Funerals and Family Care in the South African Local Catholic Church

Abstract

The importance of funerals in South Africa is emphasized in this essay. Specifically, to rebuild the society that was torn apart as a result of the union of numerous families. Only if the family is rebuilt in accordance with God's plan can this take place. Sadly, there are a number of South African societies where the Catholic Church is not respected. The most common topic of conversation in South Africa in both the church and society is death. In South Africa, funerals may at times serve dubious functions. Many nuclear families come together during funerals. To comfort the grieving family, people of many faiths and denominations thus gather together. Surprisingly, the bulk shows up with empty hands and without any supplies to aid the efforts of the struggling family members. Funerals are therefore costly for bereaved families in South Africa, despite the fact that many family members lament their poverty. The majority of those who comfort a grieving family are not particularly inspired by the Christian funeral service. The funeral attendees in South Africa hold both God and the church responsible for the advice they receive as a result of a death. This is due to the fact that people often tend to place a higher value on material wealth than on the spiritual and everlasting aspects that death carries based on the promise of life everlasting by Jesus Christ. The only solution is to achieve a balance between worldly and spiritual richness, which also necessitates increasing awareness of an individuals' spiritual demands and needs.