What Will Our Resurrected Bodies Be Like?

By: Msgr. Charles Pope

In todays first reading at Mass St Paul writes to the Philippians of the glory that our currently lowly
bodies will one day enjoy:
He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified Body by the power that enables him also to
bring all things into subjection to himself. (Phil 3:19)
I once spoke with an older woman who wasnt all that pleased to hear that her body was going to rise
and be joined again to her soul: Oh, Father, you dont mean this old decrepit body?! If this body has to
rise I am hoping for an improved model!
Yes! I think most of us can relate to the need that our current lowly bodies will be improved. And they
will surely be. Notice how the passage above says, that these lowly, often weak, diseased, and often
over-weight bodies will be changed and reflect the glory of the resurrected body of Jesus. Yes, this old
general issue clunker that Im currently experiencing is going to be upgraded to a luxury model. Were
headed for first class.
In this month of November when we recall the four last things: Death, judgment, heaven and hell, we
ought to consider for a moment what scripture and tradition have to say to us about what our
resurrected bodies will be like.
Now an important starting point in discussing this matter is a little humility. The fact is, a lot of what we
are going to say here is speculation. But, it is not WILD speculation. It is rooted in Scripture to be sure.
However, Scripture is describing things that are somewhat mysterious and difficult to reduce to words.
Further, Scripture does not always elaborate on things which are said. Where we might wish for more
details, none are given. Sometimes too, we infer qualities of the resurrected body based only on
scriptural texts whose main purpose is not so much to describe the resurrected body. Rather, their
purpose is to set forth the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. For example, Jesus appears and disappears
at will in a room though the doors are locked. The point of the text is to tell us he appeared, not
necessarily that the resurrected body has something we have come to call agility (see below). Hence
the text does not elaborate on this point and we are left to infer things about Jesus resurrected body
and then apply it to our own. This is not wrong, for Paul above says that our resurrected bodies will have
qualities that conform to Jesus resurrected body . But the point is that the biblical texts do not
elaborate on this or other qualities in a detailed manner and so, we are left to speculate and infer some
of what we know.
St. John the Apostle expresses some of the humility we should bring to this discussion:
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be like. But We know
that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. (1 John 3:2)
I do not interpret John to mean we know nothing, for in so doing, he would negate other Scriptures. But
I interpret him to mean that we do not fully grasp the meaning of what we are discussing, and that
much of it is mysterious. Something is known and revealed but much more of it is unknown and far
beyond what we have yet experienced.
With the need for humility in mind lets consider some of what we might be able to say of the qualities
of a resurrected body. Perhaps it is well that we start with the most thorough passage in the New
Testament on this subject and then list the traditional seven qualities of a resurrected body.
St. Paul writes of the resurrected body in First Corinthians 15:
But someone will ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come? How foolish!
What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be,
but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined,
and to each kind of seed he gives its own body..The splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the
splendor of the earthly bodies is anotherThe body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural
body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written:
The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come
first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second
man is of heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man,
so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall
we bear the image of the heavenly man..Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all
be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the
dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the
imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has
been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?(1 Cor
15:35-55 selectae).
Now using this passage and others we can distinguish seven traditional qualities of a resurrected body.
Here we will allow our source to be the Summa of St. Thomas. You can click on each quality (in blue) to
read more a the NewAdvent Summa online.
1. Identity What this means essentially is that the very same body that falls in death will rise to be
glorified. We cannot claim that we will get a different body, but rather, that our current body will rise
and be glorified. St. Thomas says, For we cannot call it resurrection unless the soul return to the same
body, since resurrection is a second rising, and the same thing rises that falls: wherefore resurrection
regards the body which after death falls rather than the soul which after death lives. And consequently if
it be not the same body which the soul resumes, it will not be a resurrection, but rather the assuming of a
new body (Supl, Q 79.1).
