He was a good man...

Have you ever been to a funeral for someone and in the eulogy they repeatedly say "He was a good man..." or "He is in a better place.."? Sometimes this might be true and that person is making a quick trip to a seat at the head table in Heaven. Other times, you hope the person made it to purgatory. Still other times you have to wonder if the eulogizer even knew this person.

While I haven’t been to a lot of funerals in my life and I genuinely believe that most of the funerals I have been to were for good people, a line in a book I was reading (Be a Man by Fr. Larry Richards) asked, “What will people say at your funeral?” That got me thinking… (uh-oh, now’s your chance to get out before I rant!)

When people die, we always try to say nice things. We’ve all been taught, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”, but why do people feel the need to say, “He was a good man” or “He’s in a better place” even when they don’t necessarily believe it? Is it better to lie about someone or just remain silent or just say, “I’m sorry for your loss”?

When I pass away, I do not want someone just to say nice things about me. The only way I want those words uttered is if I was really a good man or if people who knew me think that I will be joining our maker in Heaven. I’m a far cry from that right now, but I work toward it every day.

I want people to be honest about me, but here are some things I hope they say (not in any order):
 “That guy loved his wife.”
“He was a good father.”
 “He always stood strong for the Church.”
“He was a good friend.”
“He was a hard worker.”
“He was good at his work.”
“He was a good coach.”
Etc.

That is the guy I strive to be. I know I’m a far cry from perfect, but part of my mission is to have these things said about me when I go – and have them be true.

So I’m back to my mission…