Resurrections

O quam vera, quam magnifica comminatio illius qui dicebat: Ero, mors tua, o mors, mortem pro omnibus gustans omne imperium mortis absorbuit. Nam sicut Apostolus dicit: Si Spiritus Christi habitat in nobis, qui suscitavit Christum a mortuis, vivificabit et mortalia corpora nostra propter inhabitantem Spiritum in nobis. Mortuus est, inquit Apostolos, Christus propter delicta nostra, et resurrexit propter justificationem nostram. Resurrexit, sed semel et simpliciter, ut nos dupliciter resurgamus. Prima resurrectio nostra est a peccato, ut jam peccatum non dominetur in nobis. Secunda erit in corpore, cum corpus hoc mortale, animale, ignobile, terrenum et luteum configurabitur corpori claritatis Christi. De prima resurrectione scriptum est: Exsurge qui dormis, exsurge a mortuis, et illuminabit te Christus. Prima quidem desiderabilis est; sed desiderabilior est secunda, in qua dabitur duplex stola. Ideo Propheta dicit: Sitivit in te anima mea, quam multipliciter tibi caro mea. Verbum Joannis est: Beatus et sanctus est qui habet partem in resurrectione prima. Ille qui dicit: Ego sum resurrectio et vita, hodei resurgens a mortuis nos erigit in spem vitae et certam exspectationem gloriae filiorum Dei. Exsultabo igitur, quia haec est dies in qua exsultare praecipimur. Haec est, inquit, dies quam fecit Dominus, exsultemus et laetemur in ea. Eeram nudiustertius tristitia et moerore confectus; et ascpiens Christum mortuum, eram quodam desperationis frigore congelatus, et quodammodo mortuus; sed recaluit cor meum intra me. Et audito quia resurrexit Dominus, cor meum et caro mea exsultaverunt in Dominum vivum: quem prius plangebam curcifixum et mortuum. Petrus Blenensis, Sermo XX, In Dei Resurrectionis Source: Migne PL 207.619b-d

O, how true, how magnificent, that threat of Him who said: 'I shall be your death, O death.' 1 who tasting death for us destroyed death's empire. For as Paul the Apostle said: 'If the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, He who rose Christ from the dead, He shall enliven our mortal bodies according to the dwelling of the Spirit in us.' 2 Again he says: 'Christ died for our sins and rose for our justification.' 3 He rose, but once and plainly, that we might rise up twice. Our first resurrection is from sin, so that sin no longer rules over us. The second resurrection shall be in the body, when this body which is mortal, animal, lowly, made of earth and mud, shall be fashioned according to the glorious body of Christ. Concerning the first resurrection it is written: 'Rise up, you who sleep, rise up from the dead, and Christ shall enlighten you.' 4 The first resurrection is to be desired, the second is to be more desired, in which we will be given the twofold robe. Therefore the prophet says: 'My soul thirsted for you, how much for you my flesh.' 5 The word of John is: 'Blessed and holy is he who has a part in the first resurrection.' 6 And He says: 'I am the resurrection and the life,' 7 who today, rising from the dead, lifted us up to hope of life and certain expectation of the glory of the sons of God. I shall exult, therefore, because this is the day in which we are commanded to exult. It says: 'This is the day which the Lord made, let us exult and rejoice in it.' 8 I was made naked, sorrowful and sick, and seeing Christ dead I was frozen with the ice of despair, and I was as one who was dead, but my heart has blazed up within me, I have heard the Lord has risen, 'my heart and my flesh exults in the living Lord,' 9 whom before I wept crucified and dead. Peter of Blois, from Sermon 20, On The Day of Resurrection 1 Hosea 13.14 2 Rom 8.11 3 Rom 4.25 4 Ephes 5.14 5 Ps 62.2 6 Apoc 20.6 7 Jn 11.25 8 Ps 117.24 9 Ps 83.3