"Now when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and likewise whenever you used to bury the dead. When you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner in order to go and bury that dead man." Tobit 12:12-13
November Spotlight: Bury the Dead
The Book of Tobit shows us that burying the dead is an important work of charity: “I had performed many charitable deeds for my kindred. … I would give my bread to the hungry and clothing to the naked. If I saw one of my people who died and been thrown behind the wall of Nineveh, I used to bury him” (Tobit 1:16-17). In burying the dead, the innate dignity of the human person, soul and body, is recognized and honored. We are called to mourn and pray for those who have died, to entrust them to God and to comfort their loved ones. Through this Work, we see the importance of compassion for others and the need to treat everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve as people created by a loving God. Loving others, even after death, is what Jesus’ and his disciples teach us to do. It is how we as Christians, show our love for God, by loving others.
Burying the dead is not digging a hole in the ground. It is about offering every human the dignity and respect that they deserve even in death. Our Church has rituals and rites that help us honor our deceased loved ones. These rites honor the deceased and provide comfort to those who love them. Gathering for wakes, being present at funerals and burials, sharing stories with loved ones, these are all important ways to honor our deceased brothers and sisters and provide comfort to their families.
Watch the videos below for some saintly inspiration and see how you can be an agent of mercy, living this month's Work...
This month's Saintly Inspiration comes from:
St. Joseph of Arimethea
After Jesus died on the cross, Joseph of Arimathea arranged for an honorable burial. He was a bright bit of light during the dark days of Holy Week.
St. Michael the Archangel
Michael the Archangel is still called a saint because he resides in heaven in communion with God. Michael the Archangel has four main responsibilities or offices, as we know from scripture and Christian tradition. The first is to combat Satan. The second is to escort the faithful to heaven at their hour of death. The third is to be a champion of all Christians, and the Church itself. And the fourth is to call men from life on Earth to their heavenly judgment.
Agents of Mercy - Your mission, should you choose to accept... to Bury the Dead
A few suggestions for agents of all ages:
- Beginning with All Saints Day on Nov. 1 and All Souls Day on Nov. 2, November is a very appropriate time to pray for the deceased. Consider adding the Prayer to Jesus for the Holy Souls to your daily prayer life.
- Prayer is an important part of the Catholic funeral rite. The Catholic Church believes that prayer can help loved ones get to heaven. Pray for the dead with this simple prayer: Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let the perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
- Whenever you pass a cemetary, pray for those who are at rest inside.
- Attend a funeral, even if you didn't directly know the family, your presence shows your support. And note, if you’re ever on the fence about taking children to a funeral Mass, I encourage you to do so. This does require discernment of the grieving family’s situation and your children’s sensitivity, as well as preparing your children for what they can expect to see. But the Catholic funeral liturgy is a powerful reminder of our hope in Jesus' victory over death. Participating in a funeral Mass is the primary way we can practice the “ministry of consolation,” and even a young child’s fumbled Our Father or mere presence in the pew is part of that. In a very real way, when they are present at Mass, they are participants in this work of mercy, too.
- Send a sympathy card, note or Mass card to grieving families. A note of condolence can be a comfort in the days and weeks after a death.
- In the weeks and months after the funeral, you can offer support by calling or emailing the grieving person, or including them in plans.
- Take a walk through a cemetery and pray a rosary for those buried there.
- Visit a historic cemetery and encourage your children to look for the oldest dates and recognize Christian symbols on gravestones. Pray for those who may have been forgotten – perhaps those with the most faded gravestones – and have no one else to intercede for them.
- Clean up around graves that have been neglected
- Visit a cemetary and put flowers on graves.
- Offer to help prepare food, shop for or serve at a funeral reception at the parishlunches after a service?
- Make a meal, shedule meal deliveries or perform chores like yardwork for a grieving family.
- Do some research and learn about your ancestors.
- Remember that grief is a process - No two people grieve in the same way, and it's important to remember that those you love can grow through the grief:
- Provide companionship,
- be a good listener, have compassion.
- Offer prayers for the terminally ill, and for the peace and comfort of surviving family. • Urge those who have difficulty in coping to seek pastoral or professional counseling. • Support organizations which care for the dying and those that offer grief counseling. • Attend funeral or wake services; your presence can mean so much to survivors.
- Offer daily prayers for the deceased and those with terminal illnesses.
- Offer to take a family member or friend to visit a loved one’s gravesite.
- Make sure your family knows your end-of-life wishes in case, through an accident or illness, you are unable to speak for yourself.
- Sending a rose or flowers to a widow or widower on the anniversary of the deceased death or wedding anniversary.
- Call grieving family on the day of death or wedding anniversary or Christmas/Easter/ other holidays - Note the death of a special person on your calendar and tell the mother, sibling or living spouse when that person is remembered on the anniversary of his/her death.
- You can also bury old grudges, make amends with those who have offended you.
- Remeber the departed on birthdays and anniversaries by having a Mass prayed in their memory.
- Donate to organizations that offer free burials that are unable to afford them.
- Support/volunteer at hospice.
- Watch the movie, "Coco" and share memories of your loved ones who have passed.
- Donate to organizations that oppose abortion.
- Promote and vote for anit-abortion/anit-euthanasia legislation.