Homily - 19 November 2023 - On the Christian Funeral

The Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Dear brothers and sisters,

Too many of us think we have not received any particular talent from the Lord to be used for the building up of his kingdom. Too many of us are like that servant whom the master in the parable called “wicked” and “lazy” because he kept the single talent he received to himself (cf. Matthew 25:26). The day of his master’s judgment was not a pleasant one for that man.

When “the day of the Lord” comes for each of us “like a thief in the night” – that is, unexpectedly – what will our own time of judgment from the “Master and Teacher” be like (I Thessalonians 5:2; cf. John 13:13)? It will undoubtedly depend on the manner in which we will have used our talents in this life for the building up of the Body of Christ.

The authority of our Master, Christ Jesus, is founded on love (cf. I John 4:8). Christ the Teacher teaches us the manner we love we are each to have and commands us to imitate his love (cf. John15:13; 13:34). If you think you have no talent to offer to God and to your neighbor, you are very much mistaken; in Baptism, each of us has received the gift of God’s charity, of his love, that was given to us to share.

The Christian knows well that when the Master and Teacher returns, 

…he will wish to see the fruits of his love in us. Charity is the fundamental good that no one can fail to bring to fruition and without which every other good is worthless (cf. I Corinthians 13:3). If Jesus loved us to the point of giving his life for us (cf. I John 3:16), how can we not love God with the whole of ourselves and love one another with real warmth? (cf. I John 4:11). It is only by practicing charity that we too will be able to share in the joy of Our Lord.[1]

Yet the Christian also knows that he fails to love every day in ways both large and small. This is why, at the death of her sons and daughters, “The Church, through its funeral rites commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins.”[2]

While we often think of death as a sort of severance in the relationship with the deceased, the Church knows differently. Indeed,

At the death of a Christian, whose life of faith was begun in the waters of Baptism and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the Church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end nor does it break the bonds forged in life. The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them in the funeral rites with the comforting Word of God and the Sacrament of the Eucharist.[3]

The Church prays for the dead and entrusts them into the mercy of God because, having been joined together in the Body of Christ, we always belong to with those who have been baptized into Christ Jesus.

The Church’s funeral rites take place in what we might call three separate stages: the vigil, the funeral, and the committal. Each of these separate rites is important and, all things being equal, should not be neglected.

Although colloquially usually called the visitation, the vigil is so called because it is supposed to take place not immediately before the funeral, but the evening before. It is becoming more common for the family to choose to have the vigil just before the funeral because it takes less time for them. This may be an important consideration in rare circumstances, but doing so takes away the opportunity for those who cannot attend the funeral to show their sympathy and love to the family who is grieving.

Even if the friends of the deceased have all already dead, the family still has friends who wish to show their love for them. The vigil is a very important moment for the parish and friends of the deceased and the family to show “concern and support for the mourners.”[4] We would do well to provide those who wish to show their love for the deceased and the family as much time as possible to do so; let us not take it away from them.

The funeral is never intended to be what is now frequently called a “celebration of life.” Rather, whether it is within the context of the Holy Mass or outside of it, 

At the funeral liturgy the community gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death, to commend the deceased to God’s tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength in the proclamation of the Paschal Mystery.[5]

The Sacraments are never primarily about the one who receives them, but about Jesus Christ and his great love for us; even the funeral liturgy is not so much about the deceased as it is about the love of the one who desires to say to his sons and daughters, “Come, share your master’s joy” (Matthew 25:21).

Because the Church’s concern is always with the love of her Lord, “there is never to be a eulogy” in any of the funeral rites.[6] The word eulogy literally means “good word,” and refers to words of praise spoken of another. In the Church’s liturgy, the one to praised is God himself.

The third stage of the funeral liturgy is the committal, “the final act of the community of faith in caring for the body of its deceased member. It may be celebrated at the grave, tomb, or crematorium and may be used for burial at sea.”[7] In the act of committing the mortal remains of the deceased to the elements and of again entrusting the deceased to the mercy of God, the Church expresses “the communion that exists between the Church on earth and the Church in heaven: the deceased passes with the farewell prayers of the community of believers into the welcoming company of those who need faith no longer but see God face to face.”[8]

In her funeral rites the Church prays again and again that the love of the deceased will be purified and brought to perfection in Christ so the deceased may hear those longed-for words: “Well done, my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). As prayer for those who have died, let us never cease to strive to live in such a way that our love will always be a reflection of Jesus’ own love for us. Amen.

---

[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, 13 November 2011.

[2] General Introduction, Order of Christian Funerals, 6.

[3] Ibid., 4.

[4] Order of Christian Funerals, 64.

