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Dear Friends:
Last week, I
talked a little about the guidelines of the Church
concerning funerals. I will
now continue to discuss that topic by speaking about the
place of a eulogy in the funeral
liturgy. The Church clearly teaches us that a eulogy
does not belong to the funeral
Mass, but it is better given at the wake, at the grave,
or at the gathering following
a funeral.
A homily is
to be given by a bishop, priest, or deacon at the usual
time. The homily is a time for the priest or deacon
to reflect on the scriptures that have been chosen for
the funeral Mass. This would include reflecting on
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by which He
won for us the gift of eternal life. The scriptures
offer us a great deal of
comfort and strength in our time of sadness by reminding
us of the hope that God holds
out to us of everlasting life with Him.
After
Communion, our thoughts should always be centered in
Christ and His gift of Himself to us in this most
holy Sacrament. This is not the time to talk about the
life of any human being. The funeral Mass, as any
Mass, is a celebration of
the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Mass is about Jesus
Christ and Jesus Christ alone.
The funeral
Mass is a time for us to present the dead to Christ and
commend them to almighty God for a merciful
judgment. It is a time for us to pray that the sins of
our loved ones may be forgiven so that they can share
totally in God’s life and love.
There are
many things family members may do at a funeral Mass
besides giving a eulogy. A family member may
proclaim the first and second reading, as long as they
are able to do so effectively and with the reverence
that should always be accorded the Word of God. The
death of a loved one is a difficult time for many
people so we should make sure that anyone who is asked
to be a lector at a funeral should be able to maintain
their composure while performing the ministry of lector.
The family
members may also place the pall over the casket at the
beginning of the funeral. They may also bring
forward the gifts of bread and wine. Again, this should
be done by members of the family who are also able
to receive our Lord in the Eucharist. I ask that you
please keep these guidelines in mind as you plan your
own funeral or the funeral of a loved one.
I am sure
that we are all happy that the election is over and we
don’t have to listen to the rhetoric and campaign
ads. We have a new President and we must pray to God
that Senator Obama will be a good President
for all of us. Let us pray that God will guide our
President-elect and that he will be open to the light
of the Holy Spirit so that he may carry out the will of
God in all that he does. May God touch his heart with
humility and courage to be faithful to God and the
founding principles of our great country. May our
new President uphold and
defend the rights of all people to life, liberty, and
the pursuit of happiness.
Due to these
difficult times in our economy we have more people than
ever coming to ask for help with expenses
and for food. I have decided to give the 5% of our
collection to our St. Vincent de Paul Society three
times a month instead of two. The remaining Sundays and
any 5th Sunday we will continue to give to local
charities. Even though we are all experiencing troubling
economic times, including the parish, we must still
not forget the poor and hungry. Thank you for your
continued generosity to our parish so that we can
continue the good work of
spreading the Gospel. May God bless you and your loved
ones for such generosity.
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