Posted on 03/18/2015 7:30:19 AM PDT by Salvation
My mind immediately had similar questions regarding saints and relics. In the comments following the article, Pope did address the issue a bit. He wrote:
“Over on Facebook I was asked why the practice of using relics does not also offend against the usual Catholic norms. Regarding relics let us remember: the practice is rare, their whole body isn’t dispersed (only a relatively small amount of fragments of bone or hair). Such relics are to be venerated and placed in areas of religious devotion in Churches, chapels and (rarely) in homes. But they are not put to be put in closets, merely displayed on fireplaces, strewn in fields and forests, or made into jewelry. If one has possession of a first class relic they do not venerate, they ought to return it to the local diocese so a place can be identified where such veneration and respect can be given. Finally, such veneration is only permitted in rare cases of canonized saints, as such the practice is an anomaly and should not set the norm for how we treat all bodies.”
He later added:
“Please see my reply above in this thread regarding this matter. I don’t think it is far to say that saints bodies are “divided” or that the Saints bodies are not “intact” Rather, at least in the past centuries, since rules and limits were placed on PAST excesses and there were excesses), only small fragments of bone or hair are dispensed and only for canonized saints who had been buried prior to their canonization and whose bodies ARE largely intact. Part of the whole battle over the body of Fulton Sheen revolves around the modern norms that bodies are not to be divided up and put in different places as sometimes happened in the early centuries. I think Peoria can and should be Sheen’s resting place in the future (since he was under-appreciated by the Archdiocese of NY in his day…but I digress). If relics are dispensed they will be only a small portion of the body. The same is true with Saint JPII. His body is still intact in Rome. Though a small number of relics have been dispensed. But it is not fair to say that “body parts” are being sent around.”
Thank you for your posts # 70 and #73. The link works for me.
Not here in Virginia.
My mother (absolutely the best person I have ever known, and a devout Christian) knew she was dying. She had a terminal woman's cancer. My father died less than a year later of a heart attack, although I think the real cause was a broken heart.
Both were adamant that as little of their life savings be spent on disposing of their "shells" as possible. They wanted their estate dedicated to their grandchildren's education.
They pre-arranged for something called "direct cremation" which basically involves cremating the body with no embalming, no preparation, no viewing. The "casket" that contains the body is little more than a sturdy cardboard box. The monetary expense was less than $1000.
Like any family, we had to deal with the loss of our parents, but from a logistical standpoint, it wasn't difficult. Rather than grieving publicly at a funeral home, we did so privately in their home. We received visitors at home, rather than the funeral home.
In both cases, we had an outdoor memorial service at the church of their youth, and their ashes were buried in the same plot. They conceded that my sister and I might buy a small plain marker that had both of their names and dates. We buried the box the ahes came in using a post-hole digger ourselves.
The church hosted a pot-luck lunch in the fellowship hall following both memorials. It was like a family reunion. The experience was beautiful, they would have enjoyed it enormously, and in no way was anything disrespectful or shabby-feeling.
Both of their grandsons are in college, and the legacy they left for them will have much more impact than spending it on a a traditional funeral costing thousands.
I plan direct cremation for myself, but my wife wants a traditional burial. If I go first, she'll keep my ashes and have them put in her casket, so we'll be buried together.
As claustrophobic as I am I still plan on a traditional Catholic Mass and burial, no cremation. Hubby plans the same except he wants a fart machine hooked up to the kneeler in front of the casket. (More for his side of the family) I keep telling him it would do no good, none of them would kneel down to pray.
Cremation does not sound as bad as the embalming process (perforated, blood put down the sewer, filled with toxic chemicals), being dressed up and made-up to look not dead, then put on display. That all sounds barbaric to me.
I think just being quickly put in the ground in a wooden box is not legal.
There is something called "green burial" which I don't know a lot about, but generally speaking, it's a burial without embalming, vaults, expensive caskets. You can get wrapped in a shroud and buried that way.
At the risk of being labeled a "tree hugger" because it says "green," it may be a good option for people who don't want a lot of fuss or expense, but don't wish to be cremated. Still, I don't think you can be buried just anywhere, so I think it would depend on whether this option is available where you live.
A church is considered hallowed, as if the person were in a cemetery mausoleum. The relics have to be encased and sealed, not just for preservation but with a seal specially made, ensuring proper identification and authenticity.
Jewelry? Holy moly!
Have to admit, though, that I LOL’d at Msgr.’s imagined dialogue:
“Hey, that’s pretty new jewelry! Was that your Mom’s?” “Well, actually it is Mom!”
I agree with both of your points. Cremation is a deliberate desecration of the human body which is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. It is a pagan custom that is antithetical to Christianity as it at least implicitly denies the resurrection of the body. In many cases it was done explicitly for that reason. Until the 1950’s pretty much every Christian denomination prohibited it. Today I believe only the Orthodox Church still holds the line on that. Even the Roman Catholics, who once condemned the practice with great ferocity, have folded.
All of which said, I have to agree with some of the posts critical of the modern American practice of embalming, which also strikes me as being semi-pagan. Most countries don’t do that to their dead.
Keith Richards did this!
Beautiful place for final resting...now that you have shown freepers the place, you may have lots of others with you..
now that is funny, we all get a chance to take grandma home with us, but should we wash the clothes we were wearing..
Historically this information was found by my aunt regarding one of our Revolution era relative. “Sarah Seachrist, the wife of Jacob and mother of thirteen children died in 1784, the coffin that was made was very large because of her generous size, they could not get it into the house, so for visitors it was placed in the front yard with her in it.”
Drat. And I was hoping to have my ashes put into a great big 4th of July rocket. :-P
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.