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Cremation
is permissible, but ...
PRAISED BE JESUS
CHRIST!
(Now and Forever)
Funerals
may seem a strange topic for the Easter season. The focus of Easter is
on resurrection, not death. At the same time, Easter and the Easter
season urges us to reflect on our baptismal promises, what we truly
believe, and how that belief impacts our actions. Of all people, the
followers of the Risen Christ should have a profound concern for the
dignity of human life. Unfortunately, as respect for human life has
eroded, there has been a growing lack of respect for the dead.
The Book of
Genesis tells us that God made the human person in his own image and
likeness. The Church teaches that each person is unique and
unrepeatable, and every person must be respected because of his or her
human dignity as a child of God. This is true in life and also in death.
As human life
ebbs out of a dying body, we, as Catholics, believe that the person’s
soul continues to live. We pray that God will bring the souls of our
beloved dead to the eternal happiness of heaven. We acknowledge that
those who die with lesser sins on their souls or otherwise are
imperfectly purified, require the cleansing of purgatory. We believe
that their souls can benefit from the prayers of the faithful on earth.
In the Second Book of Maccabees in the Old Testament, we read that “it
is a holy and pious thought to pray for the dead.” We therefore pray for
the deceased, asking God to bring them quickly into his presence.
The worse
thing that can happen is for a person to die in unrepentant mortal sin.
Should that happen, by one’s own free choice, it means being separated
from God forever.
The supreme
goal of life is eternal salvation. If we lose our soul, all is lost. It
is of extreme importance to live and die in God’s grace and friendship
so that we can be perfectly purified and live forever with him and the
saints in heaven. It is the souls of the just who will experience the
resurrection of Jesus and the joy he brings. Belief in life after death
and resurrection is what we celebrate during the Easter season. It is a
teaching of both Scripture and tradition, going back 2,000 years and
reaffirmed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
If we
regularly ask God’s forgiveness for our sins and failings and seek to
live with respect for our brothers and sisters, we know we need not fear
our death and what lies beyond. We do our best to live in God’s
friendship. We seek to live always in the state of sanctifying grace and
we pray for the grace of final perseverance, thereby enabling us to live
as we believe God wants us to live and die in his love.
As Catholics,
we are instructed to pray for the grace of a happy death fortified by
the sacrament of the anointing of the sick, absolution from our sins,
and holy Communion (Viaticum). We pray for all who have died that they
might have eternal life.
These
teachings have profound implications in our time of materialistic values
and weak faith. If human life is of little value, then the bodies of the
deceased have little value as well. Since human life is sacred and to be
treated with dignity, then after death, the human remains must be
afforded respect and dignity as well.
All too often
people say, “Funerals are for the living, not the dead.” For Catholics,
such a statement is woefully incomplete. Rather, a Catholic funeral
affords an opportunity to praise and thank God for the love and mercy he
has shown the deceased person. Funerals are a time to pray for the
repose of the soul of the departed, and to offer consolation to family
and friends. The Scripture readings remind those present of the promise
of eternal life to those who are faithful and believe. The celebration
of the Eucharist is at the heart of the funeral.
The funeral
Mass, which concludes with the promise of hope in Jesus Christ and
belief in the resurrection of the dead, is appropriately followed by
proper Christian burial. The long-standing practice of reverently
burying the body of the deceased in a grave or placing it in a
mausoleum, in imitation of the burial of Jesus Christ’s body, continues
to be encouraged by the Church. Burial of the body is the preferred way
of honoring the dead. Today, however, cremation has become common. Once
not permitted for Catholics, cremation is now allowed, provided that the
remains are reverently buried or placed in a mausoleum.
The practice
of cremation is being chosen by a significant number of families for a
variety of reasons, including economy and practicality. For those who
choose it, the recommendation is that cremation take place after the
funeral liturgy so that the body can be present for the full course of
funeral rites. This can be done in a manner that does not require
excessive costs.
At the same
time, the Church recently approved allowing the cremated remains to be
brought into the church to be present for the vigil, the funeral and the
rite of committal, and has prepared appropriate prayer texts to be used
in these instances.
When a
funeral Mass is said with the body present, the coffin is covered with a
pall. When cremated remains are present, the instructions for the
liturgy indicate that the remains are to be contained in a “worthy
vessel” and put on the table or stand in the place normally occupied by
the coffin. The vessel is not to be covered with a pall. The vessel
containing the cremated remains may be carried to its place in the
entrance procession or may be placed on the table or stand sometime
before the liturgy begins. The Easter candle may be situated alongside
the cremated remains, as it would be alongside the body.
The
popularity of cremation has led to practices that militate against the
respect proper to the deceased. For example, the practice of scattering
cremated remains or keeping them at home is not the reverent disposition
that the Church requires. Lest there be doubt, it is important to make
clear that the improper disposition and scattering of the ashes is
contrary to Church teaching.
As men and
women of faith, it is important that we reflect upon the mystery of
death and the honor that we give to our deceased loved ones. The Easter
season calls us to ponder the word of Jesus: “I am the resurrection and
the life, whoever believes in me though he should die will come to life,
and whoever is alive and believes in me will never die” (John 11:26).
When Jesus died, he was buried. We should be as well.
Here is the
point: If cremation is chosen, it should take place after the funeral
liturgy and the remains should be reverently interred in a cemetery or
placed in a mausoleum. While cremation is permitted prior to the funeral
liturgy, it is not the preferred way of honoring the dead. |
