Ask a Question - or - Return to the Faith and Spirituality Forum Index

Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Grace and the human person	PJ	Monday, August 16, 2010
Question: No one has yet to give me a straight answer to this, and I'm hoping you will: How can we say that grace heals, strengthens and transforms the soul but not the body, and still avoid ontological dualism of the human person? That is what the Church seems to teach - that before the resurrection on the last day that grace purifies and transforms the soul but does not do the same for the body - as if soul and body are not one as form and matter. Logic would seem to indicate that when the form is affected so too would its matter be, i.e. that grace would immediately transform and glorify the body back to immortality as soon the soul is affected by the supernatural life of grace. But as we know we still grow old, suffer and die. I understand the why, but please make sense of the how, so that there would be no apparent contradiction here. Thank you.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear PJ: God never promises to heal our body in this life. The salvific grace that we receive at Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, and the Eucharist restores our soul so that we can live forever in God's friendship. The grace of God is ordered to the soul first, and later to the body. Thus, the body may or may not be healed in this life. When God grants a healing miracle that is grace, but physical healing is not important in this life. But, even this physical healing is nothing compared to what awaits for our bodies at the Resurrection when the grace of God will be complete. It is true that body and soul are ontologically tied together forever. The soul is ordered to the body and the body to the soul. When we die our soul is removed from the body temporarily. Then, on Judgment Day, the grace of God will resurrect our bodies and reunite our souls with our bodies. Those in God's friendship will have their bodies restored whole, complete, perfect, and glorified (as St. Paul says, we do not know what we will be exactly, but we know we will be like the body of the resurrected Christ) and we will live forever body and soul with God. Those who are damned will have their bodies resurrected too. Their souls will also be reunited with their bodies because the body and soul are ordered to each other. Then, their body and soul will be cast into the corruption of hell for eternity. So you are correct that the body and soul are ontologically tied together. But, the salvific grace of God is toward the soul in this life, and toward the body in the next. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Grace and the human person

Monday, August 16, 2010

Question:

No one has yet to give me a straight answer to this, and I'm hoping you will: How can we say that grace heals, strengthens and transforms the soul but not the body, and still avoid ontological dualism of the human person?

That is what the Church seems to teach - that before the resurrection on the last day that grace purifies and transforms the soul but does not do the same for the body - as if soul and body are not one as form and matter. Logic would seem to indicate that when the form is affected so too would its matter be, i.e. that grace would immediately transform and glorify the body back to immortality as soon the soul is affected by the supernatural life of grace. But as we know we still grow old, suffer and die.

I understand the why, but please make sense of the how, so that there would be no apparent contradiction here. Thank you.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear PJ:

God never promises to heal our body in this life. The salvific grace that we receive at Baptism, Confirmation, Confession, and the Eucharist restores our soul so that we can live forever in God's friendship. The grace of God is ordered to the soul first, and later to the body.

Thus, the body may or may not be healed in this life. When God grants a healing miracle that is grace, but physical healing is not important in this life. But, even this physical healing is nothing compared to what awaits for our bodies at the Resurrection when the grace of God will be complete.

It is true that body and soul are ontologically tied together forever. The soul is ordered to the body and the body to the soul. When we die our soul is removed from the body temporarily. Then, on Judgment Day, the grace of God will resurrect our bodies and reunite our souls with our bodies.

Those in God's friendship will have their bodies restored whole, complete, perfect, and glorified (as St. Paul says, we do not know what we will be exactly, but we know we will be like the body of the resurrected Christ) and we will live forever body and soul with God.

Those who are damned will have their bodies resurrected too. Their souls will also be reunited with their bodies because the body and soul are ordered to each other. Then, their body and soul will be cast into the corruption of hell for eternity.

So you are correct that the body and soul are ontologically tied together. But, the salvific grace of God is toward the soul in this life, and toward the body in the next.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum