The Introit of the Mass is a fervent prayer, which may be said in every necessity and adversity: Bow down thy ear, O Lord, and hear me: save thy servant, O my God, who hopeth in thee: have mercy on me, O Lord, for I have cried to thee all the day. Give joy to the soul of thy servant: for to Thee, O Lord, I have lifted up my soul. (Ps. lxxxv.) Glory, &c.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH. May Thy continual mercy purify and defend Thy Church: and since without Thee it cannot be safe, may it always be directed by the influence of Thy grace. Through our Lord &c.

EPISTLE. (Gal. v. 25, 26.; vi. 1 - 10.) Brethren: If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be made desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in any fault, you, who are spiritual, instruct such a one in the spirit of meekness, considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens: and so you shall fulfil the law of Christ. For if any man think himself to be something, whereas he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every one prove his own work, and so he shall have glory in himself only, and not in another. For every one shall bear his own burden. And let him, that is instructed in the word, communicate to him, that instructeth him, in all good things. Be not deceived, God is not mocked. For what things a man shall sow, those also shall he reap. For he that soweth in his flesh, of the flesh also shall reap corruption. But he, that soweth in the spirit, of the spirit shall reap life everlasting. And in doing good, let us not fail. For in due time we shall reap not failing. Therefore, whilst we have time, let us work good to all men, but especially to those who are of the household of the faith.

EXPLANATION

This epistle is taken, like that of Sunday before last, from the epistle of St. Paul to the Galatians, in which St. Paul shows them the insufficiency of the Jewish law, and that they can only be saved by a lively faith in Christ, but now he admonishes them to carry out this faith in good works. You now live, he tells them, in the Spirit, that is, the Holy Ghost animates your hearts by His grace, enlightens, confirms, and inflames you, admonishes and teaches you, impels your hearts to do good; you must, therefore, also regulate your external conduct accordingly, and you must particularly devote yourself to the practice of humility and charity, as the foundations of a truly spiritual life. Humility must teach and move you to have a little opinion of yourself, that you avoid vain glory, and do not confide in your own strength. But charity should impel you to be meek and compassionate to all, even sinners, to correct them charitably, and lead them back to the path of virtue; since he who is harsh to the erring, despises them, and treats them roughly, is often permitted by the permission of God to fall into the same, nay, often even greater sins.

Particularly you must show your charity for one another, that one bears the burdens of another: that you bear the faults and imperfections of others just as patiently, as you wish others to bear with your own imperfections; thus you will fulfil the law of Christ, which commands us to love our neighbor; you will prevent many sins which come into existence, when we consider ourselves perfect, without blemish, and, therefore, raise ourselves above others, criticise their failings, and cause disturbance. He who acts thus, deceives himself, and is no credit to himself. True glory consists in this, that we learn to know ourselves, our faults, and inclinations always better, that we battle with them and lay them aside, since every one has enough faults to correct in himself. Be also grateful to those who instruct you in the word of God, and give them some of your goods. Do not deceive yourselves, however, with regard to what has been said concerning the manner of living as a true Christian, God will not be trifled with. For what you sow, you shall reap; if you only follow the dictates of the desires of the flesh, do not mortify yourselves, do not correct your failings, and do indulge your sinful appetites, you will one day reap death, destruction, and damnation, whereas, on the contrary, if you follow the dictates of the Holy Ghost and do good untiringly, you will reap of the Spirit of life.

Let us obey this doctrine, for it is also of interest to us, and impress deeply on our heart, that without mortification of body and soul we cannot be saved.

ASPIRATION. O St. Paul! beg of God the grace for me, that I may always walk in humility and the love of my neighbor, particularly in bearing with his imperfections and failings, and thus fulfil the law of Christ in this as well as in all things.


GOSPEL. (Luke vii. 11 -16.) At That Time: Jesus went into a city called Naim: and there went with Him His disciples, and a great multitude. And when He came nigh to the city, behold, a dead man was carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow: and much people of the city were with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her: Weep not. And he came near and touched the bier. And they that carried it, stood still. And he said: Young man, I say to thee, arise. And he that was dead, sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. And there came a fear on them all: and they glorified God, saying: A great prophet is risen up amongst us, and God hath visited his people.

