Tonight during RCIA, we spoke a small part about death. And in that talk, the Catholic funeral came up (obviously) in which we place the white cloth (pall) over the casket. The true reason we do this is to symbolize the baptism and purity of the one who has died.
One gentleman, on the older side of life, spoke up and said he and his wife visited the funeral home yesterday to prepare for their death. The funeral director told this man the reason they put the white cloth over the casket was to hide the price of the casket. It could be inlaid with gold or a simple pine box. No one would know.
A symbol of humility in both instances.
At the mention of that, Father mentioned that no matter how big your car the plot size is still the same. My mind began to reel about this simple yet lost idea.
Why is it we try so hard to acquire? Why do we spend so much time trying to gather unto ourselves all things material that will only give us a temporary degree of wealth? And my mind didn't even go to the afterlife and what I believe it to be. Whether or not heaven or hell do or don't exist is the furthest thing from the true point. It is this: that when you die...your wealth means nothing. Your car means nothing. Your house means nothing. Your clothes mean nothing. These are simply things that buy us things, get us places, give us shelter, and keep us from being cold.
I am not saying it is not important to have these things or that I am not grateful for what I have. I am! I am blessed! But, the price tag doesn't matter. As an adult, I don't encounter bullies because of what I wear as I did in school. But, sometimes I still find that I care about gathering the wealth. I care about name brands... and I get caught up. My brother's box, the one that held his ashes, was all that held him physically. His memories alone were the only thing we need to carry with us to remind us of him. It wasn't that he wore a shirt he got at Goodwill or at the high end department store. It was that it was his. Price didn't matter.
I guess it just hit me that it is not worth anything to go after something because of price. Our boxes are still the same size. Our plots are still the same size. It is our memories that matter. I am going to try to spend more "time" on those than money on things. Hard but worth it.
One gentleman, on the older side of life, spoke up and said he and his wife visited the funeral home yesterday to prepare for their death. The funeral director told this man the reason they put the white cloth over the casket was to hide the price of the casket. It could be inlaid with gold or a simple pine box. No one would know.
A symbol of humility in both instances.
At the mention of that, Father mentioned that no matter how big your car the plot size is still the same. My mind began to reel about this simple yet lost idea.
Why is it we try so hard to acquire? Why do we spend so much time trying to gather unto ourselves all things material that will only give us a temporary degree of wealth? And my mind didn't even go to the afterlife and what I believe it to be. Whether or not heaven or hell do or don't exist is the furthest thing from the true point. It is this: that when you die...your wealth means nothing. Your car means nothing. Your house means nothing. Your clothes mean nothing. These are simply things that buy us things, get us places, give us shelter, and keep us from being cold.
I am not saying it is not important to have these things or that I am not grateful for what I have. I am! I am blessed! But, the price tag doesn't matter. As an adult, I don't encounter bullies because of what I wear as I did in school. But, sometimes I still find that I care about gathering the wealth. I care about name brands... and I get caught up. My brother's box, the one that held his ashes, was all that held him physically. His memories alone were the only thing we need to carry with us to remind us of him. It wasn't that he wore a shirt he got at Goodwill or at the high end department store. It was that it was his. Price didn't matter.
I guess it just hit me that it is not worth anything to go after something because of price. Our boxes are still the same size. Our plots are still the same size. It is our memories that matter. I am going to try to spend more "time" on those than money on things. Hard but worth it.
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