INSTRUCTIONS FOR MY FUNERAL MASS DOCUMENT – Have you thought of what you want for your Funeral Mass? Then this document will be of assistance to you. A sample copy is at the back of church and more are on order.
It is important tobeware of the tendency to make the funeral Mass (which is a celebration of the Life and Death of our Saviour) into more of a memorial service about the person who has died. The “words in memory of” at the end of the service should not become dominant. “Christians celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise and thanksgiving to God for a life that has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just. ......At the rite of final commendation and farewell the community acknowledges the reality of separation and commends the deceased to God. In this way it recognises the spiritual bond that still exists between the living and the dead and proclaims its belief that all the faithful will be raised up and reunited in the new heavens and a new earth, where death will be no more” (Order of Christian Funerals). The emphasis is on the future and not so much on the life of the deceased. On the other hand it is quite proper that there should be a place (but not the dominant place) for “words in memory of”. Some families arrange for more “words in memory of” at the reception after the funeral. In such cases the word “eulogy” is quite appropriate, although Shakespeare might not agree. (Julius Caesar Act 3 Scene 2 "I come to bury Caesar not to praise him")