E ARE DOOMED! These words would often be on our lips back in high school in the lead up to exams. Usually followed by despairing moans of “I’m dead!” Sometimes we would go off on tangents of planning our hypothetical funerals, what flowers, what music, etc.
Melodramatic teens aside, funerals are serious occasions. The Church has a wealth of traditions for the occasion. In reality it can be a very turbulent and emotional time. Having stable, familiar, unchanging plans in place can be very reassuring, rather than the pressure to be original and creative.
Here is a fantastic run down on the issues around your average Catholic funeral today by Monsignor Charles Pope:
Funeral Foibles. How many Catholic funerals lack balance and do not teach clearly on the Last Things
