And yet, like the Transfiguration itself, the Resurrection appearances had also a definite purpose and were of limited duration.  Our Blessed Lord appeared to the Apostles for the relatively brief period of 40 days between Easter and Ascension Day, and then only to convince them that he was in very truth raised from the dead so that they themselves might be able to convince others.

As a result of the appearances they knew that Jesus had been raised, body and soul, from this natural level of existence to that supernatural world of God where he would always be present with them.  And so they were able to go out and face the unknown future secure in the assurance of his final promise, “…I am with you always, to the end of the age” (NRSV, Matthew 28:20).

There now awaited them much persecution as Jesus had forewarned them, “In the world you face persecution” (NRSV, John 16:33) and they faced it with a glad boldness because they knew that he himself had overcome all that the world could do and had triumphed conclusively over evil and death itself.