Jack Wintz - I Will See You in Heaven

I Will See You in Heaven

Friar Jack Wintz

2018 First Printing This Edition

I Will See You in Heaven

Copyright 2018 by Jack Wintz

ISBN: 978-1-55725-732-1

Unless otherwise noted all scriptural references are taken from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America and are used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scriptural references marked NAB are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scriptural references marked NAB 1986 in this work are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C., and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scriptural references marked JB are taken from The Jerusalem Bible 1966 by Darton Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday and Company Ltd. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The Paraclete Press name and logo (dove on cross) are trademarks of Paraclete Press, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Wintz, Jack. I will see you in heaven / Jack Wintz.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-55725-732-1

1. AnimalsReligious aspectsChristianity. 2. PetsReligious aspectsChristianity. 3. Future lifeChristianity. I. Title. BT746.W55 2010

231.7dc222009053415

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press

Brewster, Massachusetts

www.paracletepress.com

Printed in China

This book is written for the millions of people who love their animal companions. All may find inspiration here.

This updated edition includes photographs and short memories of beloved animal companions, provided by our readers and others who have loved a pet as one of the family, supplementing the original text of Friar Jack.

I Will See You in Heaven is also designed to help those who have recently lost a pet by keeping it in loving remembrance. You may want to use the following Presentation Page.

Presented to

By _____________________________

In Loving Remembrance of

On This Day

Liberty

Liberty (Libby,) was a sassy girl who taught us how to love more fully. Maybe even more importantly, as we watched God love her and take care of her right up to the day he took her home, she was an example of how much God loves each of us.

Contents

Introduction

W e have a deep desire to know if we will see our pets again, and all the other lovely creatures alongside whom we now inhabit this planet. What will become of them after they die?

A friend of mine once told me the following story:

Anne lives in Cincinnati, where a few years ago she faced the important questions of death and eternity as she was present at the death of her dearly loved dog, Miss Daisy. Anne had befriended Miss Daisy ten years earlier when the dog, of mixed Spaniel origin, was barely one year old. With the help of her adult son, Anne rescued Miss Daisy from Cincinnatis inner city.

I would see her wandering around the neighborhood where I worked at an elementary school, Anne told me. I came to realize that she was obviously a stray and lostand she was adorable! I took cans of tuna to the area where Miss Daisy hung out, but she was very afraid of people and wouldnt approach the tuna till she was left alone. My rescue attempts went on for many months.

In time, Anne was successful in winning Miss Daisys confidence and was able to take her to her home.

Miss Daisy was still very shy, Anne told me, but she eventually became a loyal and loving member of our family. Realizing that Miss Daisy needed a companion, I went to the dog pound and came home with a dog named Andy. For ten years or so, Miss Daisy and Andy were very happy companions, and both became cherished members of the family. But I became especially attached to Miss Daisy.

Eventually, Miss Daisy became ill, and we had to make the very difficult decision to have her put down. My son and I took her to the veterinarian so he could put her to sleep. We wanted the vet to come out to our car so Miss Daisy would be in familiar surroundings and we could be holding her, but he refused our request. So we had to take her inside. We laid her on the vets table on her special blanket. We petted Miss Daisy gently and spoke softly to her as the vet got everything ready to give her the injection. Miss Daisy lay there quietly for a few seconds, and then, just before the injection took effect, she lifted her head and looked directly into my eyes. I can still see that look. It was as if she knew what was going on and she was saying good-bye.

Anne recalls how her heart melted, and to this day tears come to her eyes when she remembers that scene. I still miss the loving pet who had been my dear friend for so many years. I know I will see Miss Daisy again!

Im sure that most of us have our own memories of being profoundly grief-stricken at the death of a beloved pet. These are not childish concerns, but the mature reflections of loving Christians.

Many of us prefer to pose the question Will I see my dog in heaven? in broader spiritual terms. There is more involved in this question than simply wondering if we will ever be reunited with a loved animal. For instance, does Gods plan of salvation include only humans, or does it include animals, too? In even broader terms, does God intend the