Funerals for Children Who Died before Baptism
#1023-1026
1023 Reading I from the Old Testament
1.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts
will provide for all peoples.
On this mountain he will destroy
the veil that veils all peoples,
the web that is woven over all nations;
he will destroy death forever.
The Lord GOD will wipe away
the tears from all faces.
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Commentary on Is 25:6a, 7-8b
Isaiah once more envisions the messianic kingdom where there is no enmity between peoples, there is not want, and the whole world rejoices in that great peace. This reading is favored at funeral liturgies because of its image of the heavenly kingdom and the consolation of God.
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2.
The favors of the LORD are not exhausted,
his mercies are not spent;
They are renewed each morning,
so great is his faithfulness.
My portion is the LORD, says my soul;
therefore will I hope in him.
Good is the LORD to one who waits for him,
to the soul that seeks him;
It is good to hope in silence
for the saving help of the LORD.
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Commentary on Lam 3:22-26
In the third poem by the author of Lamentations, the heartbreak of great calamity turns to hope in God's great mercy. The passage is a litany of faith in God's mercy. In the end, God will not forsake his faithful ones; his salvation is an outstretched hand always there in time of need.
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1024 Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Your way, O Lord, make known to me;
teach me your paths.
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
Relieve the troubles of my heart;
bring me out of my distress.
Preserve my life and rescue me;
let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
R. To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
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Commentary on Ps 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7b, 17 and 20
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” be made known. This request directs us to repentance and ultimately justice. In the first strophe of this hymn of thanksgiving we hear support for our belief that God did indeed answer the prayers of the faithful. Their trust is justified. The song continues as an individual prayer asking for guidance and salvation. It concludes with confidence that the Lord will be merciful.
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1026 Gospel
1.
At that time Jesus responded:
"I give praise to you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him."
"Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
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Commentary on Mt 11:25-30
Jesus has just completed a fairly scathing criticism of the people in the places he has been and performed miracles, yet many have not accepted him as the Messiah. He now concludes this section on a more joyous note as he reflects that, while the scribes and Pharisees (“the wise and learned”) have not understood who he is, those with simple faith have accepted him freely. He then issues an invitation to all who “labor and are burdened” quoting an invitation similar to one in Ben Sirach to learn wisdom and submit to her yoke (Sirach 51:23, 26).
“This Q saying, identical with Luke 10:21-22 except for minor variations, introduces a joyous note into this section, so dominated by the theme of unbelief. While the wise and the learned, the scribes and Pharisees, have rejected Jesus' preaching and the significance of his mighty deeds, the childlike have accepted them. Acceptance depends upon the Father's revelation, but this is granted to those who are open to receive it and refused to the arrogant. Jesus can speak of all mysteries because he is the Son and there is perfect reciprocity of knowledge between him and the Father; what has been handed over to him is revealed only to those whom he wishes.” [1]
The final verses of this section are found only in St. Matthew’s Gospel and promise salvation to those who are downtrodden or in pain. “In extending his extraordinary invitation Jesus is speaking as one possessing the full authority and compassion of God. ‘Come to me, you all you grown weary with labor and heavily burdened!’ The proclamation has all the universality and power that only a divine call to mankind can have, the sort of blessed clamor of God’s compassion within human history that we hear in the prophets.” [4]
CCC: Mt 11:25-27 2603, 2779; Mt 11:25-26 2701; Mt 11:25 153, 544, 2785; Mt 11:27 151, 240, 443, 473; Mt 11:28 1658; Mt 11:29-30 1615; Mt 11:29 459
CCC: Mt 11:25-27 2603, 2779; Mt 11:25-26 2701; Mt 11:25 153, 544, 2785; Mt 11:27 151, 240, 443, 473; Mt 11:28 1658; Mt 11:29-30 1615; Mt 11:29 459
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2.
Mark 15:33-46
At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
"Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?"
which is translated,
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
"Look, he is calling Elijah."
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed,
and gave it to him to drink, saying,
"Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down."
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
"Truly this man was the Son of God!"
