Some people genuinely grieve for those who have passed away. This is a deeply personal experience, and expressing it is important, so that our emotions are not simply repressed. However, not every memorial is sincere. It is common for people to speak highly of the deceased, even when they harboured negative feelings towards them during their lifetime. Such insincerity is a form of deception, and deception is a wrongdoing. Why, then, should we lead others into that same wrongdoing by joining in it?
The Gospel reminds us of this responsibility. We read, in Luke's Gospel: "It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!" (Luke 17:1, King James Version).