Why did Christ show compassion to this widow?

To convince us, that God takes sorrowful and destitute widows under His protection, and is to them a consoler and helper; and to teach us to do the same. Woe, therefore, to those who instead of consoling and supporting widows and orphans, rather oppress them, and cause them to weep. The tears and cries of widows will rise up to God, who will terribly punish the injuries inflicted upon them. (Exod. xxii. 22)

Christ had still other reasons for compassion, for He saw in this deceased youth the death of sinners, and in the afflicted mother the pain which the Church, our mother, experiences at the loss of so many of her children, who are tempted by the evil spirit and the corrupt world to all vices, or who are infected by the spirit of lies and error, and exclude themselves from salvation. This was the principal cause which moved our Saviour to compassion, and this should also awaken our compassion. If we are faithful children of our mother, the Church, it is impossible for us not to share her sorrow, and we would surely not be her children, and even spiritually dead, if we could without sorrow contemplate how many daily die spiritually by sins of all sorts, and so many who are partly already captives of the darkness of error and become partly seduced to error, and thus, separated from the living body of Christ, hasten to eternal destruction. O let us pray daily without ceasing with the Church to Jesus, that He may raise sinners from their terrible spiritual death, may enlighten those in error, so that all may recognize the truth, and find and walk the path which leads to life!


Why did Christ say to the widow: Weep not?

He wished to moderate her excessive sorrow, and to teach us, that we should not be sorrowful over the loss of our relatives, like the heathens who have no hope of resurrection to eternal life. (These, iv. 12.) Patient resignation to the will of God becomes the Christian, who believes and hopes in a resurrection, and this with prayer and good works will be more useful to the deceased than many tears.


What else do we learn from this gospel?

That no one, be he ever so young and healthy, is safe from death, wherefore we should always be prepared to die.


INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DEATH

If there were locked up in a prison several hundred persons, over whom sentence of death had been irrevocably pronounced, and of whom none knew the day or hour of death; if in the mean time one after the other, and often he who least thought of it, was taken out to be executed; would not every one's heart tremble, whenever the prison-door was opened? Now the irrevocable sentence of death is pronounced over us all; we are all locked up in our bodies, as in a prison (Ps. cxiv. 8.); one after the other is taken out, and yet we do not care in the least for it. We live as though we could live forever; we think only of the body, that it is well; only for this we heap up wealth, but for the soul nothing is done, except that we load it with sins and vices.

Is this rational? The body will be food for worms, but the soul (without knowing, when) will travel into the house of eternity, to which place she must bring treasures of good works, or must already have brought them, in order to live happy for all eternity. Who would, therefore, be so foolish and daring as to care for the body during life, and neglect the salvation of the soul?

O man, says St. Francis of Sales (Phil. part. i. chap. 13.), represent to yourself in lively colors, that at your death the world will cease to exist with respect to you. For you there will no longer be any world; you will see how it perishes before your eyes. For in that last hour the pleasures, the vanities, the riches, the honors, the friendships, and all which were dear to you, will disappear before your eyes as so many shadows. Ah! fool that I am! you will then say, for what trifles and fooleries have I lost all! On the contrary piety, good works, penance, &c, will appear pleasant to you, and you will exclaim: O, why did I not travel on this blessed road! Then the sins which you consider as mere trifles, will seem to you like mountains, and all that you thought you had accomplished as great things, with regard to piety, will seem to you very little.

What terrible fear will then seize your soul, when she must all alone travel into the bottomless abyss of eternity, which, as St. Bernard says, devours all possible imaginable ages, and of which St. Gregory says, that we can easier say, what it is not than what it is. What terrors will befall her, when she must appear before the tribunal of God, whom she never really loved and honored in her life-time, and before whom she must now give the strictest account, and hear an irrevocable and just sentence!

