GOD REMEMBERS

 

Many imagine the resurrected body. I have heard long discussions on how resurrected bodies are supposed to look, including what superhuman abilities these new bodies will have. Sometimes, our imagination gets the better of us.

Of this, I'm sure: despite their differences (and there are a lot), the four gospels all tell us that the Risen One has a body. In Sunday's Gospel from John, Jesus tells Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side." The Risen One has a body, and that resurrected body still bears the marks of the crucifixion. God knows who is responsible for each wound.

Over 50,000 men, women, and children have been killed by the genocide being perpetuated by the State of Israel against the Palestinian People. And the murders continue. Take heart! God knows who are responsible. God never forgets.

Every single day so many of our sisters and brothers--who serve the poor, the oppressed, and the marginalized--are red-tagged, abducted, tortured, brutalized, and crucified. Take heart! God knows each and every one responsible. God remembers.

God will never forget the crucified. God will raise up each and every one of them. God always remembers the marks of each crucifixion. And God knows who is responsible for each of those wounds!

Dear Friends, then and now, the resurrection requires warm bodies that embody justice, solidarity, and life-giving. The resurrection requires warm bodies that will rise up for those who have fallen, that will continue the struggle for peace based on justice, that will inspire solidarity and accompaniment.

For every one that has fallen, God will raise up ten. For every ten, a hundred. For every hundred, a thousand...

The resurrection always requires warm bodies. The resurrection requires your body. And mine.

*Art, "Jesus appears to Thomas," JESUS MAFA (from vanderbilt divinity library digital archives).