Monday 31 August 2009

A reflection on Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral

In my search for reflective comment on the funeral of Senator Kennedy, I came across the folowing post: Reflections on the Kennedy Funeral . I link to it as the most thoughtful reflection that I have been able to find. The thoughtfulness extends to those comments that I have been able to read - though I have not read all of them, and so there may well be some with which I would disagree.

I have not seen much of the media coverage, though I am interested to read about the extent of live television coverage of the funeral Mass (I believe this extended to the BBC, though I haven't checked this out fully).

The question that I am trying to answer in my search through the comment and coverage is this. Any Liturgical celebration has an element of public witness to the truths of Catholic faith, though in most situations this witness takes place on a small scale. A celebration like Senator Kennedy's funeral places this element of witness onto a national and international stage. So what is the witness that the funeral Mass gave to the world at large?

I am still trying to find a text of the homily - I have found the text of Barack Obama's eulogy - and when I have that I hope to be able to post a full comment of my own.

2 comments:

FatherTF said...

That is an interesting enough reflection and fair play to him for pointing out that the gospel is "bigger than history" etc. But is it not at least part of the point of a funeral to pray for the poor man's soul?

It seems to me that this is a challenge to the world - if we really believe in judgement and purgatory, then we cannot in charity omit the duty of praying for the deceased. If we do omit that, what does it say about our faith in the last things?

Anonymous said...

I find transcendence and blessing precisely in the wonderful efforts, hopes and dreams of Senator Kennedy's career, along with those of his brothers and their contemporary, Dr. Martin Luther King. May their spirits and works endure and continue to enrich the lives of men everywhere.
Am also trying to locate the text of the homily which I found to be insightful and inspirational. Please post a link if you find it. Thanks much.