Dark Secret

I have a dark secret to share: 

I've become a funeral crasher.

I never set out to attend strangers' funerals. I've been trying to get to weekday Masses, sometimes during the lunch hour. And one parish, St. Cecilia's, happens to have an 11:15 a.m. Mass in its Our Lady of Nebraska Chapel. But occasionally, a funeral in the main sanctuary will trump the chapel Mass.

I haven't had a way of knowing about the funerals in advance. I figure it out once I drive close to the cathedral and see all the cars parked outside, including the funeral escort cars. And at that point, I conclude, I'm already here, why not? I won't have time to get to a Mass elsewhere.

Maybe God wants me at the funeral. Maybe He wants me to pray more for the dead and those who mourn them. Maybe He wants me to pray in particular for that one poor soul and everyone inside the cathedral that day.

I try to sneak in and find a seat far from the altar and the grieving families. Usually I'll grab the funeral program to see whom I'll be praying for.

Of the four funerals I've crashed, three have been for grandparents and one for a 26-year-old. And they've been an even split of two men and two women.

In the priests' homilies, I glean some things about the people who've died. Somehow it inspires me and helps me pray for them when I learn about their faith, their pastimes and the zest they had for life.

Funerals, of course, make us reflect on eternity and the briefness of our lives here.

One priest had the congregation ponder the importance of praying for the dead. We pray for them every time we go to Mass, he said, particularly in the Eucharistic prayer when we pray: "Welcome them into the light of Your face."

That prayer, he said, is perhaps "the most daring, boldest prayer of all -- to see God face to face."

And, the priest said, "it is our great privilege" to make that request on behalf of the souls who have gone before us.

I guess my funeral crashing isn't something to be ashamed of. It is, indeed, an honor.

May we be bold today and pray for our souls and the souls in purgatory, especially those of our loved ones -- that we may see God face to face. 

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.