‘The Last Things’ series begins: Catholic teaching on death, burial

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

In St. Augustine’s Confessions, Augustine recounts the events of his mother, Monica’s, final illness and death in the city of Ostia. Augustine notes that his brother expressed to Monica “his hope that she might not die in a strange country but in her own land, since her end would be happier there.” Augustine tells us how Monica responded to his brother’s hope “Here you shall bury your mother …One thing only I ask of you, that you remember me at the altar of the Lord wherever you may be.” Augustine then continues by intimating the importance of Monica’s words by relating “once our mother had expressed this desire as best she could, she fell silent as the pain of her illness increased.”

Monica, a faithful Christian woman who prayed fervently for Augustine’s conversion and was finally given by God what she long interceded for, later was recognized as a saint by the Church. What mattered most to her was that after her death, she would be “remembered” at God’s altar by her sons, meaning that they would have Masses offered for the repose of her soul. St. Monica, St. Augustine and their family lived in the early centuries of the Church, around the time of the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Their ancient belief in the necessity of Masses for the dead teaches us this fundamental part of Catholic teaching on death.

The times in which we live today seem far removed from the days of St. Augustine, St. Monica and the early Christians. Modern technology, philosophy and recent developments in society have distanced the minds and hearts of today’s Christians from our origins. This distancing, combined with lack of theological knowledge and confusion about the correct way to respond to terminal illness and death, has left many contemporary Catholics at a loss.

An important way for the Church to respond to the current situation is to provide basic catechesis for Catholics on the subjects of terminal illness, death, burial and prayer for the deceased. This series of articles seeks to provide some of this catechesis by addressing these following questions and others not listed: As a Catholic, how should I respond to a terminal diagnosis or serious infirmity personally or as it affects someone in my family? What is death? What is a basic Catholic theological understanding of judgment and the “Last Things”? What are the three parts of a Catholic funeral? What is Catholic teaching on burial and cremation? Why do Catholics pray for the deceased? What is the responsibility of family members towards deceased loved ones in the years following their death and burial?

In years past, these basic teachings were known by many Catholics and were passed on to new generations through catechesis and practice of the faith. Presently, however, new generations of Catholics have not learned these truths and have adopted the mindset and practice of contemporary society concerning these matters. If new generations do not learn these teachings, the Catholic understanding concerning serious illness, death, liturgical practice, burial and the responsibility of families for the deceased will become irretrievably lost.

Throughout the coming weeks, articles in this series will appear in The Catholic Free Press for your reflection and study. It is our hope that the information contained within the articles may help the Catholics of today become reacquainted with basic Church teaching and serve as a practical means for planning responses to illness and death.

In closure, a great prayer of our Catholic Faith reminds us of the importance of these teachings. In The Hail Mary we pray “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” Through these words, we ask Our Lady, Queen of Heaven and of all the saints, to intercede for us so that we are properly prepared for the moment of our death. The prayer acknowledges that our human sinfulness may be an obstacle to us as we prepare for death and asks Our Lady to obtain for us grace from God so that we receive that grace and are reconciled to the Lord, ready to meet him when we die.