Change in the weather and seasons perhaps gets us thinking about comfort foods as the temperature drops and we think of staying warm. Our Holy Name Breakfast this weekend at St. Peter can address that. So too the annual Potato Pancake Breakfast at St. Casimir on Nov. 16th
will fill your tummy and keep you nice and warm. Plan to be at both in the coming Sundays.
November starts with the celebration of all the saints and reminds us of the Holy Souls who need our prayers. Keep them in mind all month. Not everyone wants to think about death or funerals yet we will all face them. Looking ahead and planning a funeral will take a load off the family and those responsible for the details. Writing things down is very helpful in making sure your wishes are followed. Don’t assume that “well, they know”. Having a funeral will be a source of grace for you and a consolation for those who remain. The funeral Mass and burial is a means of closure for the living and helps in the grieving of a loved one. Burial is important. With
cremation the internment of the ashes is not to be put off as an after-thought. Holding onto the ashes puts a stop to part of the grieving that people may not even be aware of.
The Church’s funeral rites have been celebrated for centuries. They take into account our psychological and emotional needs in the face of death. There are many new trends and attitudes that reduce death and the human person down to things; as if we are simply machines that have worn out and now need to be disposed of. Each of us has great dignity even when
age or disease has robbed us of many of our abilities. We as a people of faith are looking forward to the resurrection. Our vision needs to go beyond what is in front of us and not be trapped in a functional or productive mentality that wants to take away our God given dignity. So, for all who are grieving and those who have died, let us pray for them all month long.
Fr. John A. Potaczek