Preserving the Sacred Character of the Catholic Funeral

Dear Friend, 

The Catholic Church changed its position on cremation in the ’80s, but has allowing cremation been for the better? This is one of the numerous questions that Thomas McKenna explores with our panelists Fr. John Trigillio and Karl Keating in this interview about the sacred character of the Catholic funeral. 

The essence of the Catholic burial rite is our belief in the bodily Resurrection of Christ, which is why Catholics uphold the dignity of the human body, from the moment of conception to natural death – and even beyond. If our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, as St. Paul teaches (1 Cor 6:19), then our mortal remains also deserve respect while we await the resurrection of the body. 

Modern Catholic funeral practices often lose sight of this because they are influenced by the pagan attitudes of our culture and are easily watered down by many factors: 

• A negative view of the human body as something that needs to be discarded rather than with a dignity all its own;
• Sloppy habits of eulogizing and canonizing the deceased rather than praying for their souls in Purgatory;
• Skipping the funeral liturgy altogether for financial purposes or carelessness; 
• Scattering or sprinkling ashes (forbidden by the Church) rather than burying them in a dignified manner.

Often under appreciated is the act of immense charity that takes place at a church funeral where we pray for the repose of the souls of our loved ones. Not only do individual families benefit from having church funerals, but the church community itself performs a corporal and spiritual work of mercy by praying for the dead and offering the consolation of a Catholic funeral. In the hurriedness of today's world, it is easy to lose track of what is important in life, so we need to be careful to against complacency in caring for one another.

Make sure you take a few moments to listen to our two panelists as they discuss our great need for the Catholic funeral and the importance of preserving its sacred character. 

Your friend in Christ,

Thomas McKenna

Founder and President

Catholic Action For Faith And Family
http://www.catholicaction.org/

P.S To watch the previous videos from the Interview Series with Thomas McKenna, please click here.

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