[5] Ibid., 129.

[6] Ibid., 27.

[7] Ibid., 204.

[8] Ibid., 206.

Holy See: The ashes of the faithful departed MUST be buried or entombed

The Holy See released today the Instruction Ad resurgendum cum Christo "regarding the burial of the deceased and the conservation of the ashes in the case of cremation." The instruction is issued "with the intention of underlining the doctrinal and pastoral reasons for the preference of the burial of the remains of the faithful and to set out norms pertaining to the conservation of ashes in the case of cremation" (1). Before we take a look at the provisions of the document, we should first consider what an instruction is.

The Code of Canon Law states that instructions "set out the provisions of a law and develop the manner in which it is to be put into effect" (canon 34 § 1). To put it perhaps more simply, an instruction tells us how to carry out a law already in force. Ad resurgendum cum Christo seek to clarify how Catholics are to honor the remains of the faithful departed.

From the earliest days of the Church, Christians have buried their dead. This is one of the things that set them apart from the pagans who normally cremated their dead. Ad resurgendum cum Christo explains why burial is preferable for Christians:

In memory of the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord, the mystery that illumines the Christian meaning of death, burial is above all the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body.

The Church who, as Mother, has accompanied the Christian during his earthly pilgrimage, offers to the Father, in Christ, the child of her grace, and she commits to the earth, in hope, the seed of the body that will rise in glory.

By burying the bodies of the faithful, the Church confirms her faith in the resurrection of the body, and intends to show the great dignity of the human body as an integral part of the human person whose body forms part of their identity. She cannot, therefore, condone attitudes or permit rites that involve erroneous ideas about death, such as considering death as the definitive annihilation of the person, or the moment of fusion with Mother Nature or the universe, or as a stage in the cycle of regeneration, or as the definitive liberation from the “prison” of the body.

Furthermore, burial in a cemetery or another sacred place adequately corresponds to the piety and respect owed to the bodies of the faithful departed who through Baptism have become temples of the Holy Spirit and in which “as instruments and vessels the Spirit has carried out so many good works [St. Augustine, De cura pro mortuis gerenda, 3, 5: CSEL 41, 627]" (3).

Moreover, Christians bury their dead in cemeteries to encourage prayers for the dead, to foster devotion to the saints and martyrs, and because "Christian tradition has upheld the relationship between the living and the dead and has opposed any tendency to minimize, or relegate to the purely private sphere, the event of death and the meaning it has for Christians" (3).

While the Church prefers and encourages the burial of the body, she "raises no doctrinal objections" to the practice of cremation provided that it "is chosen because of sanitary, economic or social considerations" and if cremation does not "violate the explicitly-stated or the reasonably inferable wishes of the deceased faithful" (4).

It should be noted and remembered that while the Church allows cremation, she "continues to prefer the practice of burying the bodies of the deceased, because this shows a greater esteem towards the deceased" (4).

When cremation is chosen, "the ashes of the faithful must be laid to rest in a sacred place, that is, in a cemetery or, in certain cases, in a church or an area, which has been set aside for this purpose, and so dedicated by the competent ecclesial authority" (5, emphasis mine). The Church insists on this because "it prevents the faithful departed from being forgotten, or their remains from being shown a lack of respect" and because "it prevents any unfitting or superstitious practices" (5).

The instruction explicitly states that "the conservation of the ashes of the departed in a domestic residence is not permitted" and that "the ashes may not be divided among various family members" (6). Moreover, "it is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewelry or other objects" in order that "every appearance of pantheism, naturalism or nihilism be avoided" (7).

Lest there be any question as to the authority on this instruction, it is noted that "the Sovereign Pontiff Francis, in the Audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect on 18 March 2016, approved the present Instruction, adopted in the Ordinary Session of this Congregation on 2 March 2016, and ordered its publication." The instruction was published "from the Offices of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 15 August 2016, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Why the text is only now being made available to us is not explained.

As we approach the month of November when we remember our beloved dead in a particular way, please be sure to read the full text of Ad resurgendum in Christo (it is not very long).

Though it may useful, precisely why this instruction is needed is unclear to me. The General Introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals says, "for the final disposition of the body, it is the ancient Christian custom to bury or entomb the bodies of the dead" (19). That seems clear enough. The same paragraph also says, "cremation is permitted, unless it is evident that cremation was chosen for anti-Christian motives."

