November 21 in the Month of All Souls

A few days I go, in one of these entries for the Month of All Souls, I asked my readers if they'd been finding them helpful or not and whether there might be some topics I might explore under this title. Well, I'm accustomed to not receiving a lot of feedback so I didn't interpret it in this instance as a lack of support for the series. In addition to which, I'm finding it helpful for myself to work on it. On the other hand, I'm looking forward to December and some daily reflections on Advent!

One reader did ask if I would write about cremation from the perspective of the Catholic Church which I'm pleased to do. This inquiry gives us an opportunity to remember the Church's teaching on the resurrection of the body.

Most Catholics know that for centuries their Church did not allow cremation for its members. In our own time, however, the Church now allows cremation provided that it does not reflect a denial of belief in the resurrection of the body nor the sanctity of the human body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. The two cautions accompanying the change in practice also tell us what the prior restriction was based on.

Christian believe that at the end of the world our souls will be reunited with our bodies but in a glorified state. This belief reveals the respect and honor Christian theology accords this mortal frame of ours and why the disposition of the human body is of importance in church discipline.

In the Order of Christian Funerals the church continues to state a preference for burial of the intact remains of a deceased Christian but does allow for cremation. An individual who preplans his or her funeral or a family making decisions for a deceased loved one might choose to have the cremation after a funeral with the body present or to have the cremation prior to the funeral with the cremains (a term which is replacing "ashes") present at the Mass in an urn.

After celebrating many funerals my experience is that a Mass with the body present gives greater personal expression to what the ritual and prayers envision. That being said, I always accept and honor an individual's or family's decision on this question.

In terms of the disposition of the cremains the church calls for the urn to be buried in a cemetery or at sea. The Church's rite does not envision the "scattering" of cremains in any way nor their being kept in a private home.