Pre-burial Arrangements

remains St. Monica

In the beginning of this month, just before St. Dominic's Feast on Aug. 8, I was deploring the fact that St. Dominic's last wishes weren't adhered to.  Good grief!  The thought that the minute one's back is turned (so to speak), people do what they want.  It's very disconcerting.  Poor St. Dominic, who only wanted to be buried in ground under the feet of his brothers, was placed in such an elaborate tomb, that it's called an Ark!  And it took five centuries to build!

I thought of this when I read the Office of Readings for the Memorial of St. Monica.  Similar to St. Dominic, Monica said, "Bury my body wherever you will; let not care of it cause you any concern..." * I don't know what her children did with her body but I'm sure it wasn't placed in the casket, in the picture above, and placed in a local cemetery.

Why do we have pre-burial arrangements?  Paying for cremations, burials at sea, shipping remains back to the old country, pre-burial insurance...  Forget about it.

Concentrate on getting your soul to heaven.   "Remember man that you are dust, and to dust you will return."  **

* Confessions, Augustine
** cf Gn. 3:19