Funeral Mass Homily for Justice Antonin Scalia

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The entire funeral Mass was beautiful.
The Homily touched everything important…very moving.
 
Sounded like a eulogy to me, which Justice Scalia might not have liked. (not to mention a Mass said in English).

Or maybe I don’t know the difference between a eulogy or a homily.

But, yeh I know, it’s all done for the family.

Requiescat in pace, Justice Scalia. You will be missed by many.
 
zab said:
I agree.
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The sin part was relevant to me. All too easily I can get caught up in emotions and/or put a loved one on a pedestal…forgetting how sober judgement is.
We need to earnestly pray for the deceased.

I didn’t think about the Holy Doors of Mercy for a funeral Mass until today. What a great blessing to have a funeral Mass at a church with designated Holy Doors. Everyone entering can offer the indulgence for the deceased.

Interesting contrast…justice/mercy.
 
Beautiful said:
The sin part was relevant to me. All too easily I can get caught up in emotions and/or put a loved one on a pedestal…forgetting how sober judgement is.
We need to earnestly pray for the deceased.

I didn’t think about the Holy Doors of Mercy for a funeral Mass until today. What a great blessing to have a funeral Mass at a church with designated Holy Doors. Everyone entering can offer the indulgence for the deceased.

Interesting contrast…justice/mercy.
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We have a tendency to think everyone is going straight to Heaven. So many would be left without prayer. I do hope all who entered the Holy Door would understand the beauty of the Indulgence so as to properly do it. God Bless, Memaw
 
ProVobis said:
Sounded like a eulogy to me, which Justice Scalia might not have liked. (not to mention a Mass said in English).

Or maybe I don’t know the difference between a eulogy or a homily.

But, yeh I know, it’s all done for the family.

Requiescat in pace, Justice Scalia. You will be missed by many.
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Fr. Scalia is a very exact person when it comes to the Church’s rules and doctrines. You’re not supposed to have a eulogy at the funeral Mass, so he wouldn’t and didn’t. Every point was tied into the doctrines which Justice Scalia (and hopefully all of us Catholics) believe. Fr. Scalia was very careful not to assume that his father was in Heaven already, and asked for prayers from us, which I’m sure his father would have wanted (and indeed, so would I, but my funeral is unlikely to be broadcast on TV. 😃 )

I thought the homily was a masterpiece, although in places perhaps a bit provocative considering who-all was in the congregation (e.g. vice president, some of the other Justices). The “memento mori” aspect was not omitted, and Jesus was central.

Also, Justice Scalia did sometimes attend English-Language Mass. (Granted, not all that often, but sometimes.)

–Jen
 
I liked the part when Fr Scalia told the story about how his father was waiting in line for confession one day only to discover he had been standing in his son’s line. When he found out, he said something to the effect, “To heck if I’m going to confess to my son” and he quickly got into someone else’s line.

I enjoyed that one and thought the whole mass was very well done.
 
A homily is a preachment; in a funeral context, it is normally about death, sin, and Purgatory.

A eulogy is a speech given over the body to commemorate the deceased’s life.

In the Catholic context, the first is obligatory; the second is discouraged.

ICXC NIKA
 
ProVobis said:
Sounded like a eulogy to me, which Justice Scalia might not have liked. (not to mention a Mass said in English).

Or maybe I don’t know the difference between a eulogy or a homily.

But, yeh I know, it’s all done for the family.

Requiescat in pace, Justice Scalia. You will be missed by many.
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Maybe his son doesn’t know Latin in order to pray it?
Either way, considering that it was a public, and televised funeral Mass with many people not being Catholic, it was prudent to do it in English.
 
Marie5890 said:
Maybe his son doesn’t know Latin in order to pray it?
Either way, considering that it was a public, and televised funeral Mass with many people not being Catholic, it was prudent to do it in English.
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Certainly Fr. Scalia can offer Mass in Latin.

However, I’m not sure how much control the rector of the Basilica and the Archbishop of Washington and so forth have over Masses said in the Basilica. I think it might be a lot. And as Marie said, it was probably a good idea to offer it in English given all of the non-Catholics probably present and the fact that the Mass was televised.

–Jen
 
Yes, this was a great homily/eulogy. I loved how the Father placed the sacraments in the forefront, letting every one know that these are the Catholic faith in action and how much Justice Scalia loved it all.
 
revert_jen said:
Fr. Scalia is a very exact person when it comes to the Church’s rules and doctrines. You’re not supposed to have a eulogy at the funeral Mass, so he wouldn’t and didn’t. Every point was tied into the doctrines which Justice Scalia (and hopefully all of us Catholics) believe. Fr. Scalia was very careful not to assume that his father was in Heaven already, and asked for prayers from us, which I’m sure his father would have wanted (and indeed, so would I, but my funeral is unlikely to be broadcast on TV. 😃 )

I thought the homily was a masterpiece, although in places perhaps a bit provocative considering who-all was in the congregation (e.g. vice president, some of the other Justices). The “memento mori” aspect was not omitted, and Jesus was central.

Also, Justice Scalia did sometimes attend English-Language Mass. (Granted, not all that often, but sometimes.)

–Jen
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I agree!
 
Very beautiful homily and I felt it was very touching that he stated the greatest gift his father gave him was his siblings. Too often parents of large families are told that we are depriving our children of many things by having so many. We deprive them of time, affection, love, financial and material things. I’ve even had people say they would have benefitted more from having their parents pay for college than they did by having a sibling. To hear a son of a large family say that he and his siblings are blessed to have each other for support in such a large audience was amazing. I also loved how he tied everything to Jesus and all his blessings, including the Doors of Mercy and indulgences attached. I admire his strength and ability to say a Mass for his father’s funeral. It took all I had in me to just read at my Dad’s funeral.
 
Very moving. I’ve never seen a son deliver a homily for his deceased father before.
 
Marie5890 said:
Maybe his son doesn’t know Latin in order to pray it?
Either way, considering that it was a public, and televised funeral Mass with many people not being Catholic, it was prudent to do it in English.
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I know Fr. Scalia. He was pastor at St. John the Beloved for several years and has served the Sunday noon Traditional Latin Mass there many times. So yes. He knows Latin and can pray it. His father frequently attended that noon Mass, even after Fr. Scalia was reassigned.

Given the context for the funeral, though, it’s not surprising that the Mass was offered in the vernacular.

Fr. Scalia, by the way, is a treasure.
 
Marie5890 said:
Maybe his son doesn’t know Latin in order to pray it?
Either way, considering that it was a public, and televised funeral Mass with many people not being Catholic, it was prudent to do it in English.
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Father Scalia knows the EF mass, so I’m told. We have a lot of EF knowledgeable or Latin knowing priests and seminarians in Arlington. We are very blessed.

I can think of few things I’d like more than for my funeral mass to be celebrated by my son (if I’m blessed to have one).

Also if anybody here has never been to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC you simply must. It is a sight to see.
 
ARSpade said:
Father Scalia knows the EF mass, so I’m told. We have a lot of EF knowledgeable or Latin knowing priests and seminarians in Arlington. We are very blessed.

Also if anybody here has never been to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in DC you simply must. It is a sight to see.
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Yes, Fr. Scalia is quite adept at the EF and has excellent Latin pronunciation.

And I concur that the Basilica is a must-see for Catholics who visit our area.
 
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