A Stranger at the Mass

I had the opportunity to attend a funeral today - not an altogether uncommon occurrence for a pastor - but what made this funeral different for me is that it was a Roman Catholic funeral.  I've not been to one of those before.

The chapel was very beautiful and well lit.  The stained glass windows were bright even though outside it was cold and grey and raining.  Wood carvings of the stations of the cross were placed around the room, and the symbols of the 12 apostles and the 4 gospels at the front.  At the back there was a gurgling water fountain. 

The service began with the singing of a Catholic hymn that I'd never heard.  "Here I Am, Lord" by Dan Shutte.  I like it quite a bit, and will see if I can track down the music. I think that it's one I'd like to play.  I found this version on youtube:



This was followed by a reading from the (Apocryphal) book of Wisdom 3: 1 - 9

But the souls of the upright are in the hands of God,
and no torment can touch them.
To the unenlightened, they appear to die,
their departure was regarded as a disaster,
their leaving us like an annihilation;
but they are at peace.
if, as it seemed to us, they suffered punishment,
their hope was rich with immortality,
slight was their correction, great will their blessings be.
God was putting them to the test
and has proved them worthy to be with him;
he has tested them like gold in a furnace,
and accepted them as a perfect burnt offering.
At their time of visitation, they will shine out;
as sparks run through the stubble so will they.
They will judge nations, rule over peoples,
and the Lord will be their king for ever.
Those who trust in him will understand the truth,
those who are faithful will live with him in love;
for grace and mercy await his holy ones,
and he intervenes on behalf of his chosen.

Being a minister from the Protestant side of the Christian fence, there was much about this "Mass of Christian Burial" that I missed. I am unfamiliar with many of the traditions of my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters - when to rise, when to sit, when to kneel, when to sing the antiphon with the cantor, etc...  But there is at least one thing that we share - both Catholics and Protestants (and I would assume, Orthodox as well) - and that is the untimely ringing of cell phones during the service. (It wasn't mine.  I know to turn mine off.)

My one complaint is that much of the Mass seemed very rote, that is, the readings were read very quickly  and responses (which I didn't know) were given back just as fast and I'm sure I missed most of what was said. 

There is something wonderful to be said for tradition (just ask the fiddler on the roof) but when outsiders miss the import and meaning because they don't know the traditions - when the traditions themselves become obscurants then we've failed a little.

My complaint, it should be noted, is a relatively minor one - at least for me. I do know enough of Christian tradition that I was able to fill in the gaps.  When the priest said, "May the Lord be with you." I knew to answer back, "And also with you."  I was glad (as "glad" as you can be to attend a funeral) to be able to share this time with my friends and fellow believers, though I wish I could have participated more fully with them.

- The term "Mass," by the way, is derived from the Latin word missa (dismissal), a word used in the conclusion of the Latin Mass: Ite, missa est. (Go; it is the dismissal.)  Long ago the word simply meant "dismissal" but has in Christian use come to mean something more and implies a sense of mission.  I like this.
"Go in peace to serve the Lord."