Within minutes of the announcement of the death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, political posturing over his replacement began. The irony is that partisan bickering is one of the reasons voters seem to be attracted to “outsider” presidential candidates this year.

But then came the moving, personal tributes from every one of Justice Scalia’s colleagues on the Supreme Court. It got me wondering. Why was Justice Scalia so loved by so many, including those who differed with him on the great legal issues of our time? Perhaps one of the reasons was that Antonin Scalia was a man of deep faith.

In 1998, all the Supreme Court justices attended the funeral  for Justice Lewis Powell at Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church in Richmond, Virginia. A few days later, the minister, Dr James Goodloe, received a letter from Justice Scalia. It’s worth reading in its entirety.

 Dear Dr. Goodloe:

I looked for you unsuccessfully at the luncheon following the funeral yesterday. I wanted to tell you how reverent and inspiring I found the service that you conducted.

In my aging years, I have attended so many funerals of prominent people that I consider myself a connoisseur of the genre. When the deceased and his family are nonbelievers, of course, there is not much to be said except praise for the departed who is no more. But even in Christian services conducted for deceased Christians, I am surprised at how often the eulogy is the centerpiece of the service, rather than (as it was in your church) the Resurrection of Christ, and the eternal life which follows from that. I am told that, in Roman Catholic canon law, encomiums at funeral Masses are not permitted—though if that is the rule, I have never seen it observed except in the breach. I have always thought there is much to be said for such a prohibition, not only because it spares from embarrassment or dissembling those of us about whom little good can truthfully be said, but also because, even when the deceased was an admirable person—indeed, especially when the deceased was an admirable person—praise for his virtues can cause us to forget that we are praying for, and giving thanks for, God’s inexplicable mercy to a sinner. (My goodness, that seems more like a Presbyterian thought than a Catholic one!)

Perhaps the clergymen who conduct relatively secular services are moved by a desire not to offend the nonbelievers in attendance—whose numbers tend to increase in proportion to the prominence of the deceased. What a great mistake. Weddings and funerals (but especially funerals) are the principal occasions left in modern America when you can preach the Good News not just to the faithful, but to those who have never really heard it.

Many thanks, Dr. Goodloe, for a service that did honor to Lewis and homage to God. It was a privilege to sit with your congregation. Best regards.

 Sincerely,

Antonin Scalia