This does not mean that the body will necessarily be identical in every way. As St. Paul says above, are
current bodies are like the seed. And just as a seed does not have all the qualities of the mature plant,
but does have all these qualities in seed form. So too our body is linked to our resurrected body causally
and essentially though not all the qualities of the resurrected body are currently operative. Again, the
Summa states: A comparison does not apply to every particular, but to some. For in the sowing of grain,
the grain sown and the grain that is born thereof are neither identical, nor of the same condition, since it
was first sown without a husk, yet is born with one: and the body will rise again identically the same, but
of a different condition, since it was mortal and will rise in immortality. (Ibid).
Scripture attests that the same body that dies will also rise. Job said, And after my flesh has been
destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyesI, and not another (Job
19:26-27). And to the Apostles, shocked at his resurrection Jesus said, Look at my hands and my feet. It
is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have (Luke 24:39).
Hence the same body rises and so there is continuity. But there is also development and a shining forth
of a new glory and capabilities that our bodies do not currently enjoy.
2. Integrity We will retain all of the parts of our current bodies. Now this means every physical part of
our body, even the less noble parts such as intestines etc. In the Gospel Jesus plainly ate even after the
resurrection. He ate a fish before them (Luke 24:43). He also ate with the Disciples in Emmaus (Luke
24:30). He ate breakfast with them at the lake shore (Jn 21:12). Hence it follows that even less noble
parts of our body will rise for eating and digestion are still functions of a resurrected body. Now Thomas
argues (I think rightly) that food will not be necessary to the resurrected body (supl 81.4). But it is clearly
possible to eat, for Christ demonstrates it.
St. Thomas reasons that every aspect of our bodies will rise since the soul is the form of the body. That
is, the body has the faculties it has due to some aspect of the soul. The soul has something to say and
hence the body has the capacity to talk and write and engage in other forms of communication. The soul
has the capacity to do detailed work and hence the body has complex faculties such as delicate and
nimble fingers, arms and so forth, to carry out this work. Now body is thus apt for the capacities of the
soul, though now imperfectly, but then even more perfectly. (cf Summa supl. Q. 80.1).
At some level it seems we have to suspend our speculation and keep it within limits. The Summa goes
into matters which I think are highly speculative and you can click on the blue word integrity above to
read these speculations. But personally I think we should refrain from trying ask questions about
whether hair and nails will grow and what bodily fluids will still be necessary and why. Will latrines be
needed in heaven or will food be perfectly absorbed and nothing wasted? etc. We just have to stop at a
certain point and say we just have no business knowing this stuff and it is purely speculative to discuss it.
The bottom line is that, yes the Body shall rise, whole and complete. Its functions will be perfected and
perfectly apt for the soul in a way beyond what they are now. But as to the intimate details, we ought to
realize that humilty is the best posture.
3. Quality Our bodies will be youthful and will retain our original gender. Now youthful here does not
necessarily mean 18-22. Note that in the Philippians text that began this post, Paul says that our
glorified bodies will be conformed to Christs glorified body. Now his body rose at approximately 30 33
of physical age. Elsewhere St. Paul exhorts Christians to persevere, Until we all meet into the unity of
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the age of the
fulness of Christ (Eph 4:13). Hence it would seem that Christs resurrected body is the perfect age.
St Augustine also speculates, that Christ rose again of youthful age,.about the age of thirty years.
Therefore others also will rise again of a youthful age (cf De Civ. Dei xxii).
St. Thomas further notes: Man will rise again without any defect of human nature, because as God
founded human nature without a defect, even so will He restore it without defect. Now human nature
has a twofold defect. First, because it has not yet attained to its ultimate perfection. Secondly, because it
has already gone back from its ultimate perfection. The first defect is found in children, the second in the
aged: and consequently in each of these human nature will be brought by the resurrection to the state of
its ultimate perfection which is in the youthful age, at which the movement of growth terminates, and
from which the movement of decrease begins. (Supl Q. 81.1)
Further, since gender is part of human perfection, it will pertain to all to rise according to the gender we
are now. Other qualities such as height, hair color and other such diverse things will also be retained, it
would seem, since this diversity is part of mans perfection.
