Near the end of the City of God, St. Augustine finds himself tangled in a paradox about the joys of heaven: the unending and unsurpassable vision of God will be common to all the blessed, and yet "it cannot be doubted that there shall be degrees" of honor and glory (XXII.30). If all enjoy the singular joy of the beatific vision, how could there possibly be degrees of reward in heaven?
Augustine's discussion of the martyrs opens the possibility for an answer. In the resurrection, the martyr's wound "will not be a deformity, but a mark of honour, and will add luster to their appearance, and a spiritual, if not bodily beauty…we are not to reckon or name these marks of virtue blemishes" (XXII.19). In the resurrection, the glory of God which shines from these wounds will be seen in all its clarity, and the martyrs will be honored to show that beatific glory forth from their own physical bodies. All will see equally the same vision of God, but not all will be equally resplendent.
Our resurrected bodies will display the glory which our loving exercise of freedom has won for God. The body bears the marks of love and love's suffering: worries and joys leave wrinkles in their wake, the back is bent from years of toil to support a family, the trauma of childbirth physically alters a mother, unuse leaves flesh virginal, hatred patiently endured stripes the skin, and so much more. From the mundane to the martyr, the body collects marks of virtue as cherished tokens of the love of the loving God. The different degrees of that love will be gloriously revealed in the resurrection, in which we will all see the glory of God pouring forth from the holes in the hands, feet, and side of Christ – who will "be the end of our desires…seen without end, loved without cloy, praised without weariness" (XXII.30).
No comments:
Post a Comment