Funeral Rites

Summary

1 Death is Part of Life

2 Celebrating at the Time of Death: A Tradition of the Church

2.1 Funeral Rites of the Latin Church

2.2 Considerations Regarding the 1969 Funeral Rite

3 To Better Celebrate at the Time of Death: Pastoral Suggestions

References

1 Death is Part of Life           

Francis of Assisi concludes the famous “Canticle of the Creatures” by praising “sister death”: “Praised be You, my Lord, through our Sister Bodily Death, from whom no one living can escape. […] Blessed are those whom she will find in Your most holy will, for the second death shall do them no harm.” The saint of Assisi was consistent with this unusual reason for praise. His biographers report that, at the extreme moment of his life, he intoned Psalm 141, together with the brothers who surrounded him. Indeed, the moment of St. Francis’s death was so expressive that, to this day, the Franciscan family gathers every year on the eve of his feast, at night, to celebrate the transitus of the seraphic father.

Death is part of life. It is no coincidence that in various cultures and religions, funeral rites are celebrated, with the intent to honor, revere, thank, say goodbye to, and “commend” the loved one to the protection of the divinity. It is a kind of conclusion to the “rites of passage.” These rites encompass significant stages of human life, such as: birth, childhood, adulthood, religious initiation, etc. Funeral rites highlight, on the one hand, the deceased’s farewell to this earthly world and, on the other, seek to reintegrate them into another place, which is that of memory. They are also important in the grieving process, because, in addition to “honoring” the deceased, they have a restorative effect on the people who participate in them, that is: they reinforce communion, strengthen the bonds of solidarity, complicity, and mutual compassion.

However, in current times, the paradox of the denial and banalization of death is perceptible. At the same time that the reality of death is hidden, news is broadcast in the media with excessive doses of sensationalism, giving us the impression of watching a terrifying spectacle. And, to aggravate the situation, the entire world, from the end of 2019, found itself plunged into an ocean of storms, caused by the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic. Even knowing that social isolation has been one of the safest means to contain the spread of the virus, it is also noted that this preventive measure has caused serious side effects in a large part of the planet’s population. The impossibility for people to visit their sick relatives and friends and to celebrate funeral rites with dignity in memory of their deceased loved ones has caused irreparable damage to many people.

The high rate of pathologies arising from “complicated grief” in these times of pandemic has drawn the attention of psychologists and psychiatrists, “because it is an adverse situation, in which many are losing many things, not just people, the time for processing this moment may be even longer and slower, and on a collective level, since the whole society is suffering” (MELO, 2020, p. 1). The celebrated Portuguese theologian J. Tolentino Mendonça points out the main phases that should be respected in the work of grief, in these terms:

We would first need to mourn our inability to be consoled (an extraordinary phrase from the Old Testament that Saint Matthew recovers for his Gospel, the scene of the death of the innocents: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more” – Mt 2:18). We would then need to mourn and be consoled, in small steps. And then progressively integrate the absence into a new understanding of this mystery that is the presence of others in our lives. (MENDONÇA, 2016, p. 16-17)

It is a consensus that the pandemic has placed the world population at an enigmatic crossroads. The important thing is to decide on a path where the work of grief is less traumatic.

2 Celebrating at the Time of Death: A Tradition of the Church 

Within the Christian faith, death is seen as the crowning of a paschal experience of life. The sacraments of Christian initiation, especially baptism, insert the person into this experience. In the waters of baptism, the passage from death to life, from the tomb to the resurrection, occurs sacramentally:

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Rom 6:4-5)

Christian life consists of a progressive configuration to Christ, as the Apostle well expresses: “Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:20-21). In this paschal dynamism, bodily death is seen as the fullness of life. Once incorporated into the community of those reborn through the waters of baptism, the Christian no longer lives for themselves, but for the one who delivered them from darkness and transferred them to the kingdom of the beloved Son (cf. Col 1:13). Thus, significant moments in the life of the community, such as the death of a brother or sister, are celebrated by the whole Church, the living body of Christ.