Moreover, the Introduction to Appendix 2 of the Order of Christian Funerals for rites involving the ashes of the faithful departed is clear to say that "the cremated remains of a body should be treated with the same respect given to the human body from which they come" (417). The Introduction goes even further:

The cremated remains should be buried in a grave or entombed in a mausoleum or columbarium. The practice of scattering cremated remains on the sea, from the air, or on the ground, or keeping the cremated remains in the home of a relative or friend of the deceased are not the reverent disposition the Church requires (417).

Because Catholics routinely ignored and violation these directions, the Holy See felt the need to repeat more clearly and to explain why the Church requires what she does. 

That said, might I suggest another instruction should be written, namely one on the use of eulogies at funeral Masses.

The Introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals states quite clearly:

A brief homily based on the readings is always given after the gospel reading at the funeral liturgy and may also be given after the readings at the vigil service; but there is never to be a eulogy (27, emphasis mine).

Regrettably, this is also routinely ignored and violated, which can deprive the departed of needed prayers. I hope such an instruction will be forthcoming.

A green - and appalling - way to dispose of the dead

The BBC reports on a new process of dealing with bodies of the deceased that is more eco-friendly than cremation: resomation.
Here's how the new process works, with my emphases:

The system works by submerging the body in a solution of water and potassium hydroxide which is pressurised to 10 atmospheres and heated to 180C for between two-and-a-half and three hours.

Body tissue is dissolved and the liquid poured into the municipal water system. Mr Sullivan, a biochemist by training, says tests have proven the effluent is sterile and contains no DNA, and poses no environmental risk.

The bones are then removed from the unit and processed in a "cremulator", the same machine that is used to crush bone fragments following cremation into ash. Metals including mercury and artificial joints and implants are safely recovered.

Is anyone else disgusted by this?  This demonstrates that little concern society today gives to the dead.  What happened to the time when the bodies of the deceased were honored and treated as temples of the Holy Spirit?

Read more if you can stomach it.

Thinking on death, and cremation

Yesterday the priests of the Springfield Deanery - in which I now reside - gathered for lunch and discussions regarding Catholic funerals and the rise of secular values within them and which are often encountered in the mourners who have lost a sense of the dignity of death and of the deceased.

Our conversations were very good and I enjoyed the time together.  As we talked about these concerns it became clear that we will need to continue our discussions together before we can begin to address them with our people.

What was surprising to me is the rise in the popularity of cremation.  In my six years as a priest, I think I have only encountered it two or three times, and for that I am grateful.

Since I have been awake since 3:00 a.m. (I went to be bed a little before 9:00 p.m. as I continue to suffer with jet lag) I have been trying to catch up on my blog reading.  I was pleasantly surprised to find a post from Father John Boyle on cremation.

Father Boyle reminds us that while the Church permits cremation (Catechism 2301), she "earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the deceased be observed" (canon 1176 § 3).

Given this strong recommendation, Father Boyle asks:

Given this grudging permission ("does not prohibit") how is it that cremation has become so common amongst Catholics? It has always seemed to me unworthy of the dignity of the body of a baptised person - being a Temple of God - to consign it to the flames of a cremator. As Christ himself descended into the tomb after His death in anticipation of His Resurrection, so burial is a more perfect imitation of Christ the Lord as our bodies rest in the tomb awaiting the resurrection of the dead at the Last Day.

I agree with him, and think if more people knew what really happens in cremation they would not opt for it (for example, after the cremation bones remain which are then pulverized into fine particles).

Funeral etiquette

Over the past three weeks I have had eight funerals within my three parishes. Though some of these funerals have been "normal," there were many abnormalities with most of them.

This put my mind at work to compile the following items to consider were preparing for - and participating in - the Church's funeral liturgies.

