Dear Folks,

Because November is a month where we make an extra effort to pray for our loved ones who have passed away, and for all the souls in purgatory, the topic of has come up about the purpose of funerals. What does the Church propose as the real purpose for our rituals?

First: Bury the Dead. Yes, it is obvious, but the the purpose of a funeral perspective is to give sacred context and meaning to the most basic of works of mercy: burying the dead. It is an event filled with pain and grief, but with expectant hope in the resurrection. In the words of Psalm 126, “Those who sow in tears will reap with cries of joy.” We sow the mortal remains of our loved ones and await the harvest of the resurrection when the Lord will gather His loved ones to Him in body and soul.

Second: Praying for the Dead. Listen to the prayers of the funeral liturgy. They are all directed to this purpose.
If we fail to pray for the soul of the faithful departed, then we have failed as badly as if we don’t accomplish the first purpose. It is a sin of omission to fail to do for the deceased what we can truly accomplish for them with our prayers. Hence you will never find me claiming to be the Pope and pronouncing someone to be in heaven.

Third: Consoling the living. Yes, a legitimate purpose. But not the only, and not the primary purpose. In fact, in the funeral liturgy, it takes a distant third place in terms of attention given to this explicitly. Our consolation comes from union with Christ, and finding strength in His redemptive mission and message.

This November, as always, in the church we have set up a book for you to write down the names of your deceased friends and family. This book will be here for the entire month of November, so that we can keep before our minds this great work of praying for the souls of the deceased.

Also, this month Micah Ecumenical Ministries hosted a prayer service to pray for the souls of people served by Micah who had passed away this past year. I have added their names to the book in our church, and also share them with you here. Please pray for them.

Melissa Brewster, 45; Charles Bury, 54; Sandra Caldwell, 72; Walter Chinault, 59; Charles Cutchin, 66; Joseph “Joe” Dobbs, 45; Ronald Drain, 49; Alli Sawyer Hamn, 39; John Hayes, 52; Donna Johnson, 64; Elmer “Dean” Kempf, 60; Christian Kinsella, 21; Charles Limbrick, 67; Jeremy Makolandra, 36; Wendy Militello, 48; Anthony “Inky” Monroe, 38; Wayne Payne, 60; Jason Powell, 46; William “Bill” Romans, 67; Gary Sears, 62; Brian Shaw, 66; Phillip Teter, 59; Melinda Rodrock, 44; John Whitbeck, 38

Praying for the dead is one of the most basic acts of charity that we can possibly do. Often when we miss somebody, we grieve for them, and we feel sharply the pain of their loss. But that pain can have a purpose in God’s salvific plan. When we give it back to Jesus, offering it up to Him for the benefit of our loved ones, then it becomes meritorious. It becomes for us a share in Christ’s own sufferings, and hence is able to assist those whom we love by our freely embracing this cross. Jesus said that the greatest act of love is to “lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Indeed we do this when we pray for the repose of the souls of those who have passed away, and for the consolation of those who love them.

Pax,

Father John Mosimann