Daily Collection taken from the optional Memorial of St. Callistus I, Pope and Martyr
Collect: O God, who raised up Pope Saint Callistus the First to serve the Church and attend devoutly to Christ’s faithful departed, strengthen us, we pray, by his witness to the faith, so that, rescued from the slavery of corruption, we may merit an incorruptible inheritance. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son…
“O God, who raised up Pope Saint Callistus the First to serve the Church and attend devoutly to Christ’s faithful departed”
— We praise God by praising his work as seen in Callistus. In particular, Callistus is a powerful example of the reverence we show to the bodies of the faithful departed as a sign of our belief in the Resurrection of the Body. His dedication to caring for their bodies is an example of the love which motivates the Church’s requirement that bodies and cremains (cremated remains) be properly buried and which motivates her to identify “burying the dead” as a work of mercy.
“strengthen us, we pray, by his witness to the faith, so that, rescued from the slavery of corruption, we may merit an incorruptible inheritance”
— This prayer plays on the concept of corruption which in inherent in speaking of death. We recognize that this body is destined for death and corruption, but at the same time have real hope in our ability to merit (by God’s grace) an incorruptible life precisely through the way we live our lives while in the corruptible body. Incidentally, burying the dead and praying for the dead are two actions which can merit grace.
Questions & Advice: Do you know the Church’s teaching on reverence for the bodies of the deceased? Her Teaching on praying for the souls of the faithful departed? Do you respect her policy of requiring burial of bodies and cremains?
Read about Christian Funerals in the Catechism (1680-89). You can also look up what your diocese and parish require for funerals. Encourage friends and family to respect all human remains by giving them prompt and proper burial. In your prayer time today, pray especially for the souls of deceased friends and family members and for all souls. Especially as we approach Halloween (All Hallows Eve) and All Souls Day, brush up on the Church’s tradition of praying for the dead and put it into practice.
 |
| Sancte Calliste, ora pro nobis! |