Catholic Funerals
By Deacon Jim

One of the most humbling and sacred ministries we perform as clergy is accompanying people in their final illnesses, many times through their death, and then comforting and ministering to their families and friends during the funeral rites of the Church. I personally feel blessed to be with them during this time but also am grateful that the Church has provided us with such a rich and hope-filled rite to assist us in this act of comfort and commendation. The time of a funeral is certainly difficult and sad for any family, but it is through the treasure of the Funeral Liturgy that those who are left to mourn can be comforted as their loved one is commended to God.

The Church provides this comfort because every funeral Mass is a Mass of Resurrection. This is because Christ Himself has overcome death through His Resurrection. We pray with the family and friends during the vigil or wake, we stand together with Jesus at the funeral Mass who has His arm around us ready to comfort us and finally we commit their body to the grave, tomb, or crematorium, giving their earthly body back to God, but always keeping their memory alive in our minds and hearts. So the funeral rites are not only for the one who has died but also for the living. This is why it is essential that when a Catholic dies that the funeral rites should be celebrated.

The life of faith for every Christian begins at Baptism and is nourished for Catholics around the table of the Eucharist. It is during the Funeral Liturgy that we pray for the person who has died, whose life of faith has ended and pray that Christ is ready to welcome them, even though they might be gone from our sight. But we pray for ourselves too and for all who mourn, that Christ will one day welcome us as well into His presence. This coming together as community provides a source of strength. While the wake can provide time to share memories about the person who has died, coming together in church to pray together allows us to remember that our loved one has gone to God. We ask God as a community to now care for the soul of our loved one and to ease the grief we feel.

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