the hinge of salvation

“…we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Romans 8:23).

    I realize that Catholicism is a very sensual religion. In fact, the sensual nature of Catholicism – with all her ceremonies, her rituals, her symbols, the sacraments, the “smells and bells” – has indeed been a cause for scandal among many people throughout history. However, it need not be this way, if we can come to grasp the reality, the truth and beauty, of ourselves, who are creatures specifically created this way by God Himself; “God saw all that he made, and it was very good” (Genesis 1:31). That word ‘very’ is decisive: it is not used when God looked at any other part of his creation – the words ‘very good’ are applied only after the creation of mankind. (Perhaps this is so because only mankind was created in the image and likeness of God, cf. Genesis 1:27).

    It is interesting to note that when Paul speaks about our redemption in Christ, he speaks about the redemption “of our bodies” (Romans 8:23). Why didn’t he speak about the redemption of our soul, our spirit? Perhaps it is because Paul knew something that those who are normally scandalized by our “natural sensuality” do not know, and that is this: our bodies make up an important part of who we are as persons – as human persons­ – ­created in the image and likeness of God. Our bodies are not some sort of additional add-on, or some sort of shell in which our souls are trapped. As Christians, we believe in the resurrection of the body (cf. John 6:44; 1 Cor 15:13-18). This is because the completion of our redemption – which gives way to completion of our salvation – will be the complete restoration of our creation as human persons, who were from the beginning created male and female in the image and likeness of God (cf. Genesis 1:27). Perhaps this is why Paul speaks about the redemption “of our bodies”.

    Our flesh is an important part of our creation, of what God noted to be “very good”; it will not be done away with. Indeed, “the flesh is the hinge of salvation” (cf. CCC 1015). “We believe in the God who is the creator of the flesh; we believe in the Word made flesh in order to redeem the flesh; we believe in the resurrection of the flesh, the fulfillment of both the creation and the redemption of the flesh” (cf. CCC 1015).

    Hopefully we can begin to understand why Catholicism is indeed a sensual religion. God created us this way. Perhaps we can begin to reclaim our very good creation, understanding ourselves, and how God intended things to be. This will be a theme I hope to take up again for my next entry. Until then, I’ll end this current entry with this: it is really only in the light of the Word made flesh (cf. John 1:14) that we can come to see and understand our own flesh – to see it as God sees it; to see ourselves, as God’s creatures, as he sees us.