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Dec. 2nd, 2003 09:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
electriclandI'm back. A little fried from travel.
The funeral, qua funeral, was OK. Packed, of course, as was the reception afterwards. They had to move a bunch of people up into the choir loft and around the side. People came from all over (I certainly didn't come the farthest!). They had it at St. Basils, where Andrew and Mari-Ellen were married (almost 6 years ago) -- Daniel reminded me that there'd been a sudden snow flurry before the wedding, too. Hm.
Many many relatives.
The priest in charge (who had married them) seemed nice, and the general theme (if funerals have themes) seemed to be coming to terms with too-early death. All nice, although I did want to hunt down and smack whoever chose the first reading, whose general thrust was "people die young so they won't be corrupted by the wickedness of the world around them" -- I was not impressed. From the Book of Wisdom, if anyone's interested, which appears to be part of the Apocrypha.
I was in a little Jones family block of non-Catholics, quite obviously so (even before the rivers of people around us started taking communion) because we knew about half the responses but not all. "The Lord be with you"/"And also with you": check. "The word of the Lord"/"Thanks be to God": check (although I stayed resolutely silent on the reading that annoyed me; had no intention of thanking God on that one). "Let us now proclaim the mystery of our faith": nope. And I forgot to warn everyone about the Lord's Prayer getting cut off early (I've now been to enough Catholic ceremonies that I know what to expect), so there was a little stumbling around on "For thine is the kingdom..." before everyone figured it out.
I'm glad I went, and the family seemed to appreciate it. I still can't believe she's not coming back, though.
The funeral, qua funeral, was OK. Packed, of course, as was the reception afterwards. They had to move a bunch of people up into the choir loft and around the side. People came from all over (I certainly didn't come the farthest!). They had it at St. Basils, where Andrew and Mari-Ellen were married (almost 6 years ago) -- Daniel reminded me that there'd been a sudden snow flurry before the wedding, too. Hm.
Many many relatives.
The priest in charge (who had married them) seemed nice, and the general theme (if funerals have themes) seemed to be coming to terms with too-early death. All nice, although I did want to hunt down and smack whoever chose the first reading, whose general thrust was "people die young so they won't be corrupted by the wickedness of the world around them" -- I was not impressed. From the Book of Wisdom, if anyone's interested, which appears to be part of the Apocrypha.
I was in a little Jones family block of non-Catholics, quite obviously so (even before the rivers of people around us started taking communion) because we knew about half the responses but not all. "The Lord be with you"/"And also with you": check. "The word of the Lord"/"Thanks be to God": check (although I stayed resolutely silent on the reading that annoyed me; had no intention of thanking God on that one). "Let us now proclaim the mystery of our faith": nope. And I forgot to warn everyone about the Lord's Prayer getting cut off early (I've now been to enough Catholic ceremonies that I know what to expect), so there was a little stumbling around on "For thine is the kingdom..." before everyone figured it out.
I'm glad I went, and the family seemed to appreciate it. I still can't believe she's not coming back, though.
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Date: 2003-12-02 08:36 am (UTC)re: the first reading. Kate predicted this response from you. I think Kate might know you well... :).
I'm back. A little fried from travel.
stern look* why did you not stay in Toronto last night and catch the train back today?
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Date: 2003-12-02 08:42 am (UTC)re the train: I am working... I would've taken more time off but Jen is coming to stay on Thursday (yay!) so it seemed excessive to take all but a day and a half off work.
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Date: 2003-12-02 08:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-12-02 08:52 am (UTC)Oh, did I mention the church was hot as Hades? It was.
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Date: 2003-12-02 09:01 am (UTC)Also, I blame you for the fact I was reading The Book of Wisdom instead of Frommer's Caribbean before work this morning.... In the Catholic context, and in the context of the book as a whole (based on brief scanning and oxford annotations) I kinda get the choice. It's less about avoiding wickedeness --though that is there, totally -- than it is about the fact that though we who are left behind grieve, we should also remember that Mari-Ellen is at peace. ie: There *IS* a nice message in it - and, in my opinion, a true one. But I understand where your frustration comes from, too. Unfortunately, there always seem to be compromises in choosing readings. Re: The Book of Wisdom, the Oxford Annotated bible says: "The literary style of the book varies from poetic patches of high lyrical quality to plodding, pedestrian prose." I let you decide where the reading falls on this continuum. :D
I AM sorry that the reading lessened the service, I hate it when that happens, and the choice does seem somewhat loaded, under the circumstances... *Grumble*
Ok, I must stop with the exegesis now, and go to work. bad me....
Anyway, more {{HUGS}}.