Our Venerable Mother Pelagia
1 Corinthians 15:39-45; Luke 4:31-36
Read 1 Corinthians 15:39-45
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Have you ever heard the expression “ghost in the machine?” It relates to an understanding that our minds are independent of our bodies, or that there is a dualistic understanding of “the real you” contained within your body, which operates like a vehicle or container for your mind or soul.
On the first reading of St. Paul’s letter today, we might be tempted to fall into a dichotomous understanding that when we die, only our spiritual soul is raised from the dead and that our bodies are temporal or arbitrary. This is in essence the opposite of what St. Paul is teaching the Corinthians. Although we have been damaged by the Fall, our bodies which were made good and destined for eternity will be perfected and reintegrated with our souls, making us complete upon the Resurrection. A “spiritual body” is not an immaterial body but a body perfectly integrated, rendered imperishable, strong, and glorious.
In fact, there is an ancient heresy, called Manicheanism which basically teaches “spirit good, body bad.” This understanding is disproved by the Resurrection itself- Christ rose bodily from the dead. His perfected body was not a ghost or a dream even though it could do things that our state of solid matter cannot (be in more than one place at once, walk through walls etc.).
Let us continue to struggle through our prayer and spiritual disciplines to bring our rebellious bodies under the control of our higher faculties, placing our souls as masters of our bodies. This way we can at least get started on our “spiritual bodies” now, a process which will only be perfected in the next world!