Catholic Traditio John O Brien's Funeral Tradition

Study of religion

A funeral is a service that is a way to acknowledge, celebrate and honour the life of a loved one who has passed away. This memorial service brings comfort to the people who mourn for the loss of a loved one and allow people to say goodbye, provide a support system for the friends and family and memorialise the deceased person. Within each religion there are a variety of funerary customs including many prayers, symbols and the destruction or preservation of the body. The customs involved in funerals comprise of the complexity of the beliefs and practices used by the religion or culture to respect and remember the dead. Within the Catholic Church, moderate divergence is observed between how the ritual is described and how it is practised, as seen in an interview conducted with an adherent of the Catholic Church. Although John O’Brien follows a reformed position on the continuum, he diverges moderately to the Catholic Church on the criteria: meaning of the funeral, the beliefs of the afterlife in the new world, understood by Victor Turners model, and the symbols used through out a funeral ceremony. Therefore, divergence between how rituals are described and how rituals are practised exists within the Catholic

tradition to a moderate extent as evident through the adherent to Catholicism, O’Brien.

Background
John O’Brien, aged 44, is a surveyor who religiously practices Roman Catholicism.

The O’Brien family having a strong Irish heritage, and John being the 4th generation in Australia. During his early years, John attended church every Sunday and regularly participated in Sunday School. He always attended state schools and missed out on the religious education that catholic education systems provided. John now attends church twice a year. Not as often as he would like to but with a hectic life and constantly not having enough time makes it hard to get there. Juggling the needs of 4 children and running a successful business, with keeping up a level of fitness and making time for other priorities makes it difficult to get there on a regular

basis.

Criteria 1- Meaning
Moderate divergences are evident between the teaching of the Catholic Church compared to the practice of the funeral for the interviewee, which is underpinned by the meaning of a funeral. The Church aims to express the efficacy of communion with the deceased by the participation of the community in communion, and the proclamation of an eternal life to the people in the community who gathered for the funeral. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992). The Catholic Churches firmly believe that the funeral’s ceremony is not about the celebration of the deceased person but more a celebration of mercy and salvations, of an eternal life and grace ("Eulogies Not Permitted at Catholic Funerals," 2018). The life of the deceased is not to be commemorated and extensive remembrance of the person who has died would lead to a forgetting of the Lord. “The homily in particular must ‘avoid the literary genre of funeral eulogy’ and illumine the mystery of Christian death in the light of the risen Christ,” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992). Whereas, the interviewee practices and follows the meaning of “funeral’s having two significant purposes to follow Catholic traditions and facilitate the persons passing into the afterlife and secondly as to reflect on the person’s life, their significance to those still living as part of the grieving and ultimately healing process.” (O’Brien, 2018). The Catholic church and the interviewee diverge significantly with the Catholic Church’s firm belief on funeral ceremonies are not a celebration of the deceased but more a celebration for the after life. Therefore, the Catholic Church and the interviewee diverge moderately which is evident with the divergences seen in the different meanings of the interview conducted and the Catholic Church.

Criteria 2- Symbols

The divergence between the practice of funerals and the prescribed symbols is evident to a significant extent. In a Catholic funeral there are many symbolic objects and figures that are evidently revealed within the funeral that connect back to the Catholic Church and the family of the deceased. The Crucifix, Eucharist, Bible, Rosary Beads, hymns are the main symbol included in a funeral ritual. “In human life, signs and symbols occupy an important place” ("The Catholic Funeral Rite includes symbols," 2012). As a being at once body and spirit, man expresses and perceives spiritual realities through physical signs and symbols ("Funeral Information : Funeral Ceremonies and Symbols," 2017). As a social being, man needs signs and symbols to communicate with others, through language, gestures, and actions. The same holds true for his relationship with God.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992). The sacred symbol of a Crucifix implements the symbolism of Jesus crucifixion as he died for the sins of the people and Jesus died on the cross to redeem humanity ("Catholic Funerals," 2017). The Eucharist is a symbol of the body of Christ, as Jesus sacrificed himself to pay respect by receiving and praying and for out sins. Another important symbol used in a funeral ceremony is the hymns, music and scripture readings. These symbols are played to assistance the celebration of the loved one’s life. The family usually selects the song for the funeral. The Scriptures are read during the ceremony as words from God, to show Jesus’s life and the various events that happened in his life and to give Catholic’s the power to fight the strengthen and temptation of their connection with God. While the Catholic Church describes and practices the meanings of these sacred symbols, the interviewee aligns and diverges to what the Catholic’s practices and follow symbolically. John believes symbols are import to the catholic church. It reminds him of deep history and the traditions of the church. “A lot of the symbolism may not be realised to the casual observer and leaders in the church would do well to take the time occasionally to explain them” (O’Brien, 2018).  Symbols are part of the ritual of catholic funerals they include: Scriptures read out during the ceremony are a reflection on the word of Christ, cross looks back on Baptism where Catholics first receive the sign of the cross on entering the church and the Rosary Beads are a reflecting prayer and the mystery of Christ. The Catholic church and the interviewee diverge in understanding of the meaning of the symbols to a moderate extent.

Criteria 3- New world (Heaven and Hell)

Through the examination of Heaven, Hell and Purgatory with use of van Gennep's model, divergence between the teachings of the Catholic Church and the interviewee's beliefs is evident. The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus started a new life in heaven after he died on the cross  ("HEAVEN, HELL AND PURGATORYT," 1999). They believe that if they lead a good life, their sprit will start a new life close to God and Jesus in heaven after they have deceased. The Catechism pf the Catholic Church states that: “Heaven is the ultimate end and fulfilment of the deepest human longings, the state of supreme, definitive happiness” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992). The interviewee diverges with these teachings in believing that life does not end with our last breath. He states that “humans have a special place on this earth and that our consciousness transcends our earthly existence and our conception of heaven does not necessarily accurately portray it, as it’s an imagining based on our current experience” (O’Brien, 2018). The Church teaches that Jesus has promised an eternal life for those who believe, even if you have sinned through out your life (M.D.Coogan, 1998). Hell is the eternal life of consequence for being sinful through out your life. This is evident in the Catechism where it states, “To die in mortal sin without repenting and accepting God's merciful love means remaining separated from him for ever by our own free choice. This state of definitive self-exclusion from communion with God and the blessed is called "hell." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1992). O'Brien once again diverges with these teachings when he states; “if you must qualify for heaven perhaps it makes sense that everyone else goes somewhere else and it is less pleasant.” (O’Brien, 2018). Therefore, through further investigation of the interviewee's views on heaven, hell and purgatory as opposed to the Catholic Church's teachings, it is clear that there is divergence between how the ritual is described and how it is practised.

Conclusion

Within Catholic tradition, there is a moderate amount of divergence between how rituals are described and how rituals are practised. This can be seen in an interview conducted with an adherent of the Catholic Church. While interviewee John O’Brien practices a reformed position on the continuum, he diverges moderately to the Catholic Church on the criteria of the symbols used through out a funeral ceremony, the meaning of the funeral and the beliefs of the afterlife in the new world which can bee seen through analysis of Turner’s model.