Katrina Fernandez gave advice to a man who had lost his grandfather and was upset because his family wanted to scatter the ashes. Katrina was insightful as ever:
A lot can happen between now and next year when they plan to scatter his remains in Ireland. They could come to regret their decision to deny the family a gravesite to visit, as you stated, and properly house his remains in a columbarium. Problem solved. But just in case… in the meantime, when the time is right, help them grieve for their dad by showing them how they can honor him by respecting his Catholic beliefs. Invite them to Mass. Give them a framed picture of his favorite Catholic prayer or saint. Let them know how much Catholicism meant to their dad and perhaps out of their love for him they’ll become more receptive; however, if they left the Church due to some anti-Catholic sentiment then they might not welcome your attempts. Be prepared for that.
We loved this article not just because we learned something new, that spreading of the ashes of burned martyrs was a practice of disrespect, but also because it made us contemplate what will become of our own remains when we die. What do you think?
And today we celebrate...