Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Which is the proper way to mourn the dead?

Funerais de Étienne Chevalier - ACC_1951_011_1.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These pictures contrast two ways of mourning the dead.

The picture above, by Jean Fouquet, shows the funeral of Étienne Chevalier, in the 15th century.  The picture below is a funeral car used in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  (Thankfully, most funeral cars here are more solemn.)

In the medieval scene, the coffin is carried and escorted by people who walked slowly and expressed sadness in their faces.  The general atmosphere is grave and solemn, a fitting expression of the terrible majesty of death.

The social costumes of the time show that man had a deeply Christian attitude about death; he did not flee in panic, nor did he camouflage death as  something nice and rosy.   This is because they were sons of the Church and believed in the Redemption and the Resurrection.

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Carro fúnebre moderno - ACC_1951_011_2.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modern funerals are different.

The trend is to make death look like a minor accident, and to erase any traces of its terrible aspect from everyday life.

The fact that our society is well advanced in technology, by singular coincidence, favors this trend. 

The funeral van shown above looks like a delivery van.  Remove the Cross and the curtain and it could just as well be a flower delivery van.

1 comment:

  1. Recently I heard a comment regarding suffering by Fr. Pablo Straub (Redemptorist). He said that for each wedding there would be two funerals. Suffering is inevitable. We cannot escape it -the ultimate event of which is death. When meditated on in a proper way it reminds us to think of ourselves and our last end.

    Since today is the Pro life march
    compare the modern funeral mentioned above to the way abortion is covered up and sanitized---no noise, no screams, no blood. Everything is white, clean, crisp and stainless steel. The emotional and spiritual suffering of the mother is denied and brushed off.

    What do we have to show the suffering of the little baby? Ultrasound films of the infant trying to pull away from the terminator and the silent scream of a helpless victim!

    God bless all of you on the streets in DC. I will be with you in prayer and spirit. In the end May God's Holy Will be done!

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