Denver Catholic

23 DENVER CATHOLIC | JULY 23-AUGUST 12, 2016 Cremains and respect for the human body I n the famous story of David and Goliath, Goliath boasts to the young David that after he kills him, he will give his fl esh "to the birds of the sky and beasts of the fi eld." He conveys his profound disdain for David by speaking this way, deprecat- ing even his corpse. This oŠ ends our sensibility that dead bodies should not be desecrated, but should instead be respectfully buried. Proper dispo- sition and care of another's body also manifests our Christian faith in the resurrection of that body on the Last Day. Over time, this has evolved into a deeper understanding about the handling of corpses, including regula- tions surrounding cremation. For Catholics, cremation is consid- ered an acceptable form of handling the human body after death, although as noted in the Order of Christian Funerals, cremation "does not enjoy the same value as burial of the body.… The Church clearly prefers and urges that the body of the deceased be present for the funeral rites, since the presence of the human body better expresses the values which the Church aŸ rms in its rites." Moreover, cremation can lead to problematic practices, which Cardi- nal Raymond Burke references in a Pastoral letter to the faithful in the Diocese of La Crosse in the year 2000: "With the growing practice of cre- mation, there has also developed a certain lack of care for the cremated remains of the dead. Funeral direc- tors who have been asked to store the cremated remains report that those remains often are left unclaimed by family or friends. Those charged with the arrangements for the funeral rites of the deceased should see that the cremated remains are interred or entombed at the earliest possible time... It is not permitted to scatter cremated remains over a favorite place, and it is not permitted to keep cremated remains in one's home or place other than a cemetery...The cremated remains of one deceased person may not be mixed with the cremated remains of another person. It is not permitted to divide the cre- mated remains and inter or entomb them in more than one place." These clearly articulated concerns remind us of our obligation to respect the remains of the dead, even in their ashen state. By becoming lax in our approach to handling cremains, we can easily betray the respect that is owed. A story comes to mind involving a friend of mine who works as a pilot. He was asked to take up a passenger in a small plane for the "fi nal repose of ashes" into the ocean. As they were taking oŠ , he told the passenger, "Just be sure that you don't ever open that urn! It needs to be thrown overboard when I open the hatch window and give you the signal." The passenger, however, was determined to do it his way, and when the pilot opened the window, he popped oŠ the top of the urn and tried to scatter the ashes at sea. Instead, the ashes were seized by the violent air currents and scattered throughout the internals of the air- plane, among all the instrumentation and dials, and in the hair and clothing of both the pilot and the passenger. Another reason to bury cremains in the earth or inter them in a mau- soleum, rather than scattering them abroad, is to establish a particular place to be able to visit and pray for the soul of that person, in the physical presence of their mortal remains. The burial site serves as a point of refer- ence and connection to the embodi- ment of that individual, rather than reducing them to a kind of vague and wispy nothingness. Keeping Grandma's ashes on the fi replace mantle or up in the attic alongside the antique paintings is another problematic practice that can easily end up downplaying or denying her human dignity, tempting us to treat her mortal remains as just another item to be moved around among our various trinkets. It can be helpful to encourage the family, and all who are involved with cremains, to think about ashes in a manner similar to how we'd think about a full body. Would we keep a casket and corpse at home for a few weeks? If not, then we shouldn't do the same with someone's ashes. Regrettably, many people are not thinking about cremains as the revered remnants of a fellow human being, but more as something to be disposed of whenever it's convenient for our schedule and budget. We don't approach full-body caskets that way because we recognize more clearly the duty to bury our beloved dead. The sacred memory of our departed family and friends, in sum, calls us to carefully attend to their remains with authentic and objective gestures of respect. Making Sense of Bioethics Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D., serves as director of education at the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, www.ncbcenter.org. FATHER TADEUSZ PACHOLCZYK, PH.D. both those entering into the Church and away from the Church; and often instructs those in religious education and Sacramental preparation classes. Many deacons have extensive expertise in life issues. Some are medical professionals who stand before congressional committees to defend life and meet with any person or group to talk about what happens medically with the diŠ erent pro- cedures that terminate life. These deacons also visit with patients and families to help them understand the church's position on life issues. No doubt, they have turned a lot of people away from the culture of death through their ministries. The vast majority of deacons are certifi ed as advocates for annulments which can be a very spiritual experi- ence. One petitioner tells the story of how a deacon assisted her with the annulment process, helped her recon- cile her relationship with the church and is a spiritual advisor to her, even today. She would even seek his advice on any potential future spouse and felt he was more of a father fi gure than a friend. She lives a comfortable life with a beautiful young son and a wonderful husband. There are a couple of deacons who visit the homeless at Samaritan House. One deacon meets clients in the lunch rooms, eats with them, shares stories and then gathers them together for Bible study. Many of the men are anxious to come back when he is around to get their spiritual nutrition. He himself is a cancer sur- vivor and is dealing with debilitating disease; yet, his joy is with his friends at the homeless shelter. In the ministry of the liturgy, the deacon assists at the altar, coordinating the activities of the lit- urgy and promoting reverence. He also conducts baptisms, marriages and funerals. At the Mass, the deacon's right to the altar is because of his participa- tion with the faithful. He is ordained for the care of souls. One deacon pre- pares for Mass by greeting the Lord in the Adoration chapel and praying for the people at Mass. When he receives the gifts at the oŠ ertory, like all deacons, he recognizes the prayers of those in the congregation and presents them to the celebrant as an oŠ ering to God. Yet, the faithful gath- ered together on Sunday are unaware of the prayers that are being lifted up to God. Deacons preach by example. They harmonize their vocational sacra- ments of Marriage and Holy Orders and model themselves after Jesus. Many Deacons bond with the couples they have blessed in marriage and further their relationship by being available to them. There is a Deacon who sends a nice anniversary card to all the couples he has blessed and to couples of parents whose children he has baptized. The card often goes beyond a greeting and suggests that they meet and fi nd out what is hap- pening in the lives of the newlyweds and newly baptized. Even though we have learned much about deacons in the past 50 years, there is still much to discover and learn about the vocation. With the help of God and the wisdom of Holy Mother Church, the diaconal adventure will be fi lled with blessings and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

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