Lutheran Funerals
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- biogardener
- jerrib
- biogardener
- H2O
- biogardener
- H2O
- biogardener
- H2O
- biogardener
- reddeer20
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» biogardener - A Roman Catholic Funeral
I like what John says about celebrating resurrection in a funeral, but I also want to hear how the deceased's life has impacted other lives for eternity. On Friday, April 1, 2005, the day before Pope John Paul II died, I went to the strangest funeral ever. During the whole service, the name of the deceased was not mentioned once, and no eulogy was read. There were no prayers for him or his family. All the prayers were for the survival of the Pope and all the talk was about the life of the Pope. At the reception, there was no mention of either the deceased or the Pope.I would have thought that I might have gone to the wrong church, but the program which was handed out showed the name and photo of the deceased with his birth and death dates on the front and the 23rd Psalm printed on the back.
So why bother with a funeral?
That was my first time in that church and possibly my last. I have attended many other RC funerals, and they weren't like that at all.
-- posted by biogardener
» jerrib - Re: my unorthodox views of death
In response to my unorthodox views of death posted by biogardener:I like your way, Traute. Celebrating someone's life is certainly easier on those left behind. We had a memorcial service for my husband's mother at a park, and it was a wonderful way to honor her.
-- posted by jerrib
» biogardener - Graves
I also don't visit graves in Canada. In Germany, I visit cemetary because they are beautiful parks. Canadian cemetaries are boring. I don't even visit the graves of my parents, and I don't care what anyone thinks about it. I showed my parents all the love and respect I could as long as they were with me. I still connect to their souls, but I have no intention of pretending to honor their earthly bodies. I look forward to being reunited with them in heaven. When they greet me there, they won't ask me, "Why didn't you go and make a fuss over our rotting bodies?"Don't get me wrong. If you enjoy visiting someone's grave, by all means, do. I don't. I would rather visit someone who is lonely and needs my encouragement.
-- posted by biogardener
» H2O - Re: Graves
In response to Graves posted by biogardener:Excellent point, Traute. We often visit the graves of the deceased but neglect those who are alone, lonely, or in need of help, companionship, or an ear to hear.
I had an aunt that had a totally opposite view. She traded in her ground plot for a mausoleum because she didn't want to be buried. Then the cemetary built a mausoleum where the deceased are encrypted indoors and it was heated and air condition, so she traded up for a crypt there so she wouldn't freeze or get too hot. That still wasn't good enough. She went back to trade that for a crypt by a window so she could see who visited her.
I don't believe her own daughters come to her crypt very much these days.
I'll never understand some people.
John
-- posted by H2O
» biogardener - Your aunt
I guess your aunt wasn't a Christian, or else she would have wanted to be in heaven rather than in a mausoleum. If she ever read the Bible or received Christian teaching, either she did not take it seriously or else she did not understand it.-- posted by biogardener
» H2O - Re: Your aunt
In response to Your aunt posted by biogardener:I'm not going to pass judgment on her faith. She attended Catholic Mass regularly. Christians have differing levels of maturity. It's in God's hand to determine if she had faith or not. The amount of faith doesn't determine salvation. She was rather eccentric anyway, so we took it as part of her personality.
John
-- posted by H2O
» biogardener - Brainwashing
Maybe your aunt was the product of the North American funeral industry, or maybe I should say US funeral industry, which tries to brainwash people into investing in the future by paying for their services. So maybe faith does not even come into it.In 1961, while visiting my uncle in Lost Angeles, he took me to sightseeing, and the only thing I remembered him showing me was some huge cemetary where caskets were stacked in mausoleums. He thought that it was a great place worth showing to visitor. I thought it was the most boring place I have ever visited.
In the last 10 years, most of the Canadian funeral homes have been bought up by US mega-companies. Funerals are now mass-produced business instead of the beautiful European-style family celebrations to which I have been accumstomed.
The entire German community in Winnipeg used to be serviced by a funeral parlor owned by a German Mennonite. It still bears his name, but he sold it shortly before he retired last year. The sudden change in atmosphere is shocking everyone.
At the last funeral there, it was obvious that the deceiced, a centenarian, would not have approved of the type of service which he received in a funeral parlor instead of in the church. Almost no German was spoken during the service, even though almost all the attendees spoke German to each other almost exclusively at the reception. A German lady, about 80 years old, best expressed what all were feeling. She worried that this might happen to her, but I assured her that her children will respect her wishes. She brought them up right. They will just have to use the last remaining Canadian-owned funeral parlor.
The attendees also were unhappy with the food served, dainty little sandwiches on white bread. No self-respecting German is going to eat white bread when we have several wonderful German bakeries in town whose bread is available in every grocery store in the city.
-- posted by biogardener
» H2O - Re: Brainwashing
In response to Brainwashing posted by biogardener:Interesting observations, Traute. In many Lutheran churches there is still a Ladies Aid group that will supply a luncheon after the funeral. They don't serve dainty sandwiches, either. We replicated this this last Good Friday after the Good Friday service. Also, many Lutheran pastors get involved in how the service is conducted. In most towns I know, the martician and pastors have good, professional working relationships and the family's wishes are usually carried out.
But the funeral industry has become big business. Cash up front.
John
-- posted by H2O
» biogardener - Church funerals
Fortunately, most funeral parlors are way too small for funerals, and yes, in the churches, the ladies take control of the lunch, and they know what kind of food the congregation prefers. The funeral parlors are taking advantage of the grief of families, persuading them that they are well equipped to look after everything, when they don't even have the space to seat half the attendees who then have to listen to the service from another room. They also have an arrangement with one certain caterer who does not allow for ethnic variety. I have seen the identical sandwiches served in all funeral parlors in Winnipeg, and in every case, the few dark bread sandwiches got eaten first, and no one wanted the white bread sandwiches.Maybe these disasters will prompt people to make sure ahead of dying that the style and place of their funeral is nailed down in their will and in directives to their family and pastor.
Even my son has told me what kind of funeral celebration he wants in case he dies before me.
-- posted by biogardener
» reddeer20 - Re: Church funerals
In response to Church funerals posted by biogardener:
Wow! Now my "living Will " has to include whether I want white or whole grain bread. Re - Terri Shaivio - careful what I have to say when the MaGavins commercial is on.
-- posted by reddeer20
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