Unless you follow a faith tradition that doesn’t permit the body to be present, should you include the remains of the deceased at the funeral?
I won’t mince words with my answer: No.
Frankly I didn’t even consider this question until a few years ago. However, I attended a grief workshop led by the knowledgeable and energetic Alan Wolfelt. He strongly advocated for the presence of the body at a funeral. Wolfelt’s viewpoint challenged my long-held beliefs.
Why have the body?
In today’s American culture, we are youth oriented, even youth obsessed. Hollywood actors aren’t alone as they nip and tuck their ways to a youthful appearance. In order to be the “stars” of their own life, many engage in crash diets, odd exercise regimes, and a dose of botox to battle age. But resistance is futile . . . flesh inevitably reveals human limits and mortality.
Grief matters. When a loved one dies, ceremonies encourage emotional reactions to death. While everyone differs in how they handle death and bereavement, physically witnessing the body guarantees a response. It can be too easy to postpone mourning—or more broadly, to avoid all sad responses—because most prefer non-stop happiness. Death is a miserable time for the living. Viewing a body bluntly invites the grief we mustn’t ignore.
A body is final. The presence of a deceased loved one in a coffin will eliminate all doubts about what happened. While normal grief in the months (and years) after death may still include irrational thoughts (such as . . . don’t give Dad’s shoes away, he might come back and need them), the memory of seeing the body at the funeral will help anchor you in reality.
There are concerns about kids. Won’t a funeral traumatize them? Indeed, throughout my ministry, I’ve heard childhood horror stories. When young, some were forced to kiss a dead grandparent or place a favorite object in the casket. Whether touching the body or leaving a precious item, the experience can create unsettled memories. I suspect when certain parents don’t want a funeral to upset his or her child, they’re also expressing their fears. I further suspect many with bad funeral memories never had a chance to reflect about what it meant before the service, nor did they have any opportunities to share feelings afterwards. And so, a funeral with that “unsettling” body didn’t include open-minded, life-affirming conversations with other grieving family members. Regardless of your personal or religious views, and with whatever decisions you make for a funeral, an ongoing sharing of feelings with others is crucial
The good news: let the body encourage honesty about illness and age, prompt healthy expressions of grief, serve as a reminder of life’s end and—perhaps most important—let it become a catalyst for compassionate discussions before, during and after a funeral.
But still, I’d never encourage anyone to have the body present. What do you think?
Next week . . . Part 3.
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Photo by The Good Funeral Guide on Unsplash
My book, A Companion for the Hospice Journey is available at Amazon.
I think that there are times that seeing the body of a loved one, now deceased, can help accept the death and help one come to terms with it. I also think there are times it can be comforting; when someone has suffered and declined for a period of time, to see that loved one in no pain and looking comfortable can be a blessing. However, I have seen some bodies that should have in no way been seen; horrifying in spite of what good embalmers can do. I guess it's an individual thing.