Thinking about black

Discussion has been taking place on other Catholic blogs (here, here, here and here, for example) about the use of black as the appropriate Liturgical colour for funerals or for the celebration of All Souls.

I found it interesting a few years ago when helping to organise a family funeral to investigate exactly what the rules/rubrics were about funeral Masses. In a section of the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (2000) headed "Masses for the Dead" there is the following provision (not the official English translation):

n.385. In arranging and selecting the variable parts of Masses for the dead, especially of the funeral Mass, (for example, the prayers, the readings, the universal prayer) it is right and proper that consideration be given to the pastoral circumstances of the deceased, his family, and those present.

Does this refer only to choosing texts from among those indicated in the Missal and Lectionary for Masses for the Dead, or for the Funeral Mass? Or does it allow the choice of texts from other Masses, and in particular, from a votive Mass? Such a choice may reflect a particular pastoral care for the family and friends.

Elsewhere (n.346) the General Instruction allows the use of violet or black for Masses for the Dead, though the Bishops Conference is allowed to propose adaptations. The Bishops Conference for England and Wales has allowed white to be used for Masses for the Dead, in addition to violet and black.

What has occurred to me about these provisions is that the Liturgical colour chosen for the Mass should reflect the texts that have been chosen. So, if the texts to be used are chosen from among those indicated for Masses for the Dead, it seems to me that violet or black are the appropriate colours to use. If the texts for a votive Mass are chosen, then white vestments makes sense. Though the provisions about Liturgical colour and those about choice of texts occur in different sections of the General Instruction, I think they should be related to each other.

I am not expecting to shuffle off this mortal coil at any time soon (especially if I have managed to reduce my cholesterol levels over the last few months), but I think I would rather like a votive Mass of St Joseph at my funeral.

For Dad, I asked for a Mass of Our Lady of Cana, one of the 40+ Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It reflected his married vocation, the idea of death as a hope of entering into the celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb in heaven, the idea that the Eucharistic celebration of the funeral Mass is itself a celebration of the wedding feast of the Lamb. We used an opening prayer from one of the funeral Masses to retain the sense of the funeral Mass as being a prayer for the repose of the soul of the deceased, but all other texts from the votive Mass. I noticed at the last minute that the celebrating priest was going to wear violet, and would have liked to ask for white. I didn't for diplomatic reasons, as we were in an "away from home" parish, where my Dad had lived in the past but where we were not previously known to the priest.