate in this life.
The resurrection is indeed a repro
duction of what has already existed,
and not a new creation. This is the
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 he declares
that "in his flesh he shall see God!
NIX. 26). When we read in ~ Kings,
protestant version II Kings NH. 2l)
that a dead man was brought to life by
mere contact with the bones OF the
buried prophet, does 1t occur TO us that
the revivi6ed man was clothed in any
other body than the very one which had
been his before? When the already
purifying body of Lazarus came forth
from the tomb at the command OF
Christ, was it not the very same body
that had been buried three days before?
Again: when the Saviour rose tri-
umphat 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, 19-31) show
His pierced hands and feet, and bid the
incredu!ous Thomas to examine His
Sacred wounds? 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 body?
But the resurrection Of Christ is not
only the efficient cause of our resurrec-
ton. but il is also the pattern on which
the risen bodies OF the just shall be re-
formed. May we not then ask with st.
Paul II. Cor, xy., 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
dead?"
Deny this article Of the Christian
creed, says the Apostle, and you under
mine the whole fabric OF Christianity.
For if the dead rise not again, neither
is Christ risen again. And II Christ. De
not risen again, your faith is vain, for
you are yet in your sins.
To say that the Scriptures do not
speak OF the resurrection Of the body,
but of the resurrection Of the dead, is
mere child's talk. The soul does not,
cannot die; therefore it cannot rise
again to life; there can be no such
thing as the resurrection Of the soul.
Moreover the assertion is not true;
since we read in Matt. XNVII 50, SO,
"And the graves were opened: and
many bodies OF the saints that had
slept, arose, aud coming out OF the
tombs after His resurrection, came in
to the holy city, and appeared TO
many"
ItiS the body-it is the flesh which
will rise, as in the case Of our Lord,
of Lazarus and the others mentioned
in Scripture as having been brought
back to life. This has ever been the
belief Of the Christian Church. We
cannot indeed demonstrate it by reason,
any more than we can prove by
reason the real presence Of Christ's
Body in the Eucharist; but our faith
does not rest on reason, but on the
unerring word Of God To every al
legged difficulty we may reply with
St. Augustine, that He who made our
mortal bodies, can also remake them.