Question:
Answer:
The body is essential to the very being of a human person. At death the separation of the soul from the body is an abnormality of human existence. We were created to be a soul and a body. We are not simply some spirit imprisoned in a body. Our body is not a discardable container of the soul. The fact that the soul separates from the body at death is the result of original sin; such separation is not the intention of creation.
Body and soul cannot be separated as if one is more important than the other in terms of what it means to be a human person. The body of the deceased is the same body that was consecrated to Christ in baptism, was a temple of the Holy Spirit through confirmation, received the Body of Christ in the Eucharist, was the means of expression of marital love, etc.
At death we treat the body with respect because it is essential to the person who has died and is the body that will be resurrected on the last day.