This morning I concelebrated the funeral of a wonderful Catholic Doctor by the name of David Mousaw in Queensbury, New York. Father Joseph Busch gave a great homily, and I wanted to share its outline with you. Please pray for David and his wife Pat and their two sons.
Funeral Homily
How hard it is to say good-bye
Dave’s last words to me: “my friend”
I wanted to cry … yet, didn’t want him to see this
There were mixed feelings –
always hopeful that he would get better
didn’t want to see him suffer & prayed he would die
and perhaps the anger of the brevity of life
Often times people think about how a person died, rather than how they lived
Perhaps it is the shock of it … we can never really be prepared no matter when it comes
How he died… “I have fought the good fight, I have run the race, I have kept the faith”
He never gave up on life despite the pain he was in
Not just a physical pain – but the mental anguish of seeing people he perceived as “Idiots”
His last words spoken were to Pat: I love you.
How he lived
Like St. Joseph who feast day was the day David died,
o He cared for children
o He was good father and husband
o Like Joseph – he had his doubts, yet trusted
As a gifted doctor he shared his insights with his colleagues
From: Larson, Dan MD
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 10:27 AM
Subject: David Mousaw, MD
Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2014 10:27 AM
Subject: David Mousaw, MD
I am sad to report the passing of Dr. Mousaw last night. Dave had been with the Network since 1987. His dedication to high quality patient care and to the mission of the Network was admirable over all these many years. As many of you know, he had been suffering various complications of lymphoma and its treatment for several years. David was a friend as well as a colleague. He had a devotion to his craft, combined with a charming , curmudgeonly cynicism about some of the changes in modern health care.
As a trustee here at the Church, he brought perspective to the Pastoral Planning process – seeing in the meetings the “entertainment value” / I was very often angry
Each person here will have their memory of David and reflections on either how he died or how he lived …
Maybe his red socks, maybe the beer … but we won’t forget him
But this is not the only reason why we gather today.
n How do we move beyond the sadness and get on with life?
Our Faith.
God promises us a better life to come. Our first reading, “on this mountain, … the Lord will provide … ”
Getting to the top of a mountain is not an easy task.
I hiked up Hadley Mountain (Luzerne, NY) with Dave a few years ago. I really pushed to get to the summit in under an hour.
To climb you need to be physically and mentally prepared
You need endurance and persistence – to go all the way
Sometimes the conditions are not right and we have to turn back to return again
But when we reach the top and get the view, we forget what it took to get there.
It is a time to be silent in awe and wonder … of God’s creation
And for David … today we pray that he has reached that pinnacle – being in the presence of God …
David's life is completed.
But what about us?
Nothing can take away the sense of loss, sadness
and maybe regret of not having more time
Our Gospel brings us comfort – “Come to me all who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Again – Faith.
The Scripture speaks of a God
o who gave us creation,
o who became incarnate in the person of Jesus Christ,
o who is present when we gather
o and speaks to us now: Come you who labor and are burdened
David’s life was about Medicine – of healing and hope
For all who believe, it is the same: healing and hope
from the book of Wisdom: “The souls of the just are in the hands of God and no torment shall touch them … they seemed dead … but they are at peace.”
David may you be in the presence of God in awe and wonder.
