823. Where does the desire to perpetuate one’s memory on funeral monuments come from?
“The last act of pride.”
– But isn’t the pompousness of funeral monuments most frequently determined by relatives who desire to honor the memory of the deceased, rather than the deceased him or herself?
“It is the pride of the relatives who want honor for themselves. It is not always for the deceased that all these demonstrations are made, but for vanity, for consideration by the world, and for parading their wealth. Do you believe that the memory of loved ones is less lasting in the hearts of the poor just because they can only place one flower on their loved ones’ graves? Do you believe that marble can save from forgottenness those who had been useless while on earth?”
824. Is funeral pomp completely reproachable?
“No. When it honors the memory of a moral person it is just and sets a good example.”
The grave is the place of meeting for all humankind – all human distinctions are mercilessly ended there. The wealthy try in vain to perpetuate their memory by means of ostentatious monuments. Time will destroy these monuments just as it destroys their bodies – nature has so willed it. The memory of their good and evil deeds will be less perishable than their grave, and the pomp of their funerals will neither cleanse away their meanness nor raise them one single degree in the spirit hierarchy. (See nos. 320 ff.).
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