1. Call the priest. Please, when a loved one dies, call the priest. It sometimes happens that a family will wait more than 24 hours to call the priest. After such time, there isn't much that we can do. It is best to call the priest when your loved one is still conscious so he can hear their confession and give them the apostolic pardon. There are also prayers the priest can pray after someone has died. Don't worry about "bothering Father;" he is there to be bothered in times such as this.
2. Be flexible. You may not always be able to have everything you desire for your loved one's funeral. It may be that the church itself is not available when you want, or that Father has other commitments he simply has to keep at certain times. In short, do not set your plans before talking with a priest. Generally we are happy to work with you and will do what we can to schedule things as seems best for the family; but sometimes we simply cannot reasonably reschedule an event already set with 200 people.
3. Don't chew gum. This is simply tacky and disrespectful. If you're nervous, hold your rosary beads.
4. Don't talk; pray. When sitting in the front row during the prayer service for your loved one - or anywhere else, for that matter - do not talk with your neighbor throughout the prayer service. It might be a better use of your time to actually pray for the one you love. If you do not want to be there to pray, go get a cup of coffee and the prayer service will have concluded by the time you return.
5. Enter silently. When you arrive late for the prayer service - as sometimes happens and cannot be avoided - enter the funeral home quietly and take your seat quietly, without drawing attention to yourself or greeting everyone you know in the middle of an important prayer.
6. Turn off the cell phone. By now this simply ought to be obvious. If you must keep your cell phone on (maybe someone is lost on their way to the funeral home), use some sense and stay at the back of the room (with your phone on silent mode). When your phone vibrates, step outside and then answer your telephone, even if it is rainy or windy; do not answer your phone in the funeral home in the middle of a prayer service.
7. Be sensible. When you hear a cell phone ring during the prayer service and you know it isn't yours but you also know that yours is not on silent mode, have some sense and silence it then and there to save yourself embarrassment later. If your phone does ring and it isn't on silent mode, have some sense and don't let it continue ringing thinking nobody will know it is your phone; everyone knows it is your phone and wishes you'd stop the ringing already.
8. Think of others. I know you don't see your family and friends perhaps as often as you would like, but the "receiving line" at a visitation is not the time to "catch up." There are a great many people who would also like to express their sympathies to the family and don't need to stand behind you as you converse for twenty minutes with each member of the immediate family. If you need to catch up with them, pick up your pen and write them a letter, send them an e-mail or give them a call after the funeral. Each of these latter efforts will certainly be more appreciated and sincere.
9. Pay attention. If several priests are present at the prayer service, do not thank a priest for his beautiful words if it was not he who spoke the words. This way a priest will not feel under-appreciated and you won't be embarrassed.

I know that some of these may seem harsh or cold, but there does come a time when these things need to said, and certainly the funeral itself is not the time.

A funeral homily

Tomorrow I will celebrate a funeral Mass for a parishioner and thought some of you might want to read the homily I will preach. The readings are Wisdom 3:1-6, 9; Romans 5:5-11; and John 12:23-28.

My dear friends in Christ, may the Lord give you peace.

It is with sorrow and grief that today we gather with the mortal remains of N. to entrust her now to the “grace and mercy” of the Lord Most High (Wisdom 3:9). We gather also to support one another and to encourage each other with the assurances of faith in the resurrection of Christ the Lord and in the power of his love.

To you, N.’s family and friends, I extend my loving prayers and sympathy, and those of Msgr. Enlow and of the entire parish. We pray and mourn with you during this time of death and sorrow. May the presence of Christ and of his Church buoy you up and give you comfort and peace.

Today Jesus says, “unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit” (John 12:24). In this agrarian image, the Lord gives us a powerful example of humility and service. If our lives are to bear fruit, if we are to be faithful followers of the Lord, we must dedicate ourselves to the service of God and neighbor, placing the needs of others even before our own.

Saint Paul has come to a profound realization of this fact of Christian life and is able to say to us, “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether alive or dead, we are the Lord’s” (Romans 14:7-8).

In the waters of Baptism each of us becomes the Lord’s own special possession, being united with him in his suffering, death and resurrection. The sacred minister traces the sign of the Cross on our forehead and as the water flows over us Christ places his own seal on our soul, a mark that cannot be washed away or removed. He claims us for himself and calls us to follow him by taking up our Cross and by loving God and neighbor.

The hope of the Christian faith, first given and received in Baptism, “does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). This hope is to shape and direct every aspect of our lives as disciples of Christ Jesus.

Such a life involves great sacrifice and requires that we daily cooperate with the grace Christ extends to us. To do so we must be united with the Lord in prayer. In this way, we shall come to know that,

Chastised a little they shall be greatly blessed, because God tried them and found them worthy of himself. As gold in the furnace, he proved them, and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself. In the time of their visitation they shall shine, and shall dart about as sparks through stubble (Wisdom 3:5-7).

Cooperating with this grace and following faithfully after him, our souls shine like the stars of heaven and we grow in holiness; we grow in the image and likeness of God in which we have been created and we share in his glory.

Yet we know that the Christian life is not easy. It is a great challenge to place the needs of others before our own. We do not always understand God’s will and it becomes difficult to choose to trust that he knows what he is doing. In such times we would do well to look to the Cross of Christ where the Son of Man is glorified and we see the will of God made manifest.

Gazing in wonder upon the Crucified Lord we see the Good Shepherd who laid done his life for his sheep. He extends his arms on the Cross to embrace us and he bends his head low to receive us with the kiss of reconciliation. Sparing nothing for our salvation, he gave his own life so that we might live.

Through the strength and power of his love he has forever destroyed the power of sin and death for all who trust in his mercy and love. When we look upon the pierced side of Christ, we learn most clearly that “the souls of the just are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them” because nothing can keep us from the love of Christ Jesus (Wisdom 3:1).

