Funeral Mass celebrates joy of new life

By Msgr. Pedro Lopez-Gallo

It is refreshing to see that the Church, while noted for its stability, can also display flexibility. As I explained in previous columns, the Catholic Church has dramatically reformed her policy concerning the burial of people who commit suicide or have been cremated; most inspiring is the publication of the report issued by the Theological Commission about Infants in Limbo.

I now wish to address another matter, whether we can celebrate Mass for people who are not Catholic. In our country, formed by a mosaic of races, cultures, religions, and mixed marriages, my answer is a categorical "Yes," and it could not be otherwise.

Consider British Columbia, where only 15 per cent are Catholic, which means that 85 per cent of the people a young woman or man will encounter are not Catholics. It is no wonder, then, that they marry Muslims, Protestants, Buddhists, Sikhs, you name it.

It is true that for a Catholic wanting to marry a non-Catholic, the pastor must ask the bishop for special permission. The bishop, however, will not give his consent without the proviso that the non-Catholic will respect the catholicity of the future spouse, which includes respecting the obligation of the Catholic spouse to raise the children Catholic.

It is not mandatory that the non-Catholic be converted; this becomes a matter between God and the non-Catholic. Nevertheless, the Catholic wife or husband should not deter the spouse from becoming Catholic.

This brings to mind a couple I admired for being most loyal in practicing the faith. I was so struck by the husband's devotion that I wanted to appoint him an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion.

To my astonishment, the wife indignantly told me: "But Father, my husband is not Catholic."

"Sorry," I replied. "He is so devout."

There was no further discussion about his religion and I did not press the matter.

Time passed. One day I received a phone call that the man was critically ill in hospital and I immediately went to visit him. After chatting a while, he asked: "Father, did you bring Communion and the sacred oils to anoint me?"

I was embarrassed and answered, "I would have, Chuck [not his real name], but you are not Catholic." He replied: "Father, I wanted to be, but my wife was against it. I bet I can answer your questions if you examine me."

I did so, and upon hearing how much he knew of the essentials of our religion, I could not deny him his desire to be received into the Catholic Church. After this preliminary inquiry, since he was in danger of death from a terminal illness, I hurried back to the church for the sacred oils and Holy Communion.

Chuck's wife was sitting beside him when I returned. As soon as she saw the pyx containing the Consecrated Host, there was an incredulous look on her face. "Father, what are doing?" she cried.
Chuck explained, "My darling, for 30 years I have wanted to become Catholic and you never allowed me."

I intervened, "Liz [not her real name], let me go ahead. I will explain to you later. You can follow along as I give the last rites."

There are few times in my life that I have felt the Mercy of God at work more strongly than this. It can only be considered obtuse of us to monopolize our faith and exclude those dearest to us. We are all God's children.

Chuck died a month later, but the peace, the serenity, and the joy of having given him his First Communion touched me so deeply that I could not hold back the tears.

I prayed the "In Paradiso": "That the angels bring you to paradise, that on your arrival the saints of God receive your soul, and that You give him eternal rest, O Lord."

This experience leads me to say that the ways of God are impenetrable, that He can work miracles and manifest His love to His children in so many wondrous ways. Remember there are three forms of baptism: by blood, as in martyrdom; by desire, as in the case of pagans who faithfully observe natural law; and by water, as at a baptism in church.

This is why we can celebrate a funeral for people who are not Catholic, and entrust them to the immense bounty of the Divine Redeemer.

For those who have lived in Christ and with Christ, death is the beginning of eternal happiness with our Creator. Christians celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of life, which has now been returned to Him, the Author of Life. It is here that we can consider how sacred is the gift of God, Who wants us to share His eternal existence.

A funeral Mass should celebrate the joy of the new life which is promised to all who have loved God and observed His precepts. The choice of music, colour of vestments, homily, readers, and even the flowers decorating the altar should be taken into consideration to make this liturgy sacred, not a show of human rebellion for the loss of a beloved departed.

Msgr. Lopez-Gallo's columns are available in two volumes for $20 each from St. Andrew's Church Supply, 305 W. 8 Ave. in Vancouver, toll-free 1-800-663-7161. Proceeds will go to Hogar de Nazareth Orphanage in Mexico, which he sponsors.