Is the language about "the ungodly" appropriate at a funeral?

Paul's point is that Christ died for sinners, all of us, while we were still sinners. The line is not pointed at the deceased; it is the heart of the gospel's good news. A homilist will frame it as universal mercy, not particular accusation.

Second Reading (New Testament)

Romans 5:5-11

"Since we are now justified by his Blood, we will be saved through him"

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Scripture text (World English Bible)

and hope doesn’t disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For while we were yet weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man. Yet perhaps for a righteous person someone would even dare to die. But God commends his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we will be saved from God’s wrath through him. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we will be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Themes

justified by his Blood
reconciled to God
God's love poured into our hearts
died for the ungodly
paschal hope

Reflection

This passage from Romans 5 is one of Paul's densest summaries of what Christ has accomplished for us. "Hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." The reason Christian hope at a funeral is not wishful thinking is that it is anchored in something already done: Christ has died for us, justified us by his Blood, reconciled us to God while we were still his enemies.

For a Catholic funeral, the reading gives the theological foundation for everything else that will be proclaimed. The deceased is being commended to God not on the basis of their merit but on the basis of Christ's death and resurrection. The Catholic tradition holds that we are saved by grace through faith, working through love, and that grace is what is being applied, again, in the funeral Mass. Every prayer the Church offers for the soul is rooted in what Christ has already done.

Paul's emphasis on God's love being "poured out" is meant to land on grieving hearts. This is not love being measured out carefully; it is love overflowing, abundant, lavish. The same love that poured out at Calvary is the love being poured into the funeral Mass, into the hearts of the family, into the reception of the deceased into eternal life.

For Catholic families who want their loved one's funeral to proclaim the heart of the gospel (that we are saved by Christ's death, that hope is real because grace has been given) this is the foundational reading.

Best for

·Funerals where the family wants the gospel itself preached clearly
·Liturgies for someone whose conversion or recommitment to the faith was a marker of their life
·Catholic families who want a substantive Pauline reading
·Funerals during Lent or the Easter season

In the liturgy

A medium-length reading. Theologically rich; rewards a homilist who can carry the Pauline density. Pairs naturally with first readings on resurrection and Gospels on Christ's saving work.

Pairs well with

Frequently asked questions

Is the language about "the ungodly" appropriate at a funeral?: Paul's point is that Christ died for sinners, all of us, while we were still sinners. The line is not pointed at the deceased; it is the heart of the gospel's good news. A homilist will frame it as universal mercy, not particular accusation.

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