Does the Catholic Church explain why Jesus only appeared in short apparitions to his followers post-resurrection? The Gospels give the account of ten apparitions of Jesus, which he allowed his followers after the resurrection. The longest time he spent with them was perhaps during the co-journey to Emmaus, that too, in disguise. Given that he spent forty  days on earth between his resurrection and ascension, also given that he had 'descended into hell and preached' between the time of his death and resurrection, one is eager to know why Jesus did not spend much time with his disciples during the forty days prior to ascension. 

My question, therefore, is: How does the Catholic Church explain the absence of longer periods of Jesus's stay with  his followers post-resurrection?
This is an argument from absence - Paul records a scene not recorded in the Gospels:


  1 Co 15:6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one
  time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.


John also explains the reason why not everything was recorded.


  John 20:30 NKJV - And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence
  of His disciples, which are not written in this book;


It's also not just the Catholic Church - all who profess to be followers of Christ, believe as Paul records in 1 Co 15:


  1 Corinthians 15:1-11 NKJV - Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the
  gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which
  you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word
  which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered
  to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for
  our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that
  He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He
  was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over
  five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the
  present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James,
  then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also, as
  by one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, who
  am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church
  of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward
  me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet
  not I, but the grace of God [which was] with me. Therefore, whether
  [it was] I or they, so we preach and so you believed.


This is central to faith - as I said in the thread on creationism. Faith is hope in the unseen. (Heb 11:1) if we could see, we'd be held to a greater judgment, and Jesus says this to Thomas, when Thomas declared that Jesus is God;


  John 20:27-29 NKJV - Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here,
  and look at My hands; and reach your hand [here], and put [it] into My
  side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and
  said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because
  you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed [are] those who have not
  seen and [yet] have believed."


Those who have not seen yet do believe, are blessed.