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| The Schwarz family with Doug in the middle |
I was honored today to celebrate the Mass of
Christian Burial for Doug Schwarz, a great family man, engineer who worked on
our new church, a Scout leaders, an avid fisherman and a friend to many other parishioners.
This is a brief section of the homily I shared today at Doug's funeral
Mass.....
It has been a true blessing getting to know the
Schwarz family over the last 4 months, and especially getting acquainted with
Doug, and him getting to know me, as we of course were both premeditating the
planning of this day. And having anointed him and gave him Communion a few
times, it was a bigger moment of comfort seeing his family together (including
Lupine their dog) as I did the committal prayer a few hours after he entered
heaven. I said to myself, “What power and consolation faith has for those who
believe! What incredible comfort they can receive from looking at the cross !
What joy they can experience knowing they have done everything they could to
make Doug’s last few weeks as comfortable and as peace-filled as possible!”
As Blessed Mother Teresa used to say: “the ideal
Christian does not do great things in life, but they do small simple things
with a great heart, with lots of love.” And this is what Doug will be
remembered for – for doing the little things with a great heart. His epitaph
could very well be this: “What I longed for, I now see; what I hoped for, I now
possess; in heaven I am espoused to Him whom on earth I loved with all my
heart.”
Our family circle has been broken, a link gone from
our chain;
But though we’re parted for a while, we know we’ll
meet again.
Some day we hope to meet you, someday, we know not
when;
We shall meet in a better land, and never part again.
We shall meet with many a loved one that was torn
from our embrace.
We shall listen to their voices, and behold them
face to face.
In God’s hands you rest above, in our heart you rest
with love.
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