The Last Things: Religious symbolism in the Catholic funeral liturgy

By Father Michael N. Lavallee | pastor, St. Peter Parish, Northbridge

Symbols feature prominently in our daily lives. One of the most notable ways we frequently experience symbols is through our computer keyboard or touch screen. The letters and numbers we enter into our systems to access the Internet or create a document mean something to us and to the computer we are using. Computers function utilizing a complex internal network of numbers which allow various tasks to be carried out. Although the computer symbols we use make certain things we need take place, we are usually unaware of the computer’s internal activity which the use of our symbols initiates.

Something similar happens when we participate in the Church’s liturgies. As we participate in them, we use a complex system of symbols which we often only dimly understand. Learning about the symbols in the Church’s funeral liturgy can create greater appreciation of the richness and meaning of it.

The Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus, 1992 defines symbol as “something chosen to stand for or represent something else, usually because of a resemblance in qualities or characteristics.” Thus, in the funeral liturgy, the variety of sacramentals, liturgical items, gestures, language and music used all point to various unseen, but important, theological realities. Church symbols often make tangible these realities which otherwise seem obscure.
Our exploration of the symbolism present within the Church’s funeral liturgy begins with where the liturgy is held, namely within a church building or chapel. The entrance of the casket or cremains through the church doors and into the church reminds us that the deceased belongs to Christ and is a member of the Church through baptism. Through the funeral liturgy, the family lovingly hands the deceased person back to the Church, through which the gift of eternal life is dispensed to the faithful.

The first sacramental used during the funeral liturgy is holy water. In Catholic Customs and Traditions: A Popular Guide, author Greg Dues teaches, “Taking Holy water before entering church is a way of remembering one’s baptism with a hint of purifying oneself before approaching the presence of God.” At the beginning of the funeral Mass, the priest blesses the casket or cremains with holy water as a reminder that prior to this moment, the deceased person was baptized and made a member of the body of Christ. Their baptism also gave them the promise of eternal life. This is because in baptism they died with Christ to later share in his resurrection from the dead.  

It is the baptismal promise of eternal life which makes understandable the next two symbols used during the funeral liturgy – the Easter candle and the pall. The large, white Easter candle, placed at the head of the casket or near the cremains during the liturgy represents the presence of the risen Christ in the community. It is the risen Christ who once made the promise of eternal life to the deceased at his or her baptism and it is he who will fulfill this promise to the deceased in eternal life. The Church also lights it at baptisms and Masses throughout the Easter season.  

The pall symbolizes baptism itself. The pall, a large, white cloth that covers the casket, is placed on the casket after the celebrant’s sprinkling of it with holy water. The pall reminds the congregation that the deceased is a baptized member of the Church. It is baptism which links all levels of the Church together and preserves the bond the deceased person still has with family members and loved ones left behind. Therefore, it also represents the truth of the address, made by the celebrant, at the beginning of the Vigil service in the Order of Christian Funerals, which declares, “we believe that all the ties of friendship and affection which knit us as one throughout our lives do not unravel with death.” The Christian symbol placed on the casket after the pall has been placed on it is usually a sacramental which, Fr, Joseph M. Champlin explains in Through Death to Life, represents “the Christian life” itself. Such a sacramental is often a treasured possession of the deceased such as a crucifix, rosary or Bible. Such sacramentals remind us that Christian life is a daily lived reality, sustained by prayer.

The vestments the priest and deacon use for the funeral Mass are white, the liturgical color of baptism and of the Easter season. The specific names of funeral vestments used by priests and deacons all have specific symbolic meanings understood by the Church.

The funeral Mass readings focus the attention of the faithful upon the hopeful message of God’s everlasting love, given through Christ through faith and baptism, to the deceased and those grieving their passing. They also remind the faithful that Christ is present to them now, in their sorrow, with his care.

In his book Catholic Customs and Traditions: A Popular Guide, author Greg Dues explains “The use of incense has been part of the Church’s rituals since the beginning of Christianity … (incense) has been used to purify, to bless and to symbolize the motion of prayer upwards to God.” Thus, at the funeral Mass, the celebrant’s use of incense reminds those present that the entire liturgy is a prayer of the Church for the repose of the deceased’s soul.

The culmination of the Liturgy of the Eucharist is the consecration of the bread and wine by the priest into Christ’s Body and Blood which the faithful then receive in holy Communion. As the pall reminds the faithful of their baptismal bond with the deceased, so holy Communion, when received worthily, unites the communicant with Christ, all the Church’s faithful on all levels of the Church and the deceased person, thus strengthening Christ’s Body.

The conclusion of the funeral liturgy involves the “Final Commendation” including the “Song of Farewell.” This portion of the liturgy addresses the belief of the Church in the world to come. In the “Song of Farewell,” the Church’s prayer includes a request that the “saints of God” help the deceased person with their prayers, that the “angels of the Lord … hasten to meet” him in heaven. The origins of this description are found in Luke 16:22. Thus, when the Church prays the “Final Commendation,” she is asking of God that the deceased person comes to enjoy the fulfillment of heaven.

This reflection on the symbolism of the funeral liturgy helps us understand how, with its deep meaning, it may encourage and console mourners in faith while assisting the deceased in prayer.  

In these contemporary times, various celebrations are sometimes proposed as valid alternatives to the funeral liturgy for deceased Catholics. Yet, these lack sacraments, reflection on the word of God, prayer and helpful consideration of the promise of baptism which only the funeral liturgy provides. The Mass offers the greatest and most efficacious prayer for the deceased. Knowing this fact, Catholics may arrange for Masses to be celebrated for their deceased brothers and sisters in faith who die without a funeral Mass.

Doing this shows charity towards their friends and respect for their lives. Catholics who are soon facing death are also encouraged to make clear their wishes to responsible family or friends that they want a funeral Mass celebrated for them when they pass away.

Do you have questions about Catholic death and burial that have not been answered in “The Last Things” series? Send a question to associate@catholicfreepress.org by Nov. 29. Some will be answered by author, Father Michael N. Lavallee, in the final segment of the series to be published Dec. 6.