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It is impossible that anything so natural, so necessary, and so universal as death should have been designed by Providence as an evil to mankind. Jonathan Swift |
Why Choose A Viewing?
(A viewing or visitation refers to the deceased, normally embalmed and cosmetically enhanced, lying in an open casket at a public funeral service. Normally, the family has an opportunity to visit the body privately for final good-byes, often the night before the actual funeral ceremony.)
Why choose a viewing as part of a ceremony?
Some people believe the viewing may be more important than the funeral service itself. The reason is this. Most of us can accept death intellectually: we understand the person is no longer alive. But accepting death emotionally can be more difficult.
'I can't believe he's gone,' we often say.
Viewing the remains of the deceased in an open casket helps us to more readily accept the truth. Death becomes real. The viewing of the deceased is one of the most powerful visual demonstrations of that reality. It eliminates emotional denial.
For those people who have not had the chance to see the deceased for some time, standing beside the body in a moment's prayer or speaking a few words of farewell is profoundly rewarding.
In that moment, we stand facing the mysteries of Death itself.
