Myrrh and mercy for the dead

Yesterday was the Feast of the Epiphany, which celebrates the manifestation of the Child Jesus to the world.  In the liturgical realm, this is a huge feast, almost as important as Christmas itself, even though that is not the experienced reality in the secular culture.  Christmas can be likened to Epiphany in this way; when a baby is born, that is Christmas for the parents and other immediate family members.  Epiphany is when that child is revealed to the extended family, and to the neighborhood.  The birthday is the more treasured date, but what would life be like if the baby was only revealed to his or her immediate family?  No, the manifestation of that child to the larger world is very important, and that is what Epiphany is for Our Lord, and why Catholics celebrate it with such solemnity.
One of the gifts the three wise men gave to Jesus on His Epiphany was myrrh. Myrrh was used as an anointing oil, and was commonly given to kings.  However, it is also an embalming oil, and is a spiritual symbol of death.  This was another foreshadowing of where Our Lord's life was going to lead.

One of the seven corporal works of mercy we are being asked to do during this Jubilee Year is "bury the dead".   Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, who was merciful to so many during her life, especially the poor and downtrodden,  is going to be canonized this fall, towards the end of this Year of Mercy.  How appropriate!
One of the many beautiful things she did was allow so many to die a dignified death.  She would find people in the streets with no friends or family, and bring them in so she and her order could take care of them and they could live out their last days in dignity. She once said, " A beautiful death is for people who lived like animals to die like angels- loved and wanted." 

During this Year of Mercy, we need to make a renewed effort to make sure our compassion for others does not stop once they are near death, and /or have passed on.   Like Mother Teresa, even if their lives have been full of either of a lot of personal sin, and/or they have tragically been destitute as a result of other's sin, we need to show mercy, and give them dignity during the dying process, and after their death.  
In paragraph 2299 and 2300 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read:

2999 The dying should be given attention and care to help them live their last moments in dignity and peace. They will be helped by the prayer of their relatives, who must see to it that the sick receive at the proper time the sacraments that prepare them to meet the living God.

2300 The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy;⁹² it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.

 

Too often in the world we live in today the dying and dead are thrown aside and forgotten about.  We have to try and change that.  Let's be merciful to the dying and deceased during this Year of Mercy.

 

Saint Joseph, patron of a happy death, pray for us.