Death is one of the realities that all of us need to face at one point in our lives. At the very beginning of our history, people did not pay attention when someone died but continued their lives. People did not pray nor think about what is beyond death. However, when humans started to think about death and the meaning of life, they not only understood the existence of God, but also started to bury their death in sign of respect for the person. In fact, some archeologists believe the earliest human burial dates back 100,000 years. This tradition of burying our dead continues today. Death is one of the most painful experiences for the family, relatives, and friends of the person who passed away.
The Catholic Church teaches that death is not the end of our existence, but the beginning of something beautiful. Jesus is in heaven preparing a wonderful place for all of us. He says, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where [I] am going you know the way” (John 4:14). Jesus is in heaven preparing a place for us, and we need to take care of the body of the person who dies having a funeral and burial. One of the corporal works of mercy is to bury the dead. We bury the person in a cemetery because this is the appropriate place for the body or cremains.
Talking about cremains, we commonly hear people saying that they would like their cremains to be scattered in the ocean or between two places they love, just be kept at home with their beloved ones, or mix the cremains with other cremains. This could sound poetic and beautiful; however, it is not the way to honor and respect our beloved ones who are resting with the Lord.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) in the number 2300 says, “The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy; it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.” Let us honor our beloved ones who are now enjoying the eternal life in company of God, the angels, and Saints.
For this reason, I invite all of you to join me this Sunday (September 17th) at 1:30 pm. to have a prayer and bless our Cemetery. Let us pray for our beloved ones, respecting their memory, and loving them with all our hearts. I am sharing with you an invitation for the blessing of the cemetery from our bulletin archives (September 15, 1963). Let us continue this tradition of blessing our cemetery and praying for our beloved ones.
God bless you, and may the Blessed Virgin Mary be with you!
Fr. Jorge Ramirez
