In Jesus' discourse on the Eucharist, Christ spoke of this Sacrament as a pledge of the resurrection of the body. On another occasion, he effectively refuted the arguments of the Sadducees who claimed there was no resurrection from the dead. He spoke, too, of the day when all the dead shall hear the voice of God, and those who have done well shall come forth unto resurrection of life; but they who have done evil unto resurrection of judgment. Christ's own glorious resurrection from the dead is the surest pledge of our own resurrection; for he is our head and we as his members share not only in his sufferings but also in his triumph.
It is only fitting that the body should rise and share the soul's eternal destiny, for in life, body and soul cooperated in doing good or in doing evil. The bodies of the good will rise glorious and beautiful like the body of the risen Christ, transformed by the splendor of the soul, partaking of its qualities so that it is no longer a natural body but a spiritual one. The bodies of evildoers will also rise, immortal and incorruptible, but utterly deformed, horrible to see. Then all men, with their bodies and souls thus reunited, will face the general judgment, and the just shall enter into the kingdom of their Father, while the unjust will be cast into the darkness outside.
Because of her belief that the body is one day to rise again to a new life, the Church treats with great reverence the bodies of her dead. Before laying it in the earth, she blesses the corpse and prays over it. The Church does not forbid cremation, unless this is chosen for reasons, which are contrary to Christian teaching.
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