Funeral Mass for the Unclaimed Bodies March 5, 2026
Fr. Alexander Albert St. Mary Magdalen, Abbeville
“We walk by faith, not by sight.” It’s a common expression among us Christians. We often hear it in preaching and in the lives of the saints. We’ve just heard the part of scripture it comes from: St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. And the context of that saying is important because it tells us what the original point was. It is meant as an expression to help us face death because none of us can see past death. And death is terrifying! Knowing this, first Jesus and then St. Paul offer us what we need to face death in the best way possible.
Not only that, it equips us to face all of life in the best way possible. Think of it like this: Imagine you’ve transferred to another school in another country that doesn’t play any of the sports we do. Instead, they have this sport you’ve never heard of. Imagine it uses a field and a ball and some safety equipment, but all of them are a little different from anything we’ve used before. Now, would you just hop on the field and start randomly running around throwing and kicking the ball and tackling other players? Imagine trying to play a game when you don’t even know how to score points.
But, let’s say you did that and kind of figured it out as you went. Let’s say you play this new sport, do your best, have a good time, and that it even looks like you win because you scored more points than the other players. Yet, when the game ends, the other players come over to explain that, actually, you lost because now that’s it’s over, there are a bunch of special rules which change the score at the end of the game. You might get mad, but whose fault is that you didn’t learn the rules first? Just because you thought you understood the game at the beginning didn’t mean you understood the whole game.
Well, that’s actually how a lot of people approach life. We jump right in – not that we have a choice about that part – but then we just keep going through life acting on what we see without stopping to consider whether or not we understand the whole picture. Whether we like it or not, every game ends and sometimes the winner isn’t decided until after it ends. Whether we like it or not, death is a part of life and what happens after death matters.
Unlike some obscure sport, however, we can’t just watch the whole game first. You can see what happens after a sports game or a board game, but you can’t see what happens after death. You can’t see it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t know it. By faith, we can know what comes after death. When we look at the mortal remains of another person, it certainly looks like there’s nothing left. Life’s over, the person is gone, and it’s only a matter of time until they are forgotten completely. It’s part of why death terrifies us, why a lot of people avoid talking about death, why they do things like say “celebration of life” instead of “funeral,” why they avoid bringing their children to funerals, and why we tend to hide the sick and elderly away out of sight in nursing homes. If all you have is sight, death looks like everyone loses at life eventually. We’d rather play life and have fun, so we avoid death.
That’s why Jesus goes at it head on. Not only does he outright tell his disciples that he’s going to die, he puts his finger right on the thing everyone is feeling but no one is talking about: “do not let your hearts be troubled!… if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.” In other words, death doesn’t mean I cease to exist. I’ll come back. I’ll take you past death and bring you to a “dwelling place.” Why would a dead person need a dwelling place? Sure, we bury bodies, but eventually even tombs and stone break down into dust. But a dwelling place past death? How can that be? No one can see that! No, we can’t see it, but we can know it’s there by faith.
Not only is death not the end of life, what comes after death is the most important part of life. Just like our hypothetical game, the real score of life is decided at the end: “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil.” And even though we cannot see that judgment for each soul, our faith helps us to know that it’s real and it helps us to know exactly what we’re being judged on. If we’re willing to listen to and trust the guy who created the game we call life, he has already told us how to win.
Which is why we’re here burying people we don’t even know, because we want to win at life. “Where I am going you know the way,” says Jesus. Thomas doesn’t get it, but Jesus explains: “I am the way and the truth and the life.” What does that mean? It means that winning at life means playing it like Jesus… even better, it means playing it with Jesus. And how does Jesus play? He loves. He “wills the good of the other.” I did it yesterday with the little ones, so I’ll do it with you. What is love? Repeat after me “to will the good of the other.” [ ]
The God who created the game of life joined the game to show us how to play to win. We win by loving, by willing the good of the other. And just in case you aren’t sure what it means to will the good of the other, we have lists like the corporal works of mercy: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and imprisoned, and bury the dead. We’re burying the dead because we love them, regardless of who they were and what we knew about them.
There’s the spiritual works of mercy: forgiving offenses, comforting the afflicted, instructing the ignorant, and praying for the living and the dead. We’re praying for these deceased people and all those who have died. Why? Because they’ve earned it? No, because we want to love them. Why do we want to love them? Because regardless of what they did, we want to win the game of life and we win by loving.
Faith tells us the rules of the game. Hope gives us the motivation and strategy to win that game. Love is playing the game the right way. Only, life is not a game. It’s so much better than that. Life and the unavoidable death that is part of this life are about salvation and glory and eternal joy and dwelling with God for all eternity in a perfect communion of love.
So, take a serious and honest look at the death we confront today. Do more than look, for we walk by faith and not by sight. Let the death and mystery we confront today be met with a faith that assures us we have a better dwelling place. Let it be met with a hope that the Lord will indeed wipe away tears from all faces. And let it be met with a love that walks in the way of Jesus Christ, that knows the truth of Jesus Christ, that lives the life of Jesus Christ who alone can bring us to his father’s house.