Be back to haunt you.
What to expect at an Irish Wake
When the person dies they are waked in their own home or the home of a close relative. The person, more often than not, will be collected from either the hospital or the funeral home. At the funeral home the priest or an elderly religious woman will say the rosary over the open coffin before the body departs for the wake house.
When the body arrives at the wake house the coffin is carried in and placed next to the window of the room in which the body will be laid. This is done to allow the spirit to leave the body and it is terribly unlucky to stand between the coffin and the window.
Only close family are in the room at this time. The priest will pray over the deceased and the rosary will be said again. The deceased will have rosary beads placed between their fingers and will be clean shaven and in their Sunday best. The window will be closed after two hours, so as to stop their spirit from trying to return to the body.
A box will be placed next to the coffin where visitors will leave Mass cards. Candles are always lit beside the coffin and holy water will be present. All the clocks in the house will be stopped as a mark of respect and all mirrors will be covered up or removed.
I love that bit about the stopped clocks and covered mirrors. I also love how there is a palpable belief in spirit and soul, the desire to tie back into the material world.
I had a passionate discussion about the sexual abuse charges against Cathoic priests. I've thought about this topic a lot lately because I just viewed Deliver Us From Evil, a documentary that explores this very crime and scandal in California. And weirdly enough, Cardinal Roger Mahony was on the front page of the LA Times due to his involvement with the sexual abuse scandal and supposed (obvious!) coverup by the Vatican and his diocese.
The shorthand version of it all is: I'm never going to return to a religious institution that is Judeo-Christian-based. Never is a tricky word, I know, but I'm pretty sure this promise will stick. I believe in souls, a higher power of some sort, and enjoy rituals because most are fascinating and nudge away the doldrums of life. Sure. But that's all I have.
I know I will have to compromise a lot in life, in order to go through it. Sexually abusive/abusive priests are just an example of the larger problems that exist in humanity. But if I can fix ONE thing, make ONE decision, it's better than none. Surprisingly, I'm idealistic that way.