President Bush Attends Funeral Service for Tony Snow (Text of the President's Eulogy)

The White House ^ | Thursday, July 17, 2008 | President Bush

[mpackard]

Dang!!! The boss walked in while I sat and bawled, reading this. Simply beautiful, Mr President.

[pj_627]

Dang it, now I’m crying again. What a lovely, lovely tribute to an absolutely wonderful man.

pattyjo

[Bahbah]

The President did not disappoint.

[hershey]

Tony radiated goodness, kindness, virtue, integrity. He simply shone with God’s grace, and we were so lucky to have had him as a friend and fellow American.

[FES0844]

A beautiful eulogy for a beautiful man.

[victim soul]

Thanks, Kristinn, for letting us feel a little bit physically closer to his family and friends.

May God May The Angels
Lead You Into Paradise
Funeral Song for the Rite of Commital

http://www.jabulanimusic.com/index.htm

May the angels lead you into Paradise.

May the martyrs come to greet you on the way.

May they lead you home to the holy city,

to the new and eternal Jerusalem.

Composer’s Reflection
Since early times, in Christian tradition In Paradisum deducant te angeli or May the angels lead you into paradise has been part of the Christian funeray tradition. It is sung at the Rite of Committal, which takes place after the communion rite in the Requiem Mass. It may also be sung during the procession from the church, and at the Rite of Commendation at the place of burial. But is this merely fine poetry, or do the the images have actual meaning?

References to Angels are common throughout the later Scriptures, after the return from Babylonian Exile. The concept of angels, unkown in pre-Exilic Judaism, was acquired from Persian tradition, when Alexander, the benign Emperor, defeated Babylon and allowed those who wished to return from their captivity to Jerusalem. These heavenly beings or figures became symbols of God’s power, extensions of God’s presence. The angel who appeared to Mary at the annunciation may be understood as the appearance and personification of the invisible God.

The Martyrs were not only the heroes but the life blood of the Early Church. Those who were martyred for the Faith in the great persecutions sweeping through the rapidly growing community gave rise to the phenomenon of pilgrimages, the sites of martyrdom regarded as especially holy places; these soon became the great basilicas which established the geographical presence of Christianity as it spread further and further away from the Holy Lands. The martyrs found immediate favor in God’s sight. The imagery of their welcoming the recently deceased into the heavenly community is another symbolic reference to the divine embrace.

Devout Jews lived in hope of a restored Jerusalem. Those who returned from Bablyonian Exile in 584 BC found the temple in ruins, the holy places a heap of weed-strewn rubble, with birds nesting among the stones and remaining ledges and arches. A post-Exilic theology emerged which evolved into an early December Feast of the Dedication, to commemorate the eventual rebuilding of the Temple. But it also anticipated the return of the Lord at the endtimes, not as mighty conqueror but as Shepherd, to reunite the scattered tribes of Israel, restored in a single land ruled by God alone. Their city would surmount a land abundant with flowing waters. This dream of restoration of good fortunes (which probably never existed but which nurtured a desire for the future) became enshrined in the vision of a new, gleaming and indestructible City, with the golden temple as its jewel.

The mention of Lazarus in the arms of Abraham alludes to the story in Luke 16:19-25, where the beggar Lazarus, whose life was spent in poverty, disease, and misery, died and went directly to heaven. He would no longer be poor. This image reflects the Jewish belief of the endtimes as days of limitless prosperity, where all would live together in harmony and peace.

[afraidfortherepublic]

Tony Snow has left the City of Washington for the City of God. May he find eternal rest in the arms of his Savior.

This is the most beautiful wish I've ever ehard expressed at a funeral. President Bush's eulogy was so well written, it might have been written by Tony Snow!

I'm glad they did not televise this. I would hate to have these wonderful words (to say nothing of the Holy Mass) interrupted by mundane, irreverant chit chat from the various anchors -- or worse -- a commercial!

[AmusedBystander]

Donations can be made directly to the Tony Snow Family Trust by either: sending a check made payable to the "Tony Snow Family Trust" to:

Center for Health Transformation

Attn: Tony Snow Family Trust

1425 K Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20005

or going to www.healthtransformation.net, which is the website for the Center for Health Transformation.

[brityank]

Thank you, kristinn. A powerful and deserved oratory.

[tuckrdout]

Thank you for posting this. I wonder if there is any video of the funeral?

[RushCrush]

Wow, thank you for posting. That was truly beautiful.

Damn anyone who says our president isn’t eloquent.

[Don Corleone]

a man of uncommon decency and compassion. He was a devoted husband, a proud and loving father, an adoring son, a beloved colleague, and a wonderful role model and friend.

I hope that they can say that about me when the time comes.

[gate2wire]

“Tony Snow, the professional, is a hard act to follow. Tony Snow, the man, is simply irreplaceable.”

WOW...Rest in Peace, Mr. Snow.

[A.A. Cunningham]

The funeral Mass was televised by CNN.

[Lijahsbubbe]

Up late and looking at different websites and I run across Tony’s picture on Drudge. It’s still shocking that he’s gone and it doesn’t seem right.

[iowamark]

Link to President Bush's Tribute to Tony Snow

Link to Very Reverend David O'Connell's Homily

 PDF Copy of Program from Funeral Mass

National Shrine Tony Snow funeral page