Here too we have to realize that merely picturing Jesus as a 33 year old guy is not sufficient. All the
resurrection appearances make it clear that his appearance was somehow changed, though also
recognizable, and this is a mystery. Further the heavenly description of Jesus is far from simple to
decode in manners of age and appearance:
and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,

dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet
and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and
his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the
sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp
double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. (Rev 1:12-18)
Hence we must avoid over-simplifications when it comes to speaking of how our resurrected bodies will
appear. We cannot simply project current human realities into heaven and think we understand what a
resurrected body will look like in terms of age, stature, and other physical qualities. They are there but
they are transposed to a higher level.
4. Impassability We will be immune from death and pain. Scripture states this clearly: The dead will be
raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable,
and the mortal with immortality. (1 Cor 15:52-53). And again, He will wipe every tear from their eyes.
There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
(Rev 21:4). Thomas goes on at some length and you can click on the blue word impassibility to read
more. But for here let the scriptural reference suffice
5. Subtlety Our bodies will be free from the things that restrain them now. Subtlety refers to the
capacity of the resurrected body to be completely conformed to the capacities of the soul. St Thomas
says of this quality, the term subtlety has been transferred to those bodies which are most perfectly
subject to their form, and are most fully perfected thereby.For just as a subtle thing is said to be
penetrative, for the reason that it reaches to the inmost part of a thing, so is an intellect said to be subtle
because it reaches to the insight of the intrinsic principles and the hidden natural properties of a thing. In
like manner a person is said to have subtle sight, because he is able to perceive by sight things of the
smallest size: and the same applies to the other senses. Accordingly people have differed by ascribing
subtlety to the glorified bodies in different ways. (Supl. Q. 83.1)
In other words, the Body is perfected because the soul is. And the body is now fully conformed to the
soul. Currently in my lowly body, I may wish to go to Vienna, Austria in a few moments to hear an opera,
but my body cannot pull that off. It does not currently pertain to my body to be able to instantly be
somewhere else on the planet. I have to take time to get there and exert effort. However it will be
noticed that Jesus could appear and disappear in a room despite the closed doors. Although, before his
resurrection he had to take long physical journeys, now he can simply be where he wants (cf John 19:20,
26). This quality is very closely related to agility which we consider next.
6. Agility We will have complete freedom of movement, our souls will direct our bodies without
hindrance. St Thomas says, The glorified body will be altogether subject to the glorified soul, so that not
only will there be nothing in it to resist the will of the spirit..from the glorified soul there will flow into
the body a certain perfection, whereby it will become adapted to that subjection: Now the soul is
united to body not only as its form, but also as its mover; and in both ways the glorified body must be
most perfectly subject to the glorified soul. We have already referred to the capacity of Jesus in his
glorified body to anywhere at once and not be hindered by locked doors etc. Consider too these
description of the agility of the resurrected body:
1. As they [on the road to Emmaus] talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus
himself came up and walked along with them; (Luke 24:15)
2. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Jesus, and he disappeared from their sight.
(Luke 24:31)
3. While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, Peace
be with you (Luke 24:36)
7. Clarity The glory of our souls will be visible in our bodies. We will be beautiful and radiant. It is
written in the Scriptures The just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father, (Matthew
13:43) . And again: The just shall shine, and shall run to and fro like sparks among the reeds. (Wisdom
3:7). And again, The body in sown in dishonor, it shall rise in glory. (1 Cor 15:43).
So, rejoice! The Lord is going to take these lowly bodies of our and change them to conform with his
own body. Were going to upgrade to an improved model to be sure. And in your glorified body you
wont have to take all this time to read this post, youll just know it. A long post to be sure. I am posting
it in PDF form as well in case you want to print it our and read it. You can get it here: What Will Our
Resurrected Bodies Be Like