Former Evangelical pastor Jaroslav Pechar and Oleg Vojtíšek
"At our mother's funeral, the pastor preached about some whore."
Or, to put it another way, whether humor belongs in funeral sermons was just one of the topics we discussed with former Protestant pastor and priest Jaroslav Pechar.
Is a funeral for the person who died, or for those left behind? Should we plan it the way the deceased would have liked? Or in a way that helps the grieving family? Or should it focus more on God and the hope of eternal life?
Many of us imagine that if a eulogy makes even the toughest guys cry, it's the highest form of praise. But... what if it brought you a sense of relief instead? What if it made you feel lighter, lifted the weight of guilt, or even brought a smile to your face? Is the goal of a funeral to break down and cry over death, or to celebrate a life? What does Father Pechar say? (Spoiler: at his funerals, people share stories, play the guitar, and stay long after the service ends!)
"Death is an enemy that wins battles, but never wins the war."
Where do we look for hope when we are dying? Especially if we aren't particularly religious?
Father Pechar can't answer what comes after death, and neither can any church, but he does know what isn't there: there is no darkness and emptiness, because a helping hand is waiting. That is the greatest hope the church offers after death.
And just as God, according to the church, extends a hand to the deceased, priests like Father Pechar extend a hand to the bereaved. Not with holy water or a magic wand. But with words and stories. And sometimes by answering the phone at one in the morning.
Listen to his stories and jokes in our podcast on Spotify.
"In heaven, we'll be surprised by three things: who is there, who isn't there, and how on earth we managed to get in ourselves."