Death for the Christian is a time of fulfillment.
The victory over sin and death which Jesus Christ won for us by His birth, life, sufferings, death, resurrection and ascension is given by the Lord Jesus to the Church, the Body of Christ, to the members of the Church, the Body of Christ. Born into the Church through water and the Spirit in baptism, Christians share in the victory of Christ through their sharing in the sacramental life of the Church.
The hope of resurrection we celebrate at the death of our brothers and sisters mixes painfully with the sorrow of loss and separation. While we miss our loved ones, for us, the living, life must go on. Just as the grief of Good Friday preceded the joy of Easter, so too our lives are a tension between sorrow and joy, incompleteness and fulfillment.
In our funerals, we as Christians gather to celebrate the promise of eternal life God made to us at Baptism, and pray for our loved one for whom those promises are nearing fulfillment. The Church commends her deceased child to God and comforts her grieving children who mourn the loss of their loved one by celebrating the new and eternal sacrifice of Jesus’ Easter Mystery and proclaims her unwavering belief of everlasting life in the Risen Savior through Word, Sacrament and music.
Stages of the Catholic Funeral
The Vigil. At the Vigil the community keeps watch with the family in prayer. The Vigil is led by a priest, deacon or lay person. At the Vigil the scriptures and prayer provide comfort and hope in the face of darkness and death. The rosary or a portion of it may be included in the Vigil Service.
The Funeral Mass is the centerpiece of the Catholic Funeral. In the Mass, the community gathers with the family and friends of the deceased to give praise and thanks to God for Christ’s victory over sin and death, to commend the deceased to God’s tender mercy and compassion, and to seek strength in the proclamation of the paschal mystery – the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Sacrifice of the Mass is offered for the deceased person.
The Committal is the conclusion of the funeral. It is led by a priest, deacon or lay person. It is celebrated beside the grave, crypt of niche. In committing the body or cremated remains to its resting place the community proclaims its hope that the deceased awaits the glory of the resurrection of the body. Preferably a Catholic is buried or placed in a mausoleum in a Catholic cemetery.
