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Some dioceses allow eulogies at funerals, and others do not. Why is this?
This question arises frequently. According to the 1989 Order of Christian Funerals (the ritual book used by Catholics in the United States), “A brief homily is given after the Gospel reading ” (#166).
During the Good Friday liturgy at our parish, we venerate a plain cross and not a crucifix with a representation of Jesus’ body on it. The crucifix is kept out of sight in the sacristy.
Because this doesn’t seem right to me, I wrote a note in the parish’s suggestion box, recommending that we use a crucifix rather than a cross. A member of the parish staff responded that we are venerating the wood of the cross on which Jesus died, not a replica of Jesus’ body.
“Don’t call me a saint,” Dorothy Day once said with irritation. “I don’t want to be dismissed so easily.”
Benediction and adoration can provide God’s nourishment for zealous but sometimes weary disciples.
