Preparing a Loved one for Death, and Handling the Aftermath

Preparing for the death of a loved one, and dealing with the death after the fact is a difficult subject as everyone has different views on how it should be looked at. There is the Catholic Church’s point of view, which mainly focuses on prayer, there is society’s point of view, and then of course everyone’s individual opinion (including my own), which can vary greatly from person to person. How the grieving process occurs/how to prepare your loved one for death also depends on the cause of death. When preparing for the death of a loved one, and dealing with the death itself, I believe there is nor right or wrong.

The catholic point of view of preparing your loved one for death is mostly just things to do, not a way to act. There are usually about 7 steps to preparing for death. The first truly is important to understand what the dying person wants. The family plans a visit with your parish priest so he can offer the Sacraments to the dying family member and answer any questions the family may have about death and burial in the Catholic Church (What to do when…). As weird as it may seem, this prepares the dying person with what will happen to them. The family and priest also “discuss your dying family member’s wishes (including) what kind of a funeral and burial … they want, … (and the person might) express a desire to be cremated.” (What to do when…). However, “The Catholic Church strongly prefers that the body of the deceased be present for its funeral rites since the presence of the body most clearly brings to mind the life and death of the person…” (What to do when…). The Catholic Church also sees the body at the funeral as final closure, another reason why they recommend not cremating. While this is what the Catholic Church p...

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...pic, they have stayed the same throughout the variety of research I have come across due to my experiences. I also have my own ways for how to deal with the death after the fact. I personally don’t mourn. I obviously get upset for about 2 weeks, but after that, I think that the deceased person would want me to continue living my life instead of getting hung up in it. I also believe in celebrations of life as apposed to funerals. With this being said, some people find “pleasure” in mourning and getting upset. The way people react to people dying, and the aftermath is solely determined by their personalities, therefor, being no right or wrong way.

Death is a tragic thing that affects everyone around the deceased, including the deceased themselves. While there are many ways to deal with such matters, one thing is for certain, it’ll be a hard time no matter what you do.