There were also women looking on from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of the younger James, and of Joses, and Salome.
These women had followed him when he was in Galilee
and ministered to him.
There were also many other women
who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
When it was already evening,
since it was the day of preparation,
the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea,
a distinguished member of the council,
who was himself awaiting the Kingdom of God,
came and courageously went to Pilate
and asked for the Body of Jesus.
Pilate was amazed that he was already dead.
He summoned the centurion
and asked him if Jesus had already died.
And when he learned of it from the centurion,
he gave the Body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down,
wrapped him in the linen cloth,
and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
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Commentary on Mk 15:33-46
In this passage we are given St. Mark's narrative about the final moments of Jesus' earthly life as he hung upon the cross and the interment of Lord in the tomb. St. Mark's narrative begins with darkness blanketing the whole land, probably a reference specifically to Judea as the Messiah is sacrificed. This could also be a veiled recollection of the darkness called down by Moses (see Exodus 10:22).
Jesus cries out "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" which is translated by Mark immediately. It is also found in Psalm 22:2. There the phrase is spoken as the suffering of the upright individual who turns to God at a time of extreme need. Here, in the voice of Christ, we hear the despair not of failing in his mission but rather more a plea for God not to abandon those he loves. The fact that a bystander misunderstands the cry as one invoking Elijah is likely representative of a confusion of language between the Greek and Hebrew. Elijah was of course expected by the Hebrews to return at the time the Messiah was to appear (see Malachi 3:1ff). Hearing him cry out one of the bystanders wet a sponge with wine to see if the mistaken request would be answered. Christians see this as a fulfillment of Psalm 69:22b "... and for my thirst they gave me vinegar."
The Lord gives a loud cry in St. Mark's Gospel differs from the later accounts of Luke 23:46 ("Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Father, into your hands I commend my spirit'”) and the more theological account from John 19:30 (“It is finished."). "Patristic writers often regard the cry as a manifestation of the freedom with which Jesus handed over his life to the Father." [2]
With the death of the Lord, the symbol is provided for the reality of his triumph. "The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom." The curtain being referenced stood between the faithful and the Holy of Holies. It is torn essentially in half, opening the passage between the two spaces. It can also be interpreted as the very temple of God in Jerusalem mourning the passing of the Savior (as one rending their garments in grief). The conclusion of this event provides the long awaited climax of St. Mark's Gospel as a Centurion, a gentile identifies Jesus as the Son of God.
There were also present a number of men and women from his entourage. These women would have been figures seen throughout Jesus travels as being both patrons of his ministry and precipitants of his kindness. One of the male members, Joseph of Arimathea, received permission to buy the body of Jesus. While the timing is somewhat confused, the corpse (Mark uses this stark word) is placed in the tomb and covered with a burial cloth (not completely prepared for burial - that task was to be carried out later with startling results.
CCC: Mk 15:34 603, 2605; Mk 15:37 2605; Mk 15:39 444
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3.
John 19:25-30
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved,
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, "I thirst."
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
"It is finished."
And bowing his head, he handed over the Spirit.
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Commentary on Jn 19:25-30
This selection picks up the Passion Narrative from St. John's Gospel following the Lord's trial and conviction. Here the Evangelist records Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman”, is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618)[3]. The Lord, nearing the end of his life commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no biological brothers of sisters (Also inferred is that his mother's husband, Joseph, has already passed away). In this instance, while it can be assumed that this disciple is St. John, the author, this tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic, that is she is given into the care of all of the disciples whom Jesus loves. Seeing her Son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.
The narrative continues describing the Lord's last moments of life on the cross. The prophecy to which John refers when saying "...in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled" was Psalm 69:22. While Matthew and Mark speak about this event, only John relates it specifically to the prophetic literature. After this final act, the Lord "handed over his spirit."
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[1] See NAB footnote on Matthew 11:25ff
[2] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 42:93, p.58
[3] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 198
[4] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 710
[2] Jerome Biblical Commentary, Prentice Hall, Inc., © 1968, 42:93, p.58
[3] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 198
[4] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 710
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