천주교의 죽음에 대한 이해와 장례예식에 대한 고찰, 그리고 사목적 모색

Abstract

Modern Korea has become information-oriented society and is enjoying her economic affluence. Traditional values, on the other hand, are not properly situated in new value system and thus are rapidly disappearing these days. In this circumstance, Koreans tend to look for new values such as well-being, healing and well-dying, which represent their eagerness to find the physical, spiritual and cultural values on life and death. In spite of all these, among the OECD countries highly ranked in the suicide rate is South Korea, where people are losing the hope on life and terminating their lives by suicide, in the state of being alienated from their family and society. Religions can give an answer on the instinctive questions on life and death raised by human beings in general. Christian point of view on death starts from the Bible. Death, in itself, has two aspects: one is universality, which means that death comes to everyone, and the other is unavoidability, which means that no one can escape from death. In the light of Christian understanding, death can be explained as the separation of the body and the soul: more specifically speaking, it is said that the soul will be united with the body glorified by the encounter with God the Father. If the soul will be united with the body in the end, why did death come into the world even though everyone wants to avoid it? Christian faith answers that death came into the world because of the original sin, which was committed by the first man. This death, brought by the sin of the first man, has been overcome by the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ, and finally became the reality for all. Through the Passion and the Resurrection of the Lord did we be able to find the positive meaning of death: in other words, the Paschal mystery of the Incarnation, the Passion and the Resurrection of Christ did bring death the true meaning, that is, death is the rite of passage, which precedes the Resurrection. Roman Catholic Church has utilized the funeral customs of Israel and Roman Empire, christianizing them in the light of belief in the Resurrection. This christianization has led the Christians to hope for the resurrection instead of expressing their grief. It also led them to celebrate the Eucharist instead of sharing the ritual meals. Yet this Paschal viewpoint of death began to be changed into penance and petition, which was derived from fear and anxiety of the judgment after death. The color of the funeral was also changed from white to black, and the rites were celebrated focusing on God’s fury and the sins of the deceased. Vatican II ordered the Universal Church to reform the funeral rite so that it would show again the Paschal aspect of death and satisfy local customs. New funeral ritual, in this reformed point, provides the three different rites that local churches can adopt according to their own customs and traditions. It also delivers prayers and biblical passages which show the Paschal aspect, and, more specifically, provides the funeral Mass for the Christian child and for the non-Christian child respectively. With these in mind, it is time to find out what kind of pastoral effort for the funeral should be made in Korea. First of all, even though Sang-jang-ye-sik(funeral rites) and Ga-jeong-je-rye-ye-sik(ritual for family memorial service) are good exemplar of how the funeral rite was successfully applied in Korea, the Funeral Ritual is a mere translation from Latin. Therefore, it is necessary to develop the indigenous Funeral Ritual which may embrace the two mentioned above. Secondly, the pastoral care for the deceased and their family is more required than ever. That is, pastors need to make the bereaved feel that the parochial community is with them, and more importantly, if possible and necessary, pastors are willing to accompany them even to the cemetery. In addition to these, unified instructions on the funeral must be published so that the family of the deceased would not be confused. Thirdly, it is indispensable to discern what kind of theological errors occur out of the so-called pastoral cares. One of these is to present the ceremonial table in front of the altar at the Masses for Korean New Year and Korean Thanksgiving. What matters here is the fact that there may be a possibility for the faithful to confuse the unique sacrificial rite to the Lord with the filial duty-bound rite. Another is to celebrate the Mass on the 49th day after death, which comes from Buddhism: rather, it is a lot better to celebrate the Mass on the 50th day, which reminds us of the Pentecost. Fourthly, the bereaved are usually in black according to the Western cultures, yet it is not proper for either Christians or Koreans because the color of white has been traditionally used for mourning in Korea and also symbolized the Resurrection in Christianity. Therefore, it is recommended to be in white at the funeral. Lastly, the cremation is widely carried out for the efficient use of the land these days. In this circumstance, Christianity is searching for the way how to develop the funereal culture in accordance with the common good and the environment. Nevertheless, some parishes where the charnel houses(cineraria) are situated find them in trouble with the neighborhood. It is necessary to lead the neighborhood to change their mind, and at the same time, the mentioned parishes should find the way for their charnel house to reveal both the Paschal character of death and the abounding mercy of God. In Christianity, death and the funeral are the place to confess the hope for the resurrection, which transcends death. Therefore, the effort to realize the true meaning of Christian funeral within Korean circumstances and culture.