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Introduction to Funeral Rites

教會在為其子女所行的殯葬儀式中慶祝基督的逾越奧蹟，期望那些藉洗禮與死而復活的基督結為一體的人，將與祂超越死亡而到達永生，亦即經過靈魂的淨煉而蒙接納到天上，加入諸聖即被選者的行列。他們仍期待著基督的第二次來臨的幸福，及肉身從死亡的復活。因此教會為亡者奉獻基督的逾越的感恩祭，並為亡者祈福求恩。這樣，在基督之所有肢體的共融中，這些祈禱可帶給某些人精神的幫助，也可帶給其他的人安慰與希望。
–摘錄自天主教中國主教團禮儀委員會編印之追思禮儀範本

In the face of death, the Church confidently proclaims that God has created each person for eternal life and that Jesus, the Son of God, by his death and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin and death that bound humanity. Christ achieved his task of redeeming humanity and giving perfect glory to God, principally by the paschal mystery of his blessed passion, resurrection from the dead, and glorious ascension.

At the death of a Christian, whose life of faith was begun in the waters of baptism and strengthened at the Eucharistic table, the church intercedes on behalf of the deceased because of its confident belief that death is not the end nor does it break the bonds forged in life. The Church also ministers to the sorrowing and consoles them in the funeral rites with the comforting word of God and the sacrament of the Eucharist.

Christians celebrate the funeral rites to offer worship, praise, and thanksgiving to God for the gift of a life which has now been returned to God, the author of life and the hope of the just. The Mass, the memorial of Christ’s death and resurrection, is the principal celebration of the Christian funeral.

The Church through its funeral rites commends the dead to God’s merciful love and pleads for the forgiveness of their sins. At the funeral rites, especially at the celebration of the eucharistic sacrifice, the Christian community affirms and expresses the union of the Church on earth with the Church in heaven in the one great communion of saints. Though separated from the living, the dead are still at one with the community of believers on earth and benefit from their prayers and intercession. At the rite of final commendation and farewell, the community acknowledges the reality of separation and commends the deceased to God. In this way it recognizes the spiritual bond that still exists between the living and the dead and proclaims its belief that all the faithful will be raised up and reunited in the new heavens and a new earth, where death will be no more.

The celebration of the Christian funeral brings hope and consolation to the living. While proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ and witnessing to Christian hope in the resurrection, the funeral rites also recall to all who take part in them God’s mercy and judgment and met the human need to turn always to God in times of crisis.

–General Introduction of Christian Funeral in The Rites of the Catholic Church