What is the Catholic View on Cremation??



          CREMATION??

BURIAL??

 
 
 
 
 
          
 
 
 
 
 
   


 As most of the catholic children in my era, we were raised with the STRICT notion that cremation was WRONG! Why you ask?? well, First, As Christians our goal in our earthly life is to Accept Jesus in your Heart, Mind, Body and Spirit and lead a Christian life in the footsteps Jesus has set for us and you will be rewarded in Heaven with our Heavenly Father and not burn in the fires of Hell. This is noted Biblically multiple times. For Catholics when we recite the Fatima Prayer or the "Oh My Jesus" Prayer while praying the Rosary, O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, and lead all souls to Heaven, especially those in most need of your Mercy.  Amen.
 In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 we are also taught: ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. To put it another way, Why wound we burn our Temple when our whole lives we are trying to keep ourselves from the fires of hell? There are some that will argue that in the Rev. 3:18-19 - Jesus refers to this fire as what refines into gold those He loves if they repent of their sins. This is in the context of after death because Jesus, speaking from heaven, awards the white garment of salvation after the purging of sin by fire (both after death).??

A change in this view, which was set by The 1917 Code of Canon law forbade a Church funeral for those who were to be cremated. But this was about to change. In 1963 the Vatican lifted the Ban against cremation. In 1983 a revision of Canon Law replaced the 1917 Code. The new revision allowed both cremation and burial as means of honoring the body of a deceased Catholic. With Canon Law # 1176: "The Church earnestly recommends that the pious custom of burying the bodies of the dead be observed; it does not, however, forbid cremation unless it has been chosen for reasons which are contrary to Christian teaching."
 
Currently, according to the UNITED STATES CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS- The Church's reverence and care for the body grows out of a reverence and concern for the person whom the Church now commends to the care of God. This is the body once washed in baptism, anointed with the oil of salvation, and fed with the bread of life. This is the body whose hands clothed the poor and embraced the sorrowing. The human body is so inextricably associated with the human person that it is hard to think of a human person apart from his or her body. Also, stated by the USCCB- Catholic teaching continues to stress the preference for burial of the body of the deceased. Likewise, the Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for its funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church affirms in its rites. Sensitive to the economic, geographic, ecological, or family factors which on occasion make the cremation of a body the only feasible choice, however, the Administrative Committee of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops has recommended that the entire body of bishops that they request an indult from the Holy See permitting the presence of cremated remains during the full course of Catholic Funeral rites. Likewise, the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy has directed the Secretariat for the Liturgy to begin the preparation of additional rites and texts for the Order of Christian Funerals to provide for the presence of the remains of the cremated body.
 
For more info, feel free to contact your local Priest, or  visit  WWW.USCCB.ORG.

ANY QUESTIONS or COMMENTS??? ASK AWAY...THNX

What is that big white sheet that Catholics cover the casket with for a funeral in the church?

 
Thanks for the Email. GREAT QUESTION. So, what is this "Big white sheet" that covers the casket?
It is called a "PALL" or "Casket Pall" or a "Mortcloth". The "PALL" comes from the Latin term meaning  CLOAK. The catholic church uses a Pall on the casket as emphasis that the funeral has moved from mourning the death to expressing hope in the resurrection with the promise that all who are baptized into Christ have "clothed themselves" with Christ, and that all who are buried with Christ in baptism will be raised with him when he comes again in Glory. It is especially appropriate to recall baptism— the beginning of a Christian life—( we had a white baptismal gown on) and as the body of someone who has faithfully served Christ during life enters the church for the last time. The pall also helps the congregation focus on the worship of God and the hope of the resurrection by de-emphasizing the relative expense of the casket and showing that we are all equal in the eyes of God.

      "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ"  he says. "In his/her baptism,__________put on Christ; in the day of Christ's coming, he/she shall be clothed with glory."( The casket is blessed by the Priest with Holy water, as in our Baptism, the Pall is then placed on the casket)

A "PALL" in general terms, out side of the catholic church use, can also be a U.S. Flag for a Veteran or a coat of arms flag for Foreign dignitary that is draped on their casket.

PLEASE, Keep those Questions coming...

Why did the 3 Wise men bring gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh to the new born King?

 

 We can see according to the Gospel of Matthew (2:11). These valuable items were standard gifts to honor a king in the ancient world: gold as a precious metal, frankincense as perfume or incense, and myrrh as anointing oil. What does this have to do with the Funeral Profession? If we look back in history it was an Egyptian custom that if someone of nobility was born they would immediately start planning for their death by beginning to build a pyramid. In a sense that was one of the reasons the three wise men brought these three gifts to the King (Jesus). Remember, Christianity had not started yet, so they were having to abide by Jewish tradition and Roman traditions.

~ Definitions: Myrrh- is an expensive spice, used for making perfume, incense, medicine, and for anointing the dead.
~ Frankincense- is the gum or resin of the Boswellia tree, used for making perfume and incense.

(Matthew: 27-57)(Mark:15)

Joseph, of the small town of Arimathea , went in the evening to ask the body from the procurator. Joseph was a rich and honorable man, a member of the Sanhedrim. The Roman law, at this period, commanded, moreover, that the body of the person executed should be delivered to those who claimed it. Pilate, who was ignorant of the circumstance of the crurifragium, was astonished that Jesus was so soon dead, and summoned the centurion who had superintended the execution, in order to know how this was. Pilate, after having received the assurances of the centurion, granted to Joseph the object of his request. The body probably had already been removed from the cross. They delivered it to Joseph, that he might do with it as he pleased.

Nicodemus,
whom we have already seen employing his influence more than once in favor of Jesus, came forward at this moment. He arrived, bearing  a mixture of 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes to anoint Jesus' body when it was laid in the tomb.the materials necessary for embalming. Joseph and Nicodemus interred Jesus according to the Jewish custom—that is to say, they wrapped him in a sheet with myrrh and Frankincense.

Here's were the gold comes in.In ancient Greek and Roman mythology Charon was the ferryman who would take the souls of the dead across the River Styx to the afterlife. He demanded payment for the crossing, hence the gold.

This is also why Catholics believe that St. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus are the Patron Saints of Funeral Directors and Embalmers.

WELCOME!!

Hi All. Welcome to the new Catholic Undertaker. My mission of starting a blog such as this, is to be able to have a platform for those of us in the Funeral profession to express the who, what, when and whys of the Funeral rites for the Catholic Faith.
Now, that doesn't mean you have to be catholic to join or post on this blog. Everyday we are learning new ways to assist the families who have entrusted us to serve their needs. Please, keep in mind I am NOT an expert on the Catholic faith, but through doing extensive research I will attempt to help you with your questions. If I can't I will Pledge to find the answer from those who do that way it's a win, win we all learn.
Be sure to feel free to comment at anytime..
THANKS.