Posted on 09/23/2008 2:29:23 PM PDT by Ebenezer
In the Creed we profess that we believe “in the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.” That will take place at the end of the world at the Second Coming of Christ. The saved will shine like the sun and dwell in the New Jerusalem forever.
A question that has been on my mind for a long time, and for which I have not found an answer, is whether or not resurrected bodies will wear clothes. Will they be clothed or naked? Let me list some reasons for and against.
1) They will be clothed. When the resurrected, glorified Jesus appeared to his apostles, he was clothed. The Gospels do not affirm that but they assume it. When our Blessed Mother appeared to Bernadette at Lourdes and to the three children at Fatima, she was clothed in white—we know that from the images of her that the visionaries described. In the past, when saints and angels appeared to human beings on earth, they too were clothed in white. That makes sense for the sake of modesty, given our present sinful state. In the Book of Revelation, the saints before the throne of God are “wearing white robes” (7:9; see also 3:5; 4:4; 6:11; 7:13). But St. John did not see resurrected bodies because the universal resurrection has not yet taken place. The commentaries say that the white robes are symbolic of victory, joy and resurrection.
The glorified bodies of Jesus and Mary are clothed, but what is the nature of their clothing? Is it a glorified fabric, similar to a glorified body? What style is it? Jesus and Mary seem to appear in the clothing they wore in Jerusalem two thousand years ago.
2) They will not be clothed. Adam and Eve were naked before their fall into sin. The New Jerusalem at the end of the world will be like a return to the Garden of Eden. Since there is no concupiscence or attraction to sin, it would seem that the resurrected do not need clothes.
When Jesus rose from the dead on Easter Sunday morning, he left the shroud in which he was wrapped, plus the cloth for his face (see John 20:5-7). Was he covered with glorified clothes we know nothing about?
In baroque churches in Europe, the many cherubs or baby angels are naked. In Orvieto, Italy, a fresco in a chapel in the cathedral portrays the resurrected as coming up out of the ground naked. Since glorified bodies are immortal and not affected by cosmic heat or cold, they do not need clothing or shoes.
A further question would concern their hair style. Will they all have long hair the way Jesus has been seen (Sacred Heart, Jesus of the Divine Mercy)? Will the men have beards or will they be clean shaven?
As far as I know, St. Thomas Aquinas in his great Summa Theologiae does not treat this question. Perhaps he raised and answered the question in one of his other writings. Also, I wonder whether or not one of the Fathers of the Church or one of the other great medieval theologians ever expressed an opinion on this point. If any reader of this essay has information on the topic, please send me a letter and give me the reference.
I do not know the answer to this question, but divine things are beyond our power of comprehension unless they have been explicitly revealed to us by God. St. Paul said, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what things God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Cor. 2:9). The coming and going of the resurrected Jesus through walls and then suddenly disappearing is very mysterious and indicates that glorified matter has capabilities that we know nothing about. The resurrected life is a wonderful experience to look forward to. The early Christians expressed this hope with the prayer, “Marana tha,” that is, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev. 22:20).
The only Saudi I would claim to know/know of is Bandar ... and he surprised the hell out of me with his politics. I’m sixty three, for reference, and I’ll claim my genetics will give me a longer life than that deceiver, unless his agents succeed in serving the minor moon goddess Islam claims is Allah. In the final analysis, Bandar is a pussy toward the Islamic maniacs his family fear most.
“If I knew God I’d be Him.”
Mary and Mohammad and the Saints are not there.
Christ is the only one with a glorified body in heaven.
Those crazy Jesuits again. lol
Perhaps that was because they always saw Him clothed before His death. Not to mention that social ettiquette dictated that the disciples He met were also clothed. His being clothed with them could have been so that they would be comfortable and recognize Him as He was before.
When Christ first lived on the earth, He did not have an angelic glow about Him that could have covered His nakedness.
Because of this, it is possible that He would never have a want or need of one.
LOL!
There is no way anyone could convince me that a tie on a woman was feminine. But maybe that was the plan.
I rather like being in touch with my feminine side at all times! :o])
Uh...
...I don't think she's been resurrected yet.
HEY!!
I resemble that remark!
Just wait!
Some goofy teen will think HE invented it!
Once the Resurrection takes place, it won’t matter what we’re wearing when we die and/or are buried in, as we will be given clothing that is appropriate for whatever we do in the Afterlife.
This sounds SO much like Boot Camp! ;^)
Rebekah was a smoker... she LIT off of her CAMEL
Baseball was played in Biblical times...In the BIG INNING
Paul mentions his Dad...my OLD MAN...
etc
:)
....only when they vote....
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