Whether discussing a home here on earth or the home the faithful live in the hope of inheriting in heaven, there is always maintenance to be done.

Pastor Paul van de Crommert of Holy Rosary Catholic Church in North Mankato, Minnesota told his parishioners in the church bulletin how important it is to work on the “spiritual maintenance” for the world that is to come.

“Just as a person is so happy when they buy a boat or a building such as a house and are still happy even though they have a big bill or a large mortgage to pay over the next decades; so too when we live in this world and have to pay the high price spiritually of suffering and sacrifice as a follower of Christ, we too should feel that same joy for our reward will be great in heaven,” he said in the bulletin.

Spiritual maintenance in the form of prayer, penance, reception of the sacraments and practicing of chairty are required for a strong spiritual relationship with the Messiah as the saints knew, he said.

“Just as a person is filled with happiness upon the closing or the sale of that boat or that building such as a house, so too we should be happy at the close of our life, for if we have been faithful to Christ, we will be rewarded with the great gift of heaven,” he wrote.

He suggested that parishioners maintain a spiritual relationship with their patron or favorite saint during November.