As we near the end of the Easter season, I’ve been reading the latest book of Fr. Robert Imbelli, Christ Brings All Newness (Word On Fire Academic, 2023). It is a fine collection of essays on everything from Vatican II to Dante, all held together by the wonder and uniqueness of the Son of God’s entry into the world. The title comes from St. Irenaeus of Lyons: “Christ brought all newness in bringing himself.”
To give a taste of the book–and as we approach the Ascension–I thought I’d share some of Fr. Imbelli’s words on the Resurrection from the essay “Resurrection and Real Presence.” Insisting on the bodily resurrection of Jesus–and not some watered-down academic knock-off–Imbelli again demonstrates a truly sacramental sense of the body’s importance, which I mentioned in another post a few weeks ago.
“Resurrection faith stretches heart and mind to the breaking point, as they stagger under the unbearable lightness of being. Is it any wonder that we frequently retreat before the mystery, reducing it to more manageable perspectives? And so, certain scholars contend, ‘He is risen into the kerygma’–betraying thereby their inordinate appetite for ideas. No resurrection there, only a ghostly apparition. Or, some ecclesiastical functionaries insist, ‘He is risen into the institutional church”–displaying, by the very contention, a rather petrified imagination. That would merely exchange one tomb for another. Or, others of more liberationist bent cry, ‘He is risen as the people’–manifesting their often havoc-wreaking innocence. A provocative resuscitation, perhaps, but no true resurrection. But against all infringement of the mystery, the angel stands adamant: ‘He is risen; he is not here!'” (pp. 158-9)
Tony Lusvardi, S.J. 
HI Tony Your weekly messages continue to be very important to me personally. Thanks for spending the time and energy in writing them. I’m guessing you are creating a congregation of people who need to hear from you. I’m one of them. You are absolutely right about the crucial significance of Jesus’ bodily resurrection. After all the whole point of incarnation – God’s Son the second Person of the Trinity becoming em-bodied – is the basis of Salvation for all of humanity who can come to Him. And the intense meaning of Catholic Christianity is that the Divine is within the material and can be found present in the World which surrounds us and within ourselves if we take the time to seek, ask, and respond. Hence your insistence on the material reality of the Risen Christ is crucial. Thanks! John Pfordresher
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