2 Timothy 3:23-26

The purpose of the funeral Mass is to re-offer the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross to the Father as a prayer for the soul of the deceased.

The homily at a funeral Mass is supposed to reflect on the Bible passages that were just read. It may have some comments on how the deceased particularly embodied one or two aspects of the readings, but the focus should always be turning us to God and leading us to live the Gospel more deeply, not sharing memories of the deceased's life.

Eulogies are allowed at the wake (vigil) and the reception but not during the funeral Mass itself. In the Church's instructions for funerals (General Introduction to the Order of Christian Funerals), we are told that a homily is to be given, ""but there is never to be a eulogy"" (no.27)

 

While this seems like a mean-spirited thing to do, asking non-Catholics (and unprepared Catholics) to refrain from Holy Communion is actually a loving gesture.

Reason #1: Since the Eucharist is a particularly Catholic (and Orthodox) belief, it is reasonable to believe that all non-Catholics will treat the Eucharist (Jesus Himself) as nothing more than bread (maybe special bread, but still bread). This is the serious sin of sacrilege. As St. Paul taught us, anyone who receives the Eucharist unworthily (committed a serious sin and hasn't gone to confession) or without discerning the body (treating the Jesus as merely a piece of bread) are ""eating or drinking judgment on themselves"" (committing a serious sin): ""Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."" (1 Corinthians 11:27-29)

Reason #2: Receiving Holy Communion is a physical sign of saying I am in full communion with this religion. (I.e., I believe this is the ONE TRUE Church, instituted by Jesus. I believe everything it teaches and I try to live by those teachigns. I am properly prepared for this reception [I do not have any un-confessed serious sins.].) Holy Communion is NOT a treat for simply being present. To receive Holy Communion speaks the language of the body (your body and THE Body of Christ Himself). Either you are speaking the truth with your and Christ's bodies or you are speaking a lie with your and Christ's bodies. If it is a lie, it is a serious sin because it is with Jesus' Body.

To receive Holy Communion, Catholics must always be properly prepared. If they have committed any serious sins, they must have them forgiven in Confession to repair their relationship with God before receiving Holy Communion. If there is a situation in a Catholic's life where he/she is committing a lingering sin (e.g., living as if someone is your spouse when you are not validly married in the eyes of God and His Church, publicly rejecting teachings of the Church, etc.), the person must amend the situation (e.g., move out, publicly repudiate your previous statements, etc.). Failure to do so causes the sin of scandal (bad example). Others will see the person receiving Holy Communion, knowing his/her life is publicly at odds with the Church--tempting them to think less of the Eucharist. Remember Jesus' words: ""Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin."" (Luke 17:1-2)

 Many elements of the Mass can and should be chosen to remind us that we are in a different environment than normal life (to help elevate our hearts and minds above normal life). Although the original use of Latin at Mass was the universal language of the time, today, using Latin strikes us as out of the ordinary (reminding us that we're in a different place than secular life), and gives us a linguistic link to the roots of our faith.

The Catholic Church doesn't have an official style of art or an official style of architecture, but She does have an official language: Latin, particularly in the Western (Latin, Roman) rite. The Church encourages us to use Latin to link us as a universal ("Catholic") congregation of believers across the whole world and throughout time.

Vatican II's document on the liturgy specifically says to keep Latin and that all Catholics should know how to say/chant their parts of the Mass in Latin:

• Sacrosanctum Concilium 36.1: . . .the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites. [St. Joseph the Worker Parish is a Latin Rite parish]
  
• Sacrosanctum Concilium 54: . . . steps should be taken so that the faithful may also be able to say or to sing together in Latin those parts of the Ordinary of the Mass which pertain to them. [e.g., "I believe in One God..." (The Credo), "Holy, Holy, Holy" (The Sanctus), "We proclaim Your death O Lord..." (The Mortem Tuam), "Our Father..." (The Pater Noster), "Lamb of God..." (The Agnus Dei), etc.]

The directions for how to celebrate the Mass also require us to use Latin:

• General Instruction of the Roman Missal 12: . . . no Catholic would deny the lawfulness and efficacy of a sacred rite celebrated in Latin
  
• General Instruction of the Roman Missal 41: Since faithful from different countries come together ever more frequently, it is fitting that they know how to sing together at least some parts of the Ordinary of the Mass in Latin, especially the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, set to the simpler melodies.

 This is an optional part of the Mass. If the priest thinks the Rite of Peace is distracting from the main focus of the Mass (re-offering the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross), he is allowed to omit it.

The instructions for Mass say the priest invites the congregation to give the Sign of Peace "if appropriate" (it happens if he thinks it's appropriate):

• General Instruction of the Roman Missal 154: "...if appropriate, the Priest adds, Let us offer each other the sign of peace."
• The same instruction is given when there is a deacon (see 181).

It should also be noted that Fr. Tom doesn't do anything to prevent people from giving the Sign of Peace. It still happens, and he allows it. He just doesn't invite people to do so. It is likely that he doesn't want it to remove the focus from the Lord and thinks that the community is not yet ready to return to inviting people to exchange the Sign of Peace because it could easily return to a more distracted version.
 

 Keeping the focus on the Lord is the key here. The sign of peace is meant to be exchanged with those in your immediate vicinity. Otherwise, it can become a merely social period where the focus changes from extending peace from the offering of God's sacrifice together (and making peace with our brethren before receiving Holy Communion) to a time for focusing on ourselves.