One of the first things you'll be asked when planning a Catholic funeral is which Scripture readings you'd like. If you're not deeply familiar with the Bible, or if you haven't been to a funeral in years, this question can feel overwhelming.

The good news: you're choosing from a curated list, not the entire Bible. The Church has approved 55 specific passages for funeral liturgies, organized into four categories. Each one has been selected because it speaks to death, grief, hope, resurrection, or God's faithfulness. There are no wrong choices — only choices that fit better or worse for the particular person and situation.

This guide explains the system, walks through the most popular options in each category, and helps you match readings to your loved one's life.

Why readings must come from an approved list

The Catholic funeral Mass is a liturgy — an act of public worship with a defined structure. The readings at Mass are always drawn from Sacred Scripture, and for funeral Masses specifically, the Order of Christian Funerals (OCF) and the Lectionary for Mass provide the approved selections.

This isn't about limiting families. It's about ensuring that the readings at a funeral do what they're meant to do: proclaim the Christian hope of resurrection, comfort the grieving, and place the death of one person within the larger story of salvation. Secular poems, personal letters, and non-Biblical texts — as meaningful as they may be — belong at the vigil or the reception, not during the Liturgy of the Word.

A note on translations: The official liturgical translation used in the United States is the New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE). When readings are proclaimed at Mass, they should be read from this translation. The excerpts in this guide use traditional language to convey the sense of each passage; your parish will provide the proper NABRE text for the lectors.

The four categories

A typical Catholic funeral Mass includes readings from each of these four categories:

  1. Old Testament — A reading from the Hebrew Scriptures (during the Easter season, a New Testament reading may replace this)
  2. Responsorial Psalm — A psalm sung or recited between the readings, with a congregational response
  3. New Testament — A reading from the epistles (letters) of the apostles
  4. Gospel — A reading from one of the four Gospels, proclaimed by the priest or deacon

The family typically chooses one reading from each category, though some simpler funeral liturgies (outside of Mass) may use fewer readings. Your priest or parish coordinator will tell you how many to select.

Old Testament readings

The Old Testament options for funerals speak to suffering, trust in God, the brevity of life, and the promise of divine mercy. There are approximately 14 approved Old Testament readings. Here are the most frequently chosen:

Wisdom 3:1-9 — "The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God"

This is the single most popular Old Testament funeral reading, and for good reason. It speaks directly to what every grieving family wants to believe: that their loved one is safe, at peace, and with God.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them. They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead; and their passing away was thought an affliction and their going forth from us, utter destruction. But they are in peace. — Wisdom 3:1-3

This reading works for nearly any funeral. It's especially fitting for someone whose death felt unjust, premature, or painful — it insists that what looked like destruction was actually a passage into peace.

Job 19:1, 23-27 — "I know that my Redeemer lives"

Job is the Bible's great meditation on suffering, and this passage is its climactic cry of faith. Even in the depths of unimaginable loss, Job declares his trust that he will see God.

I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. — Job 19:25-26

Choose this reading for someone who endured great suffering — a long illness, a difficult life, chronic pain — and whose faith carried them through it. It's also powerful for anyone whose death left the family wrestling with "why."

Lamentations 3:17-26 — "The Lord is good to those who wait for him"

This is a reading that does not flinch from grief. It begins in darkness — "My soul is deprived of peace, I have forgotten what happiness is" — and moves slowly toward hope. It's honest about how grief feels, and it doesn't rush to consolation.

This reading is well-suited for a funeral where the grief is raw and the loss is devastating. It gives the assembly permission to sit in the pain while still pointing toward God's faithfulness.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-11 — "For everything there is a season"

Made famous by the folk song "Turn! Turn! Turn!", this passage speaks to the rhythm and mystery of human life. "A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to weep, and a time to laugh." It's philosophical more than emotional — a meditation on time and purpose.

This is a good choice for someone who lived a long, full life. It frames death not as a tragedy but as a natural part of the great pattern. It also resonates with people who may not be deeply religious but appreciate the Bible's wisdom literature.

Other notable Old Testament options: Isaiah 25:6-9 (the great feast and the wiping away of tears), 2 Maccabees 12:43-46 (prayer for the dead — uniquely Catholic), and Daniel 12:1-3 (those who sleep in the dust shall awake).

Responsorial Psalms

The psalm is not simply read — it's meant to be sung or chanted, with the congregation responding after each verse. The cantor or psalm reader leads, and the assembly repeats a refrain. There are approximately 10 approved psalm options. These are the most beloved:

Psalm 23 — "The Lord is my shepherd"

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. — Psalm 23:1-3

This is, by a wide margin, the most chosen funeral psalm. Nearly every person in the assembly will recognize it, and many will be able to recite it from memory. Its imagery of comfort, guidance, and the "valley of the shadow of death" speaks directly to the funeral experience. It's appropriate for virtually any funeral.

Psalm 27 — "The Lord is my light and my salvation"

A psalm of trust and courage. "Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear." This is a strong choice for someone who faced life's difficulties with courage and faith — a fighter, a survivor, someone who stood firm.

Psalm 103 — "The Lord is merciful and gracious"

This is a psalm about God's compassion and mercy. "As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. For he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust." It's tender and gentle — a good choice when the family wants to emphasize God's love and forgiveness.