It is known that the Christians of the first centuries incorporated, in their liturgical celebrations, various elements from the culture of the peoples of the time. In other words, Christian rites are the fruit of a healthy “inculturation,” that is, of the mutual fecundation of elements proper to the culture with the Christian faith. In the case of rites related to death, “pagan” customs were adapted by Christians, for example: a) the viaticum (communion offered to the dying to strengthen them on the “last journey”) replaced the coin that Greeks and Romans placed in the mouth of the deceased, so that they could pay the “toll” for their journey to the beyond; b) the psalms replaced the lamentations, common in the Roman world; c) the refrigerium (a “pagan” funeral meal that took place over the tomb of the deceased on the third, seventh, and thirtieth day, and on the anniversary after death) led some Christians to celebrate the eucharist at the tomb of their loved ones. This practice, little by little, was transferred to the spaces of the churches, giving rise to “masses for the faithful departed.”

2.1 Funeral Rites of the Latin Church

In a brief overview, some theological-liturgical characteristics extracted from the main funeral rites of the Latin Church will be pointed out, namely: the Roman rite of the 7th century, the Romano-Gallican rites of the 8th-9th centuries, the Roman rite of 1614, and the Roman rite of 1969 (cf. ROUILLARD, 1993, p. 237-242).

The Roman rite of the 7th century is considered the oldest and, for this reason, deserves special attention. Here, a succinct itinerary is found on the procedures provided for the dying on their deathbed, as well as guidelines for the celebration of the exequies. Here is the text (our translation) of the “Ordinary of How to Act in Favor of the Deceased”:

1. As soon as you see him approaching death, the sick person should receive communion from the holy sacrifice, even if he has eaten that day, for communion will be a help and defense for him in the resurrection of the just. It will resurrect him.

2. After receiving communion, the Passion of the Lord shall be read by a presbyter or deacon before the body of the sick person, until the soul leaves the body.

3. Before the soul has left the body, however, it is said: R/. “Saints of God, come to his aid. V/. May Christ receive you.” Psalm 113 (When the people of Israel went out of Egypt). Antiphon: “May the choir of angels receive you.” The priest says the prayer as in the sacraments.

4. Then, the body is washed and placed in the coffin. And after the body is in the coffin, before leaving the house, the antiphon is said: “You formed me from the earth and clothed me with flesh, my Redeemer; raise me up on the last day.” Psalm 96 (The Lord has reigned).

5. Then, the body is placed inside the church. It is said: Antiphon: “Lord, you commanded that I be born.” Psalm 41 (As the deer longs). Antiphon: “May the angels lead you to the paradise of God; at your coming, may the martyrs receive you, and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem.” Psalm 4 (When I call, answer me!).

6. While he is being carried to the grave: Antiphon: “He who called your soul to life.” Psalm 14 (Lord, who shall dwell?). Antiphon: “Lord, who has taken the soul from the body, make it rejoice with your saints in your glory.” Psalm 50 (Have mercy, O my God). Antiphon: “See, Lord, my humility and my suffering, forgive all my sins.” Psalm 24 (Lord, my God, to you I lift up my soul). Antiphon: “May the angels lead you to the kingdom of God with glory; may the martyrs receive you in your kingdom, Lord. From the earth you formed him and you clothed him with flesh, my Redeemer, raise him up on the last day. Psalm 50 (Have mercy, O my God).

7. And when he is placed in the church, everyone prays for this same soul always, without stopping, until the body is buried. Let them sing psalms or responsories, say prayers or make readings from the book of Job, and when the time for vigils comes, at the same time, let them celebrate the vigil, say psalms with the antiphons without alleluia. The priest, however, says the prayer, while they sing the antiphon: “Open to me the gates of justice and, entering through them, I will sing to the Lord.” Psalm 117 (Give thanks to the Lord).

In a panoramic view of this 7th-century Ordo, its paschal character is easily perceived. The paschal psalms 113 and 117 that frame the ritual suggest that there is a typological correspondence between the exequies and the exodus, that is: “the deceased experiences his departure from Egypt and his entry into the promised land, where he is welcomed by angels and saints” (ROUILLARD, 1993, p. 239). This is explicit in the rite described above. The funeral procession – from the house of the deceased, through the church, to the grave – has an eschatological meaning: the community “accompanies” the loved one on the “journey” to their definitive home, the “heavenly Jerusalem.” Here, those who “have come out of the great tribulation” (Ap 7:14) will be welcomed by the inhabitants of heaven. In short, in the present ritual, the certainty that the deceased will enter into glory without major impediments predominates.

In the Romano-Gallican rites of the following centuries, the euchology changes substantially. The mentality of the Franco-Germanic peoples decisively influenced the content of the prayers and monitions, namely: a) the insistent requests for God’s mercy and forgiveness in favor of the deceased, as well as protection against all the dangers to which he is exposed on his “journey” to the beyond; b) the insecurity on the part of the faithful regarding the eternal destiny of the person who has just died; c) the Eucharist, which comes to occupy the central place in funerals, and the consequent mentality of “sacrifice of propitiation and of suffrage” in favor of the deceased. Centuries later, the reductionism would reach such a point that, in the requiem mass, the faithful would not receive communion, in order to revert the “merits” obtained from such a celebration to the deceased; d) the lack of clarity in the relationship between the death of the faithful and the paschal mystery of Christ. Indeed, Christ and the Holy Spirit are little mentioned, except in the Trinitarian conclusion of the prayers. The prayers are addressed to God, but they do not make explicit that he sent his Son for the salvation of humans. “In short, this theology of the beyond seems almost entirely inspired by the Old Testament and little animated by the good news of the Gospel. […] It is neither Christological nor paschal” (ROUILLARD, 1993, p. 241).

The Roman rite of 1614 is part of the set of liturgical books promulgated by the Church after the Council of Trent. The unfolding of the funerals follows the ancient processional custom, namely: from the house of the deceased to the church; from the church to the cemetery. As for theology, this rite carries in its core direct influences from previous rites, especially those from the Carolingian empire. Such influences are perceptible in the ambiguities present there: alongside a euchology, derived from the ancient Roman sacramentaries, which reveals full confidence in the resurrection, coexists another that expresses uncertainty and the terror before death and the “destiny of the soul.” As an example, it is worth citing the responsory that follows the Our Father prayer:

V/. And lead us not into temptation.

R/. But deliver us from evil.

V/. From the gates of hell.

R/. Snatch, Lord, his soul…

As can be observed, the text suggests that all the deceased run the risk of confusing the “gate” of hell with that of heaven. Indeed, the frightening conception of death and the doubt about the destiny of the deceased was widely conveyed in the reflection and preaching of the Church, whose apex occurred in the 16th and 17th centuries. Other theological impasses are perceptible, such as: a) the inexpressive reference to the paschal mystery; b) the absence of a link with the sacrament of baptism; c) a euchology exclusively for the deceased. In the prayers, there is no mention of the living who mourn the loss of their loved ones; e) a rite to be executed exclusively by the clergy.

The ritual music of exequies is, likewise, not very paschal. The sequence “Dies irae” and the “Offertory” of the “Requiem Mass” are good examples of this. In these two musical pieces, among other aspects, the fear of hell, pessimism about life, and the generalized belief that “few are saved” are expressed. Some claim that the antiphon “Domine Jesu Christe” (Offertory) is the most enigmatic text – not only of the funeral liturgy but of all Roman liturgy – due to the request for Christ to “deliver the souls of all the deceased from the pains of hell.” Strictly speaking, this is somewhat paradoxical, due to the fact that theology holds that it is impossible to pass from hell to paradise, therefore, a conflict with the principle lex credendi lex suplicandi (cf. SORESSI, 1947, p. 245-252).

After four centuries of use of this rite by the Latin Church, the Congregation for Divine Worship published a new funeral rite in 1969. Sacrosanctum Concilium had expressly requested that the new funeral rite express more clearly the paschal nature of Christian death and that it better correspond to the conditions of the various regions, also with regard to the liturgical color and the funeral rite for children (cf. SC, n. 81-82).

This rite is composed of a general introduction (Preliminary Observations), in which its theological and pastoral bases are presented, and of eight chapters, constituted as follows:

a) Vigil for the Deceased and Prayer when the Body is Placed in the Coffin (chap. I). This is a celebration of the Word of God, under the presidency of a presbyter or a lay minister. At the moment of placing the body in the coffin, a brief rite is provided, consisting of psalms, a short reading, and a concluding prayer.

b) First Type of Funeral Rites: Celebrations at the Home of the Deceased, in the Church, and at the Cemetery (chap. II). Here, the tradition of the ancient rites is preserved, with two processions connecting three stations, namely: from the house of the deceased to the church, and from there to the cemetery. In these three places, prayers, psalms, responsories, etc., and the Eucharist (in the church) are provided.

c) Second Type of Funeral Rites: Celebrations in the Cemetery Chapel and at the Graveside (chap. III). Here, the rite does not provide for the celebration of the Eucharist. In the cemetery chapel, a liturgy of the Word of God is celebrated, followed by the “commendation and farewell.” At the graveside, the indicated prayers are said and an “appropriate song” is sung.

d) Third Type of Funeral Rites: Celebrations at the Home of the Deceased (chap. IV). This third possibility of celebration is similar to that of the “Vigil” (chap. I), followed by the “commendation and farewell.”

e) Funeral Rites for Children (chap. V). For this type of funeral, there are proper texts (prayers and biblical readings), in addition to the recommendation that the liturgical color be “festive and paschal.”

f) Various Texts: for the funeral of adults (chap. VI), the funeral of baptized children (chap. VII), the funeral of unbaptized children (chap. VIII).

2.2 Considerations Regarding the 1969 Funeral Rite

Without a doubt, the new funeral rite constitutes a significant advance over the old one. As an example, the following points can be highlighted:

a) The re-establishment of the paschal and ecclesial perspective. This perspective constitutes the guiding thread of the entire rite. At the beginning of the “Preliminary Observations,” we read:

The Church celebrates with profound hope the paschal mystery of Christ in the exequies of her children, so that they, incorporated by baptism into the deceased and risen Christ, may pass with him from death to life. […] Therefore, the holy Mother Church offers the Eucharistic sacrifice of Christ’s Passover and raises her prayers and suffrages to God for the salvation of her deceased, so that, through the communion existing among the members of Christ, what serves as suffrage for one may serve as consolation and hope for others. (n. 1)

The intimate relationship between the exequies and the primordial sacraments is clearly seen: baptism and the Eucharist. It can also be affirmed that the celebration of the exequies constitutes the finishing touch of a life woven within the ecclesial community and nourished by the sacraments.

b) A more comprehensive euchology. It is worth highlighting in the prayers and prefaces the presence of various “themes” little explicated in the Tridentine rite, such as: the hope and certainty of the resurrection, linked to the Passover of Christ; divine forgiveness and mercy; the eschatological value of the Eucharist, defined as “viaticum on the earthly pilgrimage” and “pledge of the eternal Passover of heaven”; the profession of faith in the paschal victory of Christ; greater attention to the bereaved, etc.

c) An ample lectionary. Like the other liturgical books elaborated after the Second Vatican Council, the funeral rite brings a rich lectionary. The “Preliminary Observations” point out the reasons for this, in these terms:

In all celebrations for the dead, both in the exequies and in others, great importance is given to the liturgy of the Word of God. These readings proclaim the paschal mystery, awaken the hope of a new encounter in the Kingdom of God, teach us a Christian attitude towards the dead, and exhort us to bear witness everywhere to a Christian life. (n. 11)

The lectionary includes a significant collection of readings from the Old and New Testaments. The texts are presented in the order in which they are proclaimed in the liturgical action (first reading – responsorial psalm – second reading – gospel acclamation – gospel), and are distributed in three sections: “Funerals for adults,” “Funerals for baptized children,” and “Funerals for unbaptized children.”

d) The expansion of the collection of psalms. The new rite recovers an expressive repertoire of psalms that go back to the ancient tradition of funeral celebrations, especially those with paschal and trustful content. After all, the poetic language, expressed in the various genres of the psalms, allows the community of faith to show solidarity with those who are sick, afflicted, insecure, abandoned, etc.: “In my distress I called to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free! The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death” (Ps 118/117: 5, 18).

e) The revision of funerals for children. The new rite addressed the request of Sacrosanctum Concilium to revise the funerals for children, including the creation of a formulary for a “proper mass” (cf. SC n. 82). Texts were also prepared for the funerals of unbaptized children, that is, those whose parents wished to have them baptized but were prevented by their premature death. A characteristic of the euchology of these celebrations is the fact that the (unbaptized) child is entrusted to divine mercy, without mentioning their entry into heavenly glory; prayers are asked above all for their parents. Behind this “omission” lies the controversial question regarding the fate of children who die without baptism. It is worth remembering that, at the time these prayers were written, the common doctrine prevailed that the “souls” of unbaptized children were unable to enjoy the “beatific vision” of God. This question was discussed, four decades later, by the International Theological Commission. In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI approved and authorized the publication of the document “The Hope of Salvation for Infants Who Die Without Being Baptised,” prepared by the said Commission. The study reaches the following conclusion:

Our conclusion is that the many factors that we have considered above offer serious theological and liturgical reasons for hope that infants who die without baptism will be saved and enjoy the Beatific Vision. We emphasize that these are reasons for prayerful hope rather than grounds for sure knowledge. There is much that simply has not been revealed to us (cf. John 16:12). We live by faith and hope in the God of mercy and love who has been revealed to us in Christ, and the Spirit moves us to pray in constant thankfulness and joy (cf. 1 Thess 5:18).

What has been revealed to us is that the ordinary way of salvation is through the sacrament of baptism. None of the above considerations should be taken as qualifying the necessity of baptism or justifying the delay of its administration. Rather, as we want to reaffirm in conclusion, they provide strong grounds for hope that God will save these infants when we have not been able to do for them what we would have wished to do, namely, to baptize them into the faith and life of the Church. (ITC, 2008, n. 102-103)

The 1969 funeral rite also innovates in other aspects, such as: the admission of cremation (n. 15); the minister of the exequies, with the exception of the Eucharist, can be a layperson (n. 19); the ecumenical sensitivity on the part of those who prepare and preside over the exequies, since it is common at wakes for people of other faiths or even with no religious practice to be present (n. 18); the possibility of adaptations of the rite by episcopal conferences (n. 21-22), etc.

Concluding these considerations about the 1969 funeral rite, it is also pertinent to point out its limits, such as the existence of vestiges of a dualistic eschatology (body x soul) and the non-adaptation of the rite by most episcopal conferences. These and other rough edges can be smoothed out, as the churches commit to elaborating rites that, in addition to good theology, take into account the cultural reality of the faith communities.

3 To Better Celebrate at the Time of Death: Pastoral Suggestions

As was said at the beginning of this text, the Church, in her pastoral solicitude, has always sought to encourage and console her sons and daughters at the extreme moment of existence, preparing them for the last and decisive spiritual combat, waged between life and death. Good examples of this are the rite of the “commendation of the soul” (1614) and that of the “commendation of the dying” (1969). Such rites – composed of prayers, brief biblical pericopes, ejaculations, responses, etc. – are performed at the bedside of the dying person. Once death has occurred, the exequies are celebrated.

In celebrating the “passover” of her sons and daughters, the Church continues her noble mission of consoling and comforting the bereaved, as the Apostle well exhorts: “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thess 4:14, 18). In the wake of this long tradition, it is urgent that the Church create effective means for the sedimentation of a “pastoral care of hope,” which serves as a counterpoint to the paradoxical phenomenon of camouflaging and/or banalizing death, typical of today’s society.

