The resurrection of the body is an absolutely essential element of thew Christian faith. The "souls" in Heaven actually remain in an "unnatural" state until they are reunited with their bodies at the end of time. When Christ returns, those who enjoy eternal life will be perfectly integrated, body and soul, as God always intended us to be.
Marriage is not our be-all and end-all. It is, rather, a sign here on earth that is meant to point us to the "Marriage of the Lamb." We no longer need a sign to point us to heaven, when we are in heaven. That is why Christ says that men and women will no longer marry in the resurrection.
In the resurrection, all who respond to the Marriage of the Lamb will be fully divinized--that is, they will participate bodily in God's very nature. What God is by nature, we will become by a sheer gift of grace.
In the beatific vision, God will give himself totally to man, and man will respond with the total gift of self to God. This eternal communion of glory and bliss was foreshadowed right from the beginning in the original unity of man and woman.
The communion of saints is the unity in "one body" of ll who respond to God's wedding invitation. It is the definitive fulfillment of our longing for union with other human beings.
Marriage is not our be-all and end-all. It is, rather, a sign here on earth that is meant to point us to the "Marriage of the Lamb." We no longer need a sign to point us to heaven, when we are in heaven. That is why Christ says that men and women will no longer marry in the resurrection.
In the resurrection, all who respond to the Marriage of the Lamb will be fully divinized--that is, they will participate bodily in God's very nature. What God is by nature, we will become by a sheer gift of grace.
In the beatific vision, God will give himself totally to man, and man will respond with the total gift of self to God. This eternal communion of glory and bliss was foreshadowed right from the beginning in the original unity of man and woman.
The communion of saints is the unity in "one body" of ll who respond to God's wedding invitation. It is the definitive fulfillment of our longing for union with other human beings.