est son earns a
large salary, the second son enough to support himself, and the youngest
very little. They give their earnings to their mother, who from the
combined amounts provides for the wants of all and draws from the large
salary of the eldest to supply the needs of the youngest. Thus he who
has too little for his support is--through his mother--aided by the one
who has more than he needs. Now, the Church is our mother, and some of
her children--the great saints--were rich in good works and did more
than was necessary to gain Heaven, while others did not do enough. Then
our mother, the Church, draws from the abundant satisfaction of her rich
children to help those who are poor in merit and good works. The
greatest treasure she has to draw from for that purpose is the more than
abundant merits of Our Lord and the superabundant satisfaction of the
Blessed Virgin and the greatest saints. Our Lord could have redeemed us
all by the least suffering, and yet He suffered dreadful torments, and
even shed His blood and died for us. The Blessed Virgin never sinned,
yet she performed many good works and offered many prayers. Therefore
"communion of saints" means, also, that we all share in the merits of
Christ and in the superabundant satisfaction of the Blessed Virgin and
of the saints; also in the prayers and good works of the Church and of
her faithful and pious children.

"The forgiveness of sins," i.e., by the Sacrament of Penance, through
the power that God gave His priests; also by Baptism.

"The resurrection of the body," i.e., on the last day (Matt. 24:29; Luke
21:25). When on the last day, at the general judgment, God's angel
sounds the great trumpet, all the dead will arise again and come to
judgment, in the same bodies they had while living. But you will say: If
their bodies are reduced to ashes and mixed with the earth, or if parts
of them are in one place and parts in another, how is this possible?
Very easily, with God. If He in the beginning could make all the parts
out of nothing, with how much ease can He collect them scattered here
and there! When God made man He gave him a body and a soul, and wished
them never to be separated. Man was to live here upon earth for a time,
and then be taken up into Heaven, body and soul, as Our Lord is there
now. But when man sinned, in punishment God commanded that he should
die; i.e., that these two dear friends, the body and the soul, should be
separated for a time. Deat