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   Fr. Josh Miller (frjoshmiller@rcsocial.net)'s status on Thursday, 05-Jan-2023 02:30:39 JST Fr. Josh Miller

   in reply to

   • Deacon Scott

   @iDeacon Part of the issue is that these things tend to operate in the extremes. There's nothing wrong with the priest speaking to the person's love for family, their dedication to the parish, to the core of who they are -- as long as this isn't the most substantial content. I use it as a bridge to get to the meat of my homily, which has to do with death, our need to pray, and the nature of the Mass. I've heard too many homilies that never make this jump, though. And that's a problem.

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     Deacon Scott (ideacon@rcsocial.net)'s status on Thursday, 05-Jan-2023 02:30:40 JST Deacon Scott

     This has certainly been my experience at funerals. We should preach on the readings and save the eulogy for the graveside service. Don’t canonize the deceased, pray for them!

     “…priests give homilies that tell of the life that the deceased lived, the decedent’s love of various sports teams, and his family. They eulogize and label it a homily. After Communion, members of the man’s family are called to the pulpit to offer eulogies of their own. They postulate about what they believe their loved one is doing in heaven.

     When I die, please don’t offer a eulogy at my funeral. It’s not because I’m inherently opposed to being remembered, and certainly not because I don’t want my loved ones to gain comfort from sharing stories that they may have. It’s because that’s not the place for those activities and because doing so undermines the purpose of having a funeral Mass at all. The funeral liturgy is an act of worship, in which the Church gathers to commend the deceased to God’s mercy. It’s not merely an expression of grief.”

     https://www.catholic.com/magazine/online-edition/dont-say-a-eulogy-at-my-funeral