Funerals are losing sense of the sacred

Dear Editor, I once attended a humanist funeral which was mainly about memories of the deceased person. Today Catholic funerals are largely similar, apart from the formal liturgical content.

The homily, which is primarily meant to explain the scripture readings, is instead a combination of a eulogy and canonisation decree. Spiritual input generally presumes a universal salvation even if the deceased didn’t ‘practice’. Everybody receives Holy Communion. Gone is the fundamental scripture principal that we reap what we sow (Gal 6:7). It is at least consistent that if everybody goes straight to Heaven, then there is no need to pray for the dead – the original intention of a Requiem (Rest) Mass.

The overall result is a devastating affirmation of a ‘pick and mix’ Christianity in which faithfulness to the Gospel (Mass, Prayer, Commandments, etc) is surplus to requirement. It is a ringing endorsement of your recent editorial (IC August 14) regarding “a Church in Ireland in serious need of reform and renewal”.

Yours etc.,

Andrew Breen,

Thurles,

Co. Tipperary.