What is a Catholic Funeral? - Part 1
A Catholic funeral is a funeral using the prayers and rituals of the Catholic Church.
The purposes of a Catholic funeral are:
1) to entrust the soul of the departed to God
2) to pray for the forgiveness of their sins
3) to pray for their entrance into the Kingdom
4) to pray for the living who love the one who has died and ask the Lord
to heal their grief
Often we hear, (many times from non Catholics, but also Catholics), “Funerals are for the living.” No, this is not what Catholics believe. Funerals are for those who have died so that the living can pray for their eternal salvation. Funerals and prayers for the dead keep the love we share with the deceased alive in a spiritual way.
“My loved one is already in heaven.”
No one on this earth can state in truth that a deceased spouse, parent, child, relative or friend is in heaven. Only God knows this. Catholics don’t believe, “Once saved always saved” We can lose our salvation through serious sin. “No one lives and is without sin.” (Rom 3:23) To say “once saved always saved” is not biblical and was not held by any Christians until this false teaching was invented 300 years ago. It is an erroneous doctrine. When a person falls asleep in the Lord, we pray for them. Prayer is the only thing we can offer them after they have died. To not do this is to deny “the communion of saints” as we say in the Nicene Creed. To not do this is to trust in something no human being can know even if they claim it to be true. To not pray for our dead is to deprive them of grace and the mercy of God.
“A funeral is a celebration of life.”
Yes, but only if we are speaking of the life with God in eternity. It is not simply about the memories but it is about “…the life of the world to come”, to quote the Nicene Creed. We have our own Catholic rituals that are part of the faith. We do not need helium balloons, solos/recorded music from secular sources, concerts, pictures of the deceased, children doing a dance for grandma or reading the obituary. These are never part of a Catholic funeral Mass. Stories and eulogies can be shared at the wake, funeral dinner or at the graveside.
It happens occasionally when planning their funeral people will say they don’t want a Mass because so many people that come will not be Catholic or their children have left the Faith. People don’t want to impose their beliefs on others. Let’s think about this; if a person was a faithful Catholic in this life and attended Mass on Sundays why would they not want a Mass? The Mass is the re-presentation of the Lord’s sacrifice on Calvary, it is the source and summit of the Church’s life and the most valuable prayer we have. As mentioned above, prayer (especially the Mass), helps those who have died. The Mass is a participation in the work of Christ on the cross and his rising from the dead. Catholics normally have a Mass when they have died. We don’t worry about what others might think or desire regarding a funeral Mass.
“This is Mom’s funeral; we should be able to do what we want.”
No. Yes, the funeral is for the person who died but it is part of the Church’s worship. If a person asks for a Catholic funeral we do what the Church does.
It is good to be clear on these things before a funeral, and then there will be no heartache or arguments when it comes time for a funeral. We are surrounded by non-Catholics here in Oklahoma; they have their own practices and customs for funerals. These reflect the belief and practice of those Christian communities. Some Catholics go to a non-Catholic funeral and see something they “like” and then expect to import it into a Catholic Mass. No. Our funerals Liturgies reflect Catholic beliefs and teachings. The prayers, readings, ritual acts and the Mass itself fully express what Catholics believe about life and death.
