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Funeral Traditions |
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Question:
I wanted to know what the apple,
orange, bread and candle represent at the funeral. Also
why do we celebrate on the 40 day after the death of a person?
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| Answer:
To begin at the end: the forty days
symbolizes the time our Lord remained with His disciples after rising
from the dead. Every Christian is an "alter Christus"
("another Christ"), that is we identify with our Lord and He
with us. Thus our death is a parallel to His Resurrection and the
forty days are a parallel to His Ascension.
The bread symbolizes the bread of life. It
is traditionally round - a symbol of eternity. It may also be
braided or decorated in some fashion. This is to emphasize the
beauty of the eternal life which the Lord calls us to.
The candle is the Light of Christ.
The flame rises up as do our prayers, and symbolically we, too, rise up
to meet the Lord in Heaven (this is not to say that Heaven is a
geographical location, simply that a movement upwards symbolizes rising
towards the ultimate perfection and holiness to which God invites us and
for which He has created us).
The apple and orange (other fruits may be
used) may represent the fruit of the garden of Eden - Paradise to which
Christ by His Resurrection has returned us.
There are undoubtedly many additional
layers of meaning to these lovely symbols for a symbol is like an onion
- one peels away layer after layer and discovers more and more.
You yourself may uncover something particularly meaningful and inspiring
through the grace of the Holy Spirit as you approach these wonderful and
ancient rituals in humility, piety and mindfulness.
Very Rev. Ihor Kutash kutash@unicorne.org
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