Should these thoughts not make an impression upon you? But how can you escape this terrible condition? By this, that you now live, as you would wish to have lived at the hour of death. Learn the science of dying a good death in your life-time, it is the highest science which we can practise only once. Die daily with St. Paul, in as much as you crucify the flesh and its lusts, and voluntarily withdraw your heart from the world, its pomps and vanities, before death will do this with violence; for, says a wise and pious man: "He who dies, before he dies, will not die, when he dies."


PRAYER. O world! because I cannot know the hour, in which I must leave you, I will not be attached to you. O you dear friends and relatives, you, too, I will in future love only with a holy inclination, directed to God, which will not cease with death, but remain forever. O Lord! help me, that I may die totally to myself and the world, and live only for Thee, and partake of eternal happiness. Of these people who accompanied the funeral of the youth, we should learn to give the last honor to the death, and accompany their bodies to the grave, which is a meritorious work and one pleasing to God (Tob. 1. 20, 21.; ii. 3.), if it be not performed from vanity and selfinterest, but from a good motive and for love of God and the deceased, in order to assist him by prayer. Therefore those do very wrong, who from worldly motives either omit this good work entirely, or during the funeral procession indulge in vain talk and grudge the deceased even a short prayer.

Why is a cross carried before the dead body?

By this is indicated, that the deceased during life professed Christ, died in the faith in Him, and hopes for resurrection through Him.

Why are lighted candles carried before the bier?

By this the Church wishes to represent her desire, that the deceased may be received into the eternal light through the grace of God, and that we should, therefore, pray for him. This custom is very ancient, for St. Cyprian who was beheaded for Christ's sake, in the year 258 after Christ, was buried with wax-candles and torches, with prayer and great solemnity. (Ruinart.)

Why are the coffin and the grave sprinkled with holy water?

In order, as St. Thomas Aquinas (Lib. iii. art. 21.) remarks, to implore God that, on account of the prayers which the Church says when she blesses the water, the souls of the faithful may be cleansed from all stains, and may receive consolation and refreshment in the tortures, which they may still have to suffer.

Why are the body and the grave incensed?

By this the Church indicates, that the deceased by his Christian calling was a sweet perfume of Christ (ii. Cor. ii. 14,15.), and admonishes the faithful, that they should send up their prayers to heaven like incense for the deceased.

Why are Psalms and other sacred canticles sung?

This is done to remind us of the teaching of St. Paul (i. Thess. iv. 12.), not to be excessively sorrowful for the loss of the deceased, like the heathens who have no hope of a resurrection to eternal life. We also signify, thereby, that we congratulate the dead for the peace which they now enjoy. (Apoc. iii.) This custom as St. Jerome shows (Ep. 53.), is derived from the apostles, who interred St. Stephen with Psalms and hymns of praise.

Why are the bells rung?

To invite the faithful to the funeral and to pray for the dead, who, during his life-time, was called very often by the same bells, prayed with and for us during religious worship, and who is not separated from us by death.

Why are the bodies of the faithful buried with the head towards the East, and those of the priests towards the West?

The faithful are buried towards the East, whence the sun rises, to indicate, that they are waiting for Christ who is called the Orient from on High (Luke i. 78.), and whose voice they will hear at the end of the world, when He calls them to the resurrection; the priests towards the West, as a sign, that on the day of judgment they will be placed opposite to the souls, confided to them, to give an account of their charge, and to bear judgment for or against them.

Why is a cross or monument erected over the grave?

To show that the deceased was a follower of Christ, the Crucified, and to admonish the passers by to pray for him, and to remind us of the just moment of death.

Why is the body laid in consecrated ground, near the Church?

This is done through reverence for the bodies of the dead which are, by baptism, temples of the Holy Ghost; to show that, even in death, they still belong to the communion of that holy Church, in which they were embodied during life by baptism, and clung to it in faith even until death; to inspire the surviving with a holy fear from profaning the graves.

Why is the solemn funeral service of the Church denied to heretics?

Because they would not belong to the Church during life, and despised the holy customs and prayers of the Church for the dead. How should the blessing and prayer of the Church be useful in death to one, who despises them during life?

Why does the Church not permit criminals and suicides to be buried in consecrated ground?

In order to express her horror for the crimes perpetrated by them, and to deter the faithful from committing similar actions.