www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Eastern Christian Funeral practices

Stuart, the reason it is an issue is because sometimes you have a funeral where almost no one can receive communion. There is also the issue of people coming forward to receive, even though they have long since left the church. Then the funeral becomes a time when, instead of coming together to mourn and pray for the deceased, family rifts are widened when people are hurt because of a perceived "slight" from the priest or another family member regarding communion. I'm not saying these people are in the right, but it does distract from the funeral itself.

What is the reason communion is not as frequent in the East?

I don't see that as a problem. The discipline of the Church is the discipline of the Church. The theology of the Church is the theology of the Church. If this serves to bring home to people the reality of our sinful divisions, so much the better.


It the job of the celebrant to enforce the discipline of the Church. If he's been doing his job all along, the people will know this.


I still don't see the problem. Even a funeral is not about the individual, but about the Church--just like a wedding, just like a baptism, this is the Church making a statement about itself, not the individual having a special moment. The Church needs to stress this more.


The same reason it used to be infrequent in the West--beginning in the fifth century, people began to think they had to be "worthy' in order to receive--as though any of could ever be "worthy" of such great mercy!

Nonetheless, people began to abstain from communion, sometimes receiving just once a year or even every several years. The Fathers delivered thundering broadsides against this, but as they had to keep saying the same thing over and over, obviously the people were not paying attention.

As a pastoral matter, then, the Eastern Churches began raising the bar to receive, since it was assumed the people had long been separated from the Chalice. In addition to observing the Eucharistic Fast, the people had to go to communion immediately before receiving (usually the night before)--a practice that used to be common in the Latin Church as well. A few Churches included additional requirements, such as attending Vespers the night before (or the All Night Vigil in the Russian Church). In short, the preparations for communion became so onerous as to discourage reception of communion, and when a person did receive, it was treated as a very special event--which is why most people reserved it for Pascha and/or Nativity, and occasionally one's name day.

Perhaps some of this perceived "issue" comes from the Roman Catholic tendency in the past 30 years or so, to architecturally and liturgically bring the Mass "to the people". There is not anything like an icon wall in our churches. Most don't even have an altar rail. There is so little demarcation between clergy and laity; between people and God, that many have grown up, essentially, protestant in their beliefs. Recent polls show something like 70% of Catholics do not believe in the Real Presence.

Funerals and weddings bring people who are not catechized, who do not go to church, into a church. Perhaps, if, when they walked into church, they truly saw it as "heaven on earth", then a "closed communion" would not be such a shock to them.

Anyway, this discussion originated up thread when I asked why the Orthodox do not have a Divine Liturgy for their funerals and was told it was often a pastoral decision given the fact that many in a funeral congregation would not be Orthodox.

The real reason there is no "funeral Liturgy" is the burial service is not considered to be one of the Holy Mysteries, therefore need not culminate in the Eucharist. To the best of my knowledge, and in contrast to marriage, funeral services never involved the Divine Liturgy, though liturgies to commemorate the dead would take place at various intervals afterwards--forty days, one year, and subsequent anniversaries.

And even those commemorations do not include Eucharist.

No, but by custom in many places, the Panachida is celebrated at the end of the Divine Liturgy. Also, the dead are commemorated by name during the Great Entrance of the Liturgy.

That makes perfect sense! Thanks, Stuart!

I heard that the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church considers funeral a sacrament. Can somebody confirm that?

I'm perplexed by the suggestion that to celebrate a Divine Liturgy together with a funeral is improper, especially because we are being encouraged to celebrate Baptism within the Divine Liturgy, rather than as a private service. This has been one of the beautiful changes as we Byzantine Catholics have restored true Eastern customs and shed latinizations.

So with regard to the Divine Liturgy, we believe that at the Divine Liturgy we are entering Heaven before the throne of God and the angels, saints and us the living celebrate together. That we have gathered at the funeral of one of the Faithful is a beautiful thing since (s)he who has fallen asleep is being bid farewell and is now entering Eternity as we pray.

To me, a funeral without Divine Liturgy is rude to the deceased. Its like having a closed casket at the funeral....we shut out our beloved.

With regard to hurting those who do not receive Communion at a funeral.....I have never heard a complaint by someone who felt insulted. An oversensitivity actually becomes an event where the faithful are deprived of the Eternal Banquet which the departed loved one is now experiencing in a fuller way.

Another thought while the funeral of Metropolitan Archbishop Basil is fresh in our minds....are you saying that there should NOT have been a Divine Liturgy?????

My thoughts from the heart,
Fr Deacon Paul

On the contrary, as I posted upstream, sometimes the definition of who may be admitted to Communion can be truly evangelical and the occasion of awakening a desire to be Baptized.

Another worthwhile point that different priests have pointed out....it is at a funeral that you get people who haven't been in a church for years. As Thomas pointed out it is truly an evangelical moment and the Holy Spirit may convict them.

Celebrating the Divine Liturgy makes it easy for us to "preach the Good News to the ends of the world."

However, and no matter how you cut it, the Divine Liturgy has never been part of the "Burial Service" in the Byzantine rite. The entire rite is, in fact, derived from Orthros, and is really "Burial Matins". Just as you cannot have the Divine Liturgy until after Orthros is complete, so you cannot have a memorial Divine Liturgy until the burial service is complete. All of it, ending at the grave site.

What is so hard about maintaining the integrity of the Tradition, without having to interject our own personal preferences into the mix as a matter of "pastoral sensitivity"?