Briefly, the four last things are traditional topics of retreats and they are death, judgment, Heaven and hell. The life of a monk is geared towards making sure that his life is ordered so that he is prepared to go to Heaven as his ultimate destination.
In order to provide the food on the table and shelter over their heads as the monks prepare for the day they hope to meet God face to face while they continue to petition for our salvation as well, some monks have come up with a very unique way of supporting themselves. In a word, they make and sell coffins.
While there is a movement afoot to reduce funeral home expenses by purchasing coffins on the internet and through places like Costco, I suggest that if you are seeking to do some pre-planning that you seriously consider supporting some monks by purchasing a coffin. These monks are flexible enough to even offer installment plans so this is something you should really look into even if your budget can’t take a hit at once.
The death of a Christian can be so beautiful and there is nothing so consoling as the helps which the Christ has given us through His Church. It is because we desire to go to an eternal reward and to bring others with us that we even consider the question of vocations in our lives. Since it is the instant of death that determines our place in heaven or hell, I believe that this subject is not a morbid one but one that deserves attention since by some diligence on our part we may be doing a work of charity to someone else who will otherwise have to bear the responsibility of your funeral planning.
Here is the link to the monks’ website where they sell their coffins:
http://trappistcaskets.com/products.asp
(c) 2007 by Therese Ivers and www.DoIHaveAVocation.com