The Angelic Occurrence

by Henry K. Ripplinger

  If someone promised you that if you got up each morning at 6 am and read his book for a half an hour that you would have a gloriously happy day, would you not do it?

  “Jesus promises you exactly that!

  “Jesus knows all about us and our self-centred nature and the many temptations we fall into daily. Jesus did not only come to die for our sins out of His love for us, but for three years prior to His death He taught us how to live so that we could enjoy each day and be glad in it as the Psalm suggests.

  “You see, as we read the Holy Bible we find for the most part His teachings and life lessons revolve around the two greatest commandments He gave us: to love the Lord our God with your whole heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is to love your neighbour as yourself.

  “Now, if we meet with Him every morning He will instruct us how to fulfill these two commandments which is the secret to living peacefully and fruitfully in today’s world. If you do this faithfully, my brothers and sisters, I will guarantee that you will truly come to know the meaning of the Psalm, ‘This is the day the Lord hath made, let us be glad and rejoice in it.’”

  Father stopped and once again swept his penetrating gaze at each parishioner allowing the truths to sink in. Satisfied, he continued:

  “You see my friends, His words are alive. The Holy Bible is not just an ordinary book, but filled with the inspired words of God. The words have transformational power that enter your mind and soul and change your heart.

  You will come to know Him and to know Him is to love Him; and to love Him is to trust Him and to have faith in Him.

  “It is no different than the way you met and developed a relationship with your spouse. You did not just meet on the street and say, ‘Let’s see Father Engelmann and get married.’ No…you dated and spent time together and through your courtship you got to know each other and developed faith and trust in one another. Your love deepened and eventually you made the choice to spend the rest of your lives with each other.

  “It is the same, but even more powerful with Jesus. Once He enters your life, the old is pushed out and the new comes in. His light replaces the darkness and you will increasingly be ever more fully alive in the moment to love and serve our Lord and neighbour. Ever so gently we are fulfilling Jesus’ two commandments and entering into God’s loving light, just as our guardian angels who constantly see His face. Some mornings His presence in your quiet times will be so filled with His loving light, your heart will overflow in praise. Truly you will say and mean from the bottom of your heart, “This is the day the Lord hath made, I shall be glad and rejoice in it!

  “You see, my friends, when you fill your mind in the morning with the “light” of God’s words contained in the Bible, you are preparing yourself to live your day out with Jesus in your heart. Imagine being so filled with gratitude and thanksgiving to God for the gift of this day, that you praise Him in every situation and encounter. Just like Jesus, we make every moment count and become certain that it will not be lost.

  “Every thought, word and deed you carry out will have a spiritual side. Each and every moment of the day you will be living and acting in the presence of Jesus who invites you continuously to live in and through Him to love others. Moment by moment, as we yield our will to Him, we are fulfilling His purpose to bring us all into His kingdom.

  “Let us look for examples how a Christian steps out into the day and journeys hand and hand with Jesus. He does not require great actions from us, but just consistently giving small ones. What are some small acts of charity that have a huge, if not profound affect, not only on others but ourselves?

  “Let us begin with something that you should put on as soon as you jump out of bed; a smile! Never is the saying, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ more true than a friendly welcoming smile on your face to all you meet. It not only transmits peace, love and warmth, but reveals the kind of spirit that resides within you; a cheerful heart. And this is true, no? If we fill up with Jesus we are glad and joyful for the day and reflect it to others with a smile. And as a bonus, a smile takes less energy and uses fewer muscles than a grumpy frown.

  “The other day, while a parishioner was driving me back to the rectory he stopped at a gas station and while there I visited the washroom. Many times on the walls of a men’s washroom things are written which are not only inappropriate to repeat, but shocking to read! However, this day I was pleasantly surprised to see taped to the wall a poem that was simply titled:

  SMILING IS CONTAGIOUS

  “When I left the washroom I spoke to the manager and commended him on putting such a beautiful poem on the wall and asked him if he had an extra copy. Without hesitation he reached below the counter and gave me one.

  ‘“You’re not the first one to ask and you won’t be the last. I’ve given out more copies of that poem than I sell candy bars,’” he told me. I told him that the reason his sales were higher was because the words in the poem were sweeter than any chocolate.

  “So now that I have your interest, I can see by the twinkle in everyone’s eyes they want to hear what I read in a men’s washroom of a service station.”

  Father lifted the Bible and took hold of a page of paper and then began to read the poem.

