My fellow blogger, Fr. Austin Fleming, has an ongoing discussion on the topic of funeral Masses. It all started when Eunice Shriver passed and Fr. Austin decided to address the issue of Catholic funeral guidelines as set forth by the Church. The spectacle exhibited by the Kennedy family for Ted Kennedy was very much in line with his very large ego. But the conversation on the Concord Pastor (http://concordpastor.blogspot.com/) is very interesting. I am a huge proponent of fairness and I agree that the lavishness of Ted Kennedy's funeral could possibly create an entire new industry, the Mega-Funeral, complete with requisite Funeral Planner. But the fact is that the rules have now been annihilated and the excuse given is that it is up to the discretion of the local pastor. Fr. Austin's comments notwithstanding, the Catholic Church has not done a good job conveying to the observant what we are to expect when we lose a family or friend and must plan a funeral Mass. The limitation on having one person speak for no more than 5 minutes after communion and before the final commendation seems to be very cold. I understand that the focus should always be on Jesus in the form of the Holy Eucharist but the purpose for the Mass is to celebrate the life of the recently departed. In this instance, I think it is time that the Church took a look at the rules and alter them somewhat. A funeral is often a time when friends and family members are attending a Catholic Church for the first time. It is a great opportunity to illustrate everything that is wonderful about living as a Catholic Christian. I think we might be missing an opportunity here to evangelize. What do you think?