The Evangelist Luke explains why the rich young ruler rejected the Gospel; he was very rich. Yet there is a deeper reason, and it applies to each of us, no matter what our financial status. The man did not know the things in this life that are alive, and the things that are dead. We suffer from the same malady to varying degrees. The most important task of each day is to ask ourselves what things lead to life and what things lead to death. How can we answer this question daily?