The List of Things To Take With You When You Die

Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go,
sell what you have and give to the poor,
and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Here is an interesting bit of trivia for you.  the standard casket size (within an inch or so) is

84 inches long, 28 inches wide and 23 inches tall.  This is not a whole lot of space.  Your standard grave is about 3 feet wide, six feet deep and about eight feet long. This too is not a whole lot of space to keep things in. You probably get slightly less space in a public or private mausoleum but we won't split hairs, there will be enough room for you and for your box and that's about it.  I think you can see where this is going. 

The man that Jesus was speaking to in today's gospel was a good man who was seeking the Kingdom of God. He obeyed all of the rules and regulations and he thought that enough.  I think he was asking this question of Jesus so that he could be assured that there was nothing else to be done.  He was very surprised when Jesus said there was more to be done and he was very upset when he found out that he had to give up everything, give to the poor, and then follow Jesus.  He had wanted to be justified and held up as a good example, but walked away shaking his head because the stuff he had accumulated was more valuable than heaven. 

The fact is, the property you think you own was owned by someone else a hundred years ago and will be owned by someone else after you are gone even if the other person is in your family, it is not you.  The trinkets of your life, your car, your closet full of clothes, your fishing poles, and hooks, everything is left behind when you die. You enter the world with nothing in your hands and you leave it the same way. 

Our love for Jesus and the Kingdom of God has to be greater than our love for the stuff of earth. We need to have a certain amount of things about us so as to live.  Even the poorest of the poor have a bucket to carry water.  To have things of utility will help us navigate through life.  A home and furniture are important to have.  We need money to buy the things we need and we work to attain that money and we have a right to enjoy the things that we have earned.  But some of us forget how temporary our time here on earth is and our god becomes the dollar and what it can bring us.  We strive and work and scheme to increase our wealth and do so at the cost of others.

Love the people in your life. Use the goods you earn to make the earth a better place.  Be generous as you can and remember how little space the grave provides to carry the goods of this earth.  You will carry with you only that which fits in your heart. 

Please remember the poor souls in Purgatory this day.  Ease their sufferings by offering prayers and sacrifices for them.  The will be forever grateful.