Psalm 116 — "I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living"

A psalm of gratitude and deliverance. "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones." This option acknowledges both the reality of death and the value God places on each life. It's especially appropriate for someone who lived with deep personal devotion.

Practical note: The psalm is typically sung by the parish cantor, not read by a family member. However, if a family member is a strong singer, some parishes will allow them to cantor the psalm. Discuss this with the music director.

New Testament readings

The New Testament readings for funerals are drawn from the epistles — the letters of Paul, John, Peter, and the book of Revelation. There are approximately 18 approved options. These are the standouts:

Romans 8:31-35, 37-39 — "Nothing can separate us from the love of God"

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 8:38-39

This is arguably the most powerful funeral reading in the entire Bible. Paul's crescendo — the rolling list of things that cannot separate us from God's love — is breathtaking when read aloud. It's the right reading for almost any funeral, but especially when the family needs to hear, in the strongest possible terms, that their loved one is held by God.

1 Corinthians 15:51-57 — "Death, where is thy sting?"

Paul's triumphant declaration about the resurrection of the body. "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye." This reading is exuberant and defiant — it confronts death directly and declares victory over it. Choose it for someone whose faith was bold and confident, or when the family wants the funeral to feel more like a celebration than a lament.

Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7 — "He will wipe every tear from their eyes"

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. — Revelation 21:4

The vision of the new heaven and the new earth. This reading is pure comfort — it describes a future where everything that hurts has been healed. It's an especially beautiful choice for someone who suffered greatly, or for a funeral where young children are present who need to hear that sadness is not the end of the story.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 — "We do not grieve as those who have no hope"

Paul wrote this to a community reeling from unexpected deaths — people who died before Christ's return, which the early Church expected imminently. His message: do not grieve as those who have no hope, for the dead in Christ will rise. This reading is particularly fitting for a sudden or unexpected death, where the shock is part of the grief. It meets the assembly in their disbelief and offers a specifically Christian answer.

Other notable New Testament options: Romans 6:3-9 (baptized into Christ's death and resurrection), 2 Corinthians 4:14-5:1 (our earthly dwelling gives way to a building from God), 1 John 3:1-2 (we are God's children now), and Romans 14:7-9 (whether we live or die, we are the Lord's).

Gospel readings

The Gospel reading is the climax of the Liturgy of the Word. The assembly stands for it. It is always proclaimed by the priest or deacon — never by a lay person. There are approximately 13 approved Gospel passages. These are the most frequently chosen:

John 14:1-6 — "In my Father's house are many rooms"

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. — John 14:1-2

The most popular Gospel reading for Catholic funerals. Jesus speaks these words to his disciples on the night before his death — he knows what's coming, and he offers comfort. The image of a place being prepared is deeply consoling. This reading works for any funeral and any person.

John 11:17-27 — "I am the resurrection and the life"

The story of Jesus arriving at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. Martha meets him on the road and says, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus responds with the central claim of Christianity: "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, even though they die, will live."

This passage is theologically rich and emotionally complex. Martha's grief is palpable — and Jesus meets her in it without dismissing it. Choose this for a family that is wrestling with their loss and needs to hear the promise of resurrection spoken directly.

Matthew 5:1-12a — The Beatitudes

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted." The Beatitudes redefine who is blessed — not the powerful, the wealthy, or the successful, but the meek, the merciful, the peacemakers, those who hunger for righteousness. This reading is a beautiful choice for someone who lived humbly, served others quietly, or embodied the values Jesus describes here.

John 6:37-40 — "I shall raise them up on the last day"

A shorter, focused passage in which Jesus states plainly: "This is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I shall raise him on the last day." It's direct, unambiguous, and deeply reassuring. A strong choice when the family wants clarity and confidence in the promise of resurrection.

Other notable Gospel options: Matthew 11:25-30 ("Come to me, all you who are weary"), Luke 23:33, 39-43 (the good thief — "Today you will be with me in paradise"), and John 12:23-28 (the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies bears much fruit).

Matching readings to your loved one

While any of the approved readings will work at any funeral, choosing readings that resonate with the specific person and circumstances can make the liturgy feel deeply personal — even within the formal structure of the Mass.

Here are some common situations and the readings that tend to speak to them:

Let us help you choose

Tell us about your loved one, and we'll suggest readings that fit their life and faith — along with Words of Remembrance, an obituary, and everything else you need for the service.

Begin Your Questionnaire

Who reads what

Understanding the roles helps you assign readers and avoids confusion at the service:

Practical tips for lectors

Reading at a funeral is an honor, but it's also nerve-wracking — especially when you're grieving. Here's how to prepare:

Lector protocol: When you approach the ambo (lectern), begin with the introduction — for example, "A reading from the Book of Wisdom." At the end, conclude with "The Word of the Lord," and the congregation responds "Thanks be to God." The priest or parish coordinator will walk you through this beforehand.

A final word on choosing

Families sometimes agonize over reading choices, worried they'll pick the "wrong" ones. Here's the truth: there are no wrong choices. Every one of the 55 approved readings was selected because it speaks to death, hope, and God's faithfulness. Even if you closed your eyes and pointed, the readings would serve the liturgy well.

But if you take the time to choose readings that echo your loved one's life — their faith, their struggles, their character — the liturgy becomes something more. It becomes a prayer shaped by one specific, irreplaceable person. And that's what makes a funeral Mass not just beautiful in general, but beautiful for them.

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