Recently, I was inquired about whether a church member can be buried at sea. Several years ago, a parishioner personally said to me: “My son is weak in family relationships, so I prefer sea burial to avoid no one paying tribute at my grave.”<br/><br/>
In the past, the Church forbade “cremation” because the term was used by those who did not believe in resurrection, to signify that human will not resurrect. However, “cremation” is now based on economical reasons or legal regulations. Therefore it does not conflict with the Church.<br/><br/>
From the perspective of faith, "sea burial" also should not, of course, have any problem. But from the perspective of human relations, if one is afraid that descendants will not pay respects and chooses sea burial, there is  possibly a lack of mutual confidence. This conclusion is rather arbitrary.  <br/><br/>
Before Jesus left this world, He left us with the Sacrament of Eucharist as a commemoration. This commemoration is certainly not “paying respects to ancestors”, but letting us share the divinity of Jesus Christ.<br/><br/>
The human body, particularly as a result of the Eucharist, has been blessed. When our body is buried into the ground, it will become the nutrient of our land. The earth was indirectly blessed by Jesus and had become a new heaven and a new earth.<br/><br/>
If one is able to choose, "land burial" is the best expression of our faith, because then we can become “eucharist” for the earth.