Ezekiel 37:1-4 / Matthew 22:34-40
The summary of the faith of the Catholic Church is expressed in the 12 Articles of Faith in the Apostles' Creed.
In these 12 Articles of Faith, what is essentially expressed is who God is and who we are.
Article 11 states the belief in "the resurrection of the body". From the Catholic perspective, a human being is a union of body and soul, so death is just the temporary separation of body and soul until the end of the world, the Second Coming of Christ, the General Judgement, and the resurrection of the dead. The virtuous go, body and soul, into heaven, and the damned go, body and soul, into hell.
Whether virtuous or damned, their mortal remains are in this world as they wait for the Last Day when this resurrection of the body will happen.
The 1st reading gives the vision of the prophet Ezekiel and it is also a prophecy for the House of Israel. There is a vivid description of the valley full of dry bones but with Ezekiel proclaiming the prophecy over the bones, they began to have flesh growing on them and skin covering them.
The prophecy was for the God's people then, the House of Israel. But in a way, it is also for the People of God now, the Church.
The reality of the prophecy will be fulfilled on the Last Day, and we believe in that as we profess in the Creed about the "resurrection of the body". Hence the remains of the deceased must be given respect and dignity.
But it is not just about the deceased. Just as the prophecy in the 1st reading is for the House of Israel, it is also for us the Church.
We are called to be a people that walk in ways of the Lord as expressed by the commandments that Jesus expressed in the gospel.
We are to be a people of love and it is love that will give life. Without love, then we are just like dry bones without any flesh and skin.
But when we love God and love our neighbour, then we have truly expressed our faith in the resurrection of the body.