  SMILING IS CONTAGIOUS

  You catch it like the flu,

  When someone smiled at me today,

  I started smiling too!

  I passed around the corner,

  And someone saw my grin.

  When he smiled I realized,

  I’d passed it onto him.

  I thought about that smile,

  Then I realized its worth,

  A single smile,

  Just like mine,

  Could travel around the earth.

  So, if you feel a smile begin,

  Don’t leave it undetected,

  Let’s start an epidemic quick

  And get the world infected!

  “See my friends,” Father said, as he gazed out at the congregation, “Just by reading, how the power of smile can have a global affect, I can see already how all of you are smiling! And if I stare long enough you will even laugh.”

  Father stopped and pointed his finger at several parishioners laughing. “Ah, I hear some more giggling over here!” and as Father pointed here and there, the entire congregation began laughing along!

  “See the power of just a smile and the good feelings it sweeps through us?! A smile can cheer someone up, make someone’s day, open up doors to sharing and trust and puts a huge smile on the Lord’s face as well.

  “Closely related to a smile is kindness. When one is kind it brings a smile to others. It lifts the heart of both the giver and receiver. Not only do you enjoy the moment of the day but so too is the recipient happy and glad. And isn’t kindness another manifestation of Jesus’ love? Did He not say, ‘be kind and tenderhearted towards one another?’

  “Kindness, my friends, is what the world is so much in need of. A kind remark, an act of kindness, taking time to listen, encouraging someone, being courteous and polite, giving support, visiting the sick or shut-ins and being generous. There are countless ways to let others know we care.

  “When you leave your quiet time with the Lord, occupy your mind on how you can be kindlier than the day before. And isn’t it better to focus on how you can shower others with blessings than spend those precious moments of life worrying or fretting?

  “I am often reminded about the life of St. Therese, also known as ‘the little flower.’ She only lived to the age of 24, yet she is the most revered saint in modern times. She lived each day simply and with unshakeable confidence in God. She has touched the hearts of countless millions by her spirituality of doing the ordinary with extraordinary love. Small acts of kindness, when done out of love, become great deeds.

  “As St. Paul said
in Corinthians 13:1-13, ‘love is patient and kind, it is not jealous or conceited or proud. It does not keep score of wrongs or delight in another’s trials.’

  “Trust me, my friends, if you fill up each day with the Lord’s words and obey and follow His teachings, you will be blessed with a beautiful day and a saintly life. It’s just that simple! He laid out the map for you to follow perfectly! The Bible covers every aspect of life and applies to all situations!

  “Yes, there are times when it is difficult to be kind to a person who is rude. But that is precisely the time we ask Jesus to give us the strength and grace to love this person the way He does. Stay in the light and reflect back kindness, otherwise we give power to the darkness. In this way we plant the seeds of faith. That’s our purpose, my friends, to ever be beacons of light and be workers for God to bring all of His children into the kingdom of heaven.

  “I would be remiss if I did not mention very briefly two of the main culprits that steal away from the two virtues I have just talked about. They sneak up on us so subtly that if we open the door to either or both they immediately have a strong foothold on our minds.

  “So what should we guard ourselves against that prevents us from smiling and being kind and being glad and enjoying the day the Lord hath made?

  Judging others.

  Jesus said, ‘judge not lest ye be judged.’ Did you know that as soon as we judge others, it is impossible to be kind to them? Judgment immediately steals away the love that could be present in the moment. If we dwell on resentment or anger and look for the flaws or bad in others, what is occupying your mind? Can you not see that the moment you do this you are seeing in others a refection of what is in your own heart?

  “I remember my father telling me when I was a young lad that when you point your finger at someone, notice that the other three are pointing back at you.”

  And as Father spoke these words, he demonstrated with his hand. Henry still had not forgotten that lesson from Mr. Engelmann out back of the store sitting on the old grey crates in his school of life.

  Father continued, “But the moment we shift our thoughts to focus on the good in others then once again we enter the light that Jesus wants us to be in.

  “Remember, we are what we think. If we entertain the negative, our thoughts quickly expand like wildfire and soon we find ourselves upset, hurt, resentful and unforgiving. If we stay on the positive and love and accept others, our minds expand in the same way, but only now it fosters growth and acceptance and, most important, we stay in the light!

  “The blind cannot lead the blind lest both fall in the ditch. We must be the beacons of light. Just like flowers grow in the sunshine, others will too if we accept them where they are, and through Jesus’ light in us, we love them to bits!

