 soul is after death. Only God knows the depths of the heart and the true state of anyone’s soul. When we presume that a soul is in heaven, or in hell for that matter, we do not see the need to pray for them. A soul in heaven does not need our prayers; and a soul in hell cannot benefit from them. We offer our prayers and have Masses celebrated for the dead, entrusting them to the love and mercy of God. In this way those souls in need of prayers are not deprived of them.
The reminder to pray for the dead that November offers us is also a good time to reflect on the purpose and importance of the funeral liturgy. The Church celebrates the funeral liturgy, especially within the Holy Mass, “to offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just” (Order of Christian Funerals 5). Through the funeral rites the Church “commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins” (OCF 6). The text of the traditional Introit or Entrance Antiphon given for the Funeral Mass reminds us that at the funeral we gather to pray for the repose of the soul of the deceased: “Eternal rest grant unto him/her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him/her.” Confident in the love and mercy of God, we entrust the departed to Him through our prayers.
During the funeral, the Liturgy of the Word leads us to reflect on the Christian meaning of death. The readings from Scripture are not primarily about the one who has died, but about the hope we have in Jesus Christ. The homily, too, should “illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the risen Christ” and “must avoid the literary genre of funeral eulogy” (CCC 1688). The most profound consolation for those who mourn comes from the message of hope in life after death brought about through the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Christ.
During the Liturgy of the Eucharist of the Funeral Mass, the Church “expresses her efficacious communion with the departed: offering to the Father in the Holy Spirit the sacrifice of the Death and Resurrection of Christ, she asks to purify His child of his sins and their consequences, and to admit him to the Paschal fullness of the table of the Kingdom” (CCC 1689). The focus is always on Christ, who is the source of our hope and to whom we entrust the souls of the departed.
In November, and always, let us not deny the souls of our loved ones, nor the souls of any of the faithful departed, the benefit of our prayers.
Whenever I give a tour of a church and explain the different items that are typically found in Catholic churches, one of the elements that most fascinates many are the relics that are placed in the altar and are sometimes also on display in another part of the church. “That’s really a piece of him/her?” is a question I often hear.
The Catholic practice of venerating relics often seems strange to non-Catholics. It can seem strange to Catholics as well, especially in the United States where relics do not typically feature as prominently as they do in many churches in Europe, for example. The relics with which we are likely acquainted are very small and difficult to identify. They are typically a small piece of bone, a strand of hair, or, in the case of some more recently canonized saints like St. John Paul II and St. Teresa of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), a drop of blood. In Europe, however, it is not uncommon to find whole bodies laid to rest beneath one of the altars of a church, or other large and more recognizable relics on obvious display in reliquaries. In Padua, Italy you can view the tongue of St. Anthony—for example—who is not only very good at helping us find lost items but was also a very gifted preacher. One of my favorite relics is the right forearm and hand of St. Francis Xavier in the Church of the Gesù in Rome. It is with this arm that he is said to have baptized perhaps 700,000 people in India and other parts of Asia!
The practice of venerating relics is very ancient in the Church. The first reference commonly cited dates to about the year 155 AD with the martyrdom of St. Polycarp (who was a disciple of St. John the Apostle). The report of his martyrdom states that after Polycarp was burned at the stake his fellow Christians, “took up his bones, which are more valuable than precious stones and finer than refined gold, and laid them in a suitable place, where the Lord will permit us to gather ourselves together, as we are able, in gladness and joy and to celebrate the birthday of his martyrdom.” The practice of praying and celebrating the holy Mass over the tombs of martyrs is very likely the origin of the practice of placing martyrs’ relics (it is now permitted to use the relics of saints who are not martyrs as well) in altars.
Relics are categorized according to three classes. A first-class relic is some part of the saint’s body. A second-class relic is a piece of the saint’s clothing or another item that was used by the saint. A third-class relic is an object that has been touched to another relic. Regardless of the class, relics help us to feel connected to the saints in a real, tangible way. They also help us to understand that the stories of the saints are not legends (although some elements of their stories might be) but are the stories of real men and women throughout the ages who devoted their lives entirely to God.
On Sunday, October 28 the Diocese of New Ulm is privileged to host both first- and second-class relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina—better known as Padre Pio—at the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity in New Ulm. Be sure to make a pilgrimage to New Ulm that day to venerate the relics of this great saint. See if you can find out anything about relics that might be in your own church as well. Experience how venerating these relics helps you feel more tangibly connected to the saints throughout the ages.
In the last article we began to answer the question, “What exactly is a church?” As was explained, a church is much more than an event hall in which any activity can take place. It is even more than simply a place where Christians gather. A church is a building dedicated and set aside for worship and prayer, and a building with great meaning.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that when we enter a church we cross a threshold (cf. CCC 1186). It should be clear that we are entering a place unlike any other. Think about the beautiful churches that you yourself perhaps have visited; churches that truly struck you in some way as you entered, or even as you approached them. There are some churches that evoke in us true wonder and awe. We marvel at the craftsmanship, the artistry, the sacrifices made by the faithful for such a structure to be built and furnished, and at the overall effect the building has on us. We note how these churches move us to prayer, how they lift our spirits, and how they give glory to God. Many will comment on how they have felt “transported” as they entered a truly beautiful church. They felt as if they had left the mundane and worldly, and entered a place that is truly holy and sacred in which holy and sacred activities take place.
This is an appropriate experience. It is one that we should desire to evoke in the design of new churches or in the renovation of existing ones. As the Catechism states, the threshold we cross as we enter a church “symbolizes passing from the world wounded by sin to the world of the new Life to which all men are called” (CCC 1186). As we pass through the doors of a beautiful church we can have an experience of crossing the border from the fallen world affected by sin, evil, and disorder to the world redeemed by Christ and reconciled to the Father.
As we enter a church we pass from earth to heaven. As the Catechism explains, “Our visible churches, holy places, are images of the holy city, the heavenly Jerusalem, toward which we are making our way on pilgrimage” (CCC 1198). The Book of Revelation describes the heavenly Jerusalem as built of jasper and pure gold. The foundations of the city are adorned with every kind of jewel, and the gates are pearls (cf. Revelation 21:18-21). Thus churches are adorned with precious materials, stained glass, beautiful furnishings, and decorative paint schemes to manifest the beauty of heaven.
As mentioned in the previous article, a church building represents the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. This is why the same word is used for both realities. The cleanliness, order, and beauty of a church images the purity, order, and beauty of the souls of those redeemed by the Blood of Christ and made holy through prayer and the sacraments. It represents the state of soul that we must strive to attain as baptized Christians. As St. Augustine writes, “The work we see complete in this building is physical; it should find its spiritual counterpart in your hearts. We see here the finished product of stone and wood; so too your lives should reveal the handiwork of God’s grace” (alternate Second Reading, Office of Readings for