Bishop's Note: Christian Burial

Bishop Eric Menees

Dear brothers and sisters, 

I pray that this Bishop’s Note finds you safe and well! This week, tragically, we have passed 400,000 deaths in the United States due to COVID-19 and attending complications. How appropriate then that we continue our examination of the Pastoral Rites section of the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. Last week we examined the Prayers for the Vigil and now we begin the section covering Christian burial. The first thing we come to is the section titled, “Regarding Christian Death and Burial.” This is a section that many people often gloss over, because it’s not in the liturgy itself, but it’s good to read through because it frames the entire service.

First, this gives a Christian understanding of what death is. The world today wants to ignore death. Rather than a funeral or memorial many people are opting for celebrations of life or something similar. Rather than acknowledging the death that took place, these usually focus on the life they had. It’s good to give thanks to God for that life, but it shouldn’t be done in order to ignore the death.

Many people ignore death because death without Christ is scary. Jesus Christ changes everything. It’s solely because of him and his victory over death on the cross that death is now a foe doing the work of a friend. Death is never a good thing, and we as Christians need to stand up for life, but because of Jesus it now has a good effect for Christians. This section beautifully describes that by saying that “The burial of a Christian is an occasion of both sorrow and joy—our sorrow in the face of death, and our joy in Jesus’ promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting.”

Second, this section explains how we as Christians should act in regards to death. As is mentioned at the beginning, a burial is a time for both sorrow and joy, but this also has implications throughout our lives. We need to be mindful of our mortality and act accordingly. We shouldn’t live in ignorance or fear of death, we need to face it as Christians. This means not only living a Christian life, but preparing for our own death. Each of us as Christians should prepare wills and have funeral plans for when we do die. This is especially important for parents. For them it means making preparations for the security and care of their children.

I pray you all have a blessed Third Sunday of Epiphany!

REGARDING CHRISTIAN DEATH AND BURIAL

The burial of a Christian is an occasion of both sorrow and joy—our sorrow in the face of death, and our joy in Jesus’ promise of the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting. As the burial liturgy proclaims, “life is changed, not ended; and when our mortal body lies in death, there is prepared for us a dwelling place eternal in the heavens.” The Christian burial liturgy looks forward to eternal life rather than backward to past events. It does not primarily focus on the achievements or failures of the deceased; rather, it calls us to proclaim the Good News of Jesus and his triumph over death, even as we celebrate the life and witness of the deceased. The readings should always be drawn from the Bible, and the prayers and music from the Christian tradition. A wake preceding the service and a reception following the service are appropriate places for personal remembrances. Where possible, the burial liturgy is conducted in a church, and it is often celebrated within the context of the Eucharist. The Book of Common Prayer has always admonished Christians to be mindful of their mortality. It is therefore the duty of all Christians, as faithful stewards, to draw up a Last Will and Testament, making provision for the well-being of their families and not neglecting to leave bequests for the mission of the Church. In addition, it is important while in health to provide direction for one’s own funeral arrangements, place of burial, and the Scripture readings and hymns of the burial liturgy, and to make them known to the Priest.