  “Closely related to ‘judging others’ brings us to perhaps one of the most crucial of all of Jesus’ teachings and that is to foster a forgiving heart. Unforgiveness steals joy and happiness out of our heart instantly. It locks both the hurt person and the one who caused the injury into a stalemate of anger and resentment for hours, days and then years. It sucks the life out of us and if we do not obey Jesus’ command to forgive, then He cannot forgive us.

  “My friends, it is impossible to say, ‘This is the day the Lord hath made and I shall be glad and rejoice in it,’ when a spirit of unforgiveness occupies our hearts!

  “Impossible!

  “It is in this arena of life that we need Jesus’ help. As we come to Him with a sincere heart, he will give us the grace and strength to be compassionate and merciful and to overcome and forgive any injury.

  “We need Jesus to do this.

  “In all the years of my life I have known of no other way. We need a power greater than ourselves. We forgive not only to be free, but because we want to be at one with our Lord. We know the great benefit of remaining in His light! Just as the air we breath is necessary for our existence, so too it is critical to have Jesus in your heart.

  “It is clear what He said, ‘I am the way, the truth and life.’

  And in John 10:10, the Lord says. “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

  “And so, my friends, this is the secret of how we can have good days, today, tomorrow and the next and the next. Come to Jesus daily and learn from Him. Fill your mind with Jesus, fill your heart with Him, and soon energy, vitality, exuberance, joy and praise will well up within you. Can you not see the great benefits by placing your hand in His every day and saying ‘Yes, Jesus, I am here to do Your will.’”

  Father stopped for but a moment and gazed out amongst his beloved congregation. And with a smile that melted one’s heart, he softly ended his homily by saying, “If you do this my friends, you will truly say each day for the rest of your lives what the Psalmist wrote so many years ago;

  “This is the day the Lord hath made and I shall be glad and rejoice in it!”

  Father returned to the altar and continued the mass. When it came to the part before Holy Communion where Jesus said to the Apostles, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you…” Father stopped and gazed out at the parishioners and invited everyone to extend peace and good will to their brothers and sisters in Christ. It was visibly noticeable that morning more smiles and hugs and signs of kindness filled the church.

  “Great sermon, Father,” Henry said, as he shook Father’s hand on the way out of the church. “Are you coming to Mom’s for dinner?”

  “Yes, I so look forward to Mary’s delicious cooking and being with all of you.”

  Just then, Mary, along with Jeremy and Camilla came out.

  “Oh, Father, your homily was just what I needed. I have neglected my quiet time for the past week and was wondering why things haven’t been going the way they should,” said Camilla, her blue eyes sparkling in the light.

  “We cannot be reminded of that often enough, Father,” concurred Mary.

  “So, what do you call a bunch of rabbits walking backwards in a straight row, Father?” chimed in Justin.

  Father thought for a moment and shrugged his shoulders, “I’m afraid you will have to tell me, Justin.”

  “You should know this one; it’s a receding hare line!”

  Everyone laughed.

  “Well, let’s go gang, we are holding up the traffic. Are you coming to Camilla’s for breakfast, Mom?”

  “Yes, Jeremy said he would drive me home afterwards and I so want to see their backyard.”

  “There still may be the odd butterfly left, too, Mom. I just love the way they flit about in the yard. It’s like seeing angels everywhere!”

  Henry gazed at his daughter-in-law, clearly entranced by her features, and the very things she loved reflected Jenny’s love as well. Angels, butterflies, her personality and looks…

  He shook his head as he and the children made it back to the car, filled with the wonder of it all.

  Chapter Seventeen

  First thing Monday morning, Jenny made two phone calls. The first was to Remax Real-Estate in Regina. She told them to look for a bungalow in the south end large enough to accommodate all of her antique furniture and a large backyard.

  The second call was to the welfare agency to determine what action she could take to find Camilla. Jenny was hopeful as the laws had changed since the fifties and information had become much more open and available.

  Jenny was instructed to write a formal letter indicating her desire to find her daughter and to agree that she was open to be contacted by either the adoptive parents or the child. Once they received her permission letter, the agency would contact the adoptive parents to determine if they wished to be contacted or if the birth parent could contact the daughter directly. Depending on how either of these two inquiries turned out would determine whether Jenny would stay in Ottawa or move to Regina.

  Jenny still debated in her mind if
moving to Regina was the wisest move to make. It would bring her to a small city that she liked and had fond memories of, but Jenny worried about meeting Henry. She was adamant that she did not want to interfere in his