We are so Blessed- we have the luxury to disagree about liturgy

We begin the month of November, the month of Holy Souls, with news of a horrible crime against the faithful in Iraq. I am angry, but mindful of our duty to pray for the poor souls in purgatory. The sufferings of the Church in the Middle East illustrates how easy is our life here in the U.S. on so many levels. Our brothers and sisters in Iraq and other countries in the Middle East are surrounded by misguided people who, have no regard for their own, much less the people of God.

No one here has to endure physical fear of going to mass. Even in the "worst" crime ridden neighborhood, you can at least go to mass during the day. We even have the luxury of disagreeing about the music and form of the mass.

Let us remember to pray for those killed in the massacre the other day, pray for an end to the violence and to pray for all of the Holy Souls in Purgatory.

Why I don't want a mass of the resurrection

ever.
No, this is not a trick post and I don't mean not now.

I have gotten to the point in my life that I have seen and heard about deaths that are "expected" due to old age and too many that are unexpected due to youth and or accident/tragedy. One of the aspects of the protestant church that has crept into or influenced some Catholic attitudes is the funeral as a celebration of the person's life and if the person was know to be religious or have a faith life, to celebrate them "going home, being with the Father, angels etc. The church has a deliberate approach to the process of discerning if a person is a saint- which means they are in heaven. Discernment, per the Merriam- Webster dictionary-the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure. So, unless the death is of a baptized infant or child under the age of reason, the Catholic approach to a funeral should be that we pray for the repose of that person's soul and a funeral should even remind us that one day we too will die. The point of this, is the blank is with the Lord now, attitude means there does not seem to be a knowledge that we should pray for the repose of the poor souls in purgatory.

I have thought about this topic for some time, but what really brought it to mind is a tragic death of a young person that happened earlier this year. I will be obscure on purpose as I don't want to identify the person. Because of the circumstances there were news reports of the death, aftermath and funeral and several reports discussed they ways the deceased was remembered during the mass. Based on the reports, there seemed to be an approach that the person was with God. That may be so and I pray it is so, but I daresay most if not almost all of the people there did not know what was really going on in the interior life of the person. Also, one of the tragedies of our culture is that there are mortal sins that people have convinced themselves are ok or no sin. It is an act of charity to pray for the dead. When I was in RCIA, our pastor explained purgatory in a way that made sense right away. If someone stole $100 from you that you needed and you caught the person, and they were repentant, you might forgive them, but you will still want your $100 back. Consequences- they are still there even with forgiveness.

So, the reason I don't want a mass of the resurrection and that I want a TLM funeral mass (complete with Dies Irae), is I know even if God willing, I persevere in the race, as St. Paul, I will need prayers for the repose of my soul.