It is, then, with confidence in the grace and mercy of Christ, that we lovingly entrust Frances to him, to the one who died for us, who said, “Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me” (John 12:26).

Let us pray to the Father of Mercies, Lord of the living and the dead, to welcome N. into the everlasting life of heaven. May he embrace her tenderly.

"May choirs of angels welcome you,” N., “and lead you to the bosom of Abraham; and where Lazarus is poor no longer may your find eternal rest.” Amen.

Funeral Homily

There seemed to be some interest in my posting the funeral homily I preached yesterday and so I will post the homily, though without the name of the deceased.

The readings for the funeral were Isaiah 25:6a, 7-9; I Corinthians 15:51-57; and Matthew 5:1-12a.

So very often in his earthly ministry, Jesus went up the side of a mountain - as he does in today’s Gospel - to teach his disciples. He still sits as a teacher today and teaches us from the mountainside about death and about life.

It is here on this mountain at which we have gathered - here at this sanctuary of the Lord - that “the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples. On this mountain he will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations; he will destroy death forever,” (Isaiah 25:6-8).

Like so many of his followers before, we have gathered here at this mountain with confused emotions and mixed feelings. There is something about Jesus that continually draws us toward him; there is something different about him, about the words he speaks, he teaches with authority and by loving example, and so we know his words to be true. We have seen his power and we have experienced his love. For this reason we follow him and in our grief we come here to this mountain that he might teach us, that he might comfort us, that he might give us peace.

Jesus sets before us the characteristics of one who seeks to follow after him and share in his glory. All who follow Christ are called to conform their lives to his. It was Jesus who became poor for us; it was Jesus who mourned for Jerusalem; it was Jesus who showed us the beauty of being meek; it was Jesus who spent countless days fasting for us; it was Jesus who brought the infinite riches of the mercy and love of the Father for us through his death on the cross. He calls us to follow him in all things and, having done so, we “will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

His children are born from the waters that flow from the pierced side of Christ. Entering into the sacred waters, all who are baptized die with Christ and rise from the waters in newness of life, receiving the promise of the resurrection of the body on the last day.

As N. was baptized into his death and resurrection, so we sprinkled his body with holy water to call to mind the promise of eternal life he received from the Lord.

At our baptism we were clothed with Christ and received the pure and spotless garment as new creations cleansed of our sins. We return to N. this morning his baptismal garment to present to the Lord when he meets him face to face.

It is right that we come here to the Lord and that we bring N. with us. We, in our love and in our grief, present him to the Lord and ask him to again show his mercy and love to N. that he may share in the eternal banquet of the Lord. At the same time, we beg the Lord to give us comfort and strength in this time of sorrow and to increase our faith and hope in the resurrection of the dead.

As we mourn the death of N., let us take consolation in the words of the prophet Isaiah: On this mountain, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces; the reproach of his people he will remove from the whole earth; for the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:8).

Here on this mountain, here on this altar, the Lord Christ will again come to us. The Lord will come to us in the Eucharist and will say to us, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). Receiving his Body and Blood we will share in the foretaste of the heavenly banquet.

Here on this mountain, in the Holy Eucharist, we hear the words as if trumpeted from heaven: “Behold our God, to whom we looked to save us! This is the Lord for whom we looked; let us rejoice and be glad that he has saved us!” (Isaiah 25:9). He has indeed saved us and he will come to us.

As we gaze upon our Lord in the Eucharist and receive his Body and Blood we call to mind not only his own words but also the words of St. Paul who said, “For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (I Corinthians 15:52).

Because of Christ’s triumphant victory over sin and death on the cross, we can mock death with Paul, “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting” (I Corinthians 15:55)? For those who share in the death and resurrection of Christ, death has no more power. Death is not the end, but is rather only the beginning to life with God for those who have been changed into Christ. One day we all shall be raised from the dead and, if we have lived a life worthy of him, we shall live with the Lord forever.

At the end of our earthly lives, what matters is our fidelity to Christ, the way in which we loved God and neighbor. Everything else passes away. In the face of death life acquires a new meaning, a new purpose.

At the end of life, death deprives us of all that is earthly, but not of that Grace and sacramental “character” by virtue of which we are indissolubly associated with Our Lord and Savior’s Paschal Mystery. Emptied of all but clothed in Christ: thus do the baptized cross the threshold of death and are presented to the just and merciful God.[1]

Thus do we present N. to the Lord today as we ask him to open wide the gates of Paradise to his servant.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul, and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, 4 November 2006.