During the month of November, the church remembers the dead in a special way. Beginning with the feasts of All Saints and All Souls, the church has the opportunity to reflect upon the mystery of death.
However, in our increasingly secular society there is a growing misunderstanding and uncertainty about Catholic teachings on death and dying. As reported in last week’s Rhode Island Catholic, this misunderstanding has led to an increasing disrespect for the church’s teaching on Catholic burial and disregard toward the proper burial of cremains.
The care with which we bury the dead expresses our faith in the victory over everlasting death which Jesus Christ won by his own death and resurrection. We bury the dead in the sure hope of the resurrection of the body, when their mortal bodies will share fully in the glory of the risen Christ. Every baptized Catholic has the right and should be afforded the dignity of a reverent burial. Such a proper and respectful burial is offered in anticipation of the resurrection of the body in glory on the Last Day. As the Order of Christian Burial states: “Lord Jesus Christ, by your own three days in the tomb, you hallowed the graves of all who believe in you and so made the grave a sign of hope that promises resurrection even as it claims our mortal bodies.”
Burial of the body of the deceased is done in imitation of the burial of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the sure hope of sharing in his resurrection. Our Catholic faith places so significant a place in our teaching that the burial of the dead is one of the corporal works of mercy. The love and respect which we are called to show to one another in life doesn’t end with death and certainly not with cremation but continues in death through our reverent burial of the dead and our prayers for their eternal rest. Catholics must be vigilant in practicing this corporal work of mercy especially for those deceased loved ones who have chosen cremation. They must be ensured a sacred burial as both a sign of hope and as an act of faith.