For greater effectiveness of this “pastoral care of hope,” among other things, one must take into account:

a) Joint action with the “health pastoral care.” The spiritual comfort given to the sick, as well as to family members and all those who care for the sick, constitutes a true ministry of consolation. This “ministry” tends to be potentiated in people’s lives, especially when they have to face the pain of the death of a loved one and the consequent work of grieving.

b) Adequate formation for agents of the “pastoral care of hope”. The celebration of exequies and the consequent spiritual assistance to bereaved families require careful preparation. It is a learning process that will privilege listening to the person who is suffering. Without the culture of listening, the channel of consolation cannot be opened.

To listen means to give the word, to give time and space to the other, to welcome them also in what they refuse of themselves, to give them the right to be who they are and to feel what they feel and to provide them with the possibility to express themselves. To listen is an act that humanizes man and that elicits the humanity of the other. (MANICARDI, 2017, p. 15)

In the exequies and in the celebrations of support for bereaved families, listening has a privileged space at the moment of the “remembrance of life.” Here, people are invited to express their feelings and to remember the “passing” of their loved one, in the light of the paschal mystery of Christ. Facts, words, and actions of the deceased become a true “testament” to be fulfilled by all. Likewise, listening to the Word of God and its connection with what was said in the “remembrance of life” will become substantial nourishment for life and an effective remedy in the fight against sadness and the pain of separation.

Other contents studied, throughout the formative process, should corroborate such “listening.”

c) The creation of funeral itineraries adapted to the pastoral needs of each region. The 1969 funeral rite leaves ample room for episcopal conferences to make adaptations, according to the pastoral needs of each region (cf. n. 21-22). Unfortunately, the vast majority of episcopal conferences opted for a simple translation of the rite. The liturgist Gregório Lutz – of cherished memory –, while making considerations about a new funeral rite for Brazil, lamented the fact that the 1969 rite was only translated, without any adaptation, in these terms:

It is true that it expresses the authentic Christian faith with respect to death, but this faith is expressed in a language that, here, is difficult to understand. That is why this new ritual was not as well accepted as an adapted ritual would have been, possibly with different suggestions for regions with their own traditions and for diverse environments. (LUTZ, 1998, p. 33)

Lutz’s opinion can be applied to other Latin American countries. In the case of Brazil, what has happened, in practice, are publications of alternative resources for funeral celebrations that are adopted in parishes and dioceses. As an example, one can highlight: “Nossa Páscoa: subsídios para a celebração da esperança” (Our Passover: Resources for the Celebration of Hope) and “Celebrando por ocasião da morte: subsídio para velório, última encomendação e sepultamento” (Celebrating at the Time of Death: Resource for Wakes, Final Commendation, and Burial). The first was prepared by the Episcopal Pastoral Commission for the Liturgy of the CNBB. This resource is composed of four chapters and two appendices. The first chapter contains three celebrations of the Word; the second brings a celebration for the commendation; the third presents a proper rite for the moment when the body is placed in the grave; the fourth brings a proposal for celebrations related to cremation (one at the crematorium and another for the deposition of the urn with the ashes). In appendix I, there is a small lectionary, and in appendix II, a collection of appropriate songs.

The resource “Celebrando por ocasião da morte: subsídio para velório, última encomendação e sepultamento,” in turn, is composed of six itineraries. Each itinerary contemplates a different circumstance of death, namely: of a member active in the community; of a person deceased after a long illness; of a young person; of a religious person; of a victim of violence; of a child. Each of the itineraries is composed of three parts: a) “Wake” (celebration in the format of the Ofício Divino das Comunidades: arrival, opening, remembrance of life, psalm, biblical readings, meditation, prayers, praise); b) “Commendation and farewell”; c) “Burial / cremation.” There are also two small rites for the moment of cremation and the deposition of the ashes, as well as an “Office of support for bereaved families.”

In short, what is hoped is that the various churches find the best way to celebrate the passover of their sons and daughters and that these celebrations be privileged moments to proclaim faith in “Christ the firstborn from the dead” (Col 1:18).

Joaquim Fonseca, OFM.  ISTA/FAJE. Original Portuguese text. Submitted: 12/08/2021. Approved: 12/20/2021. Published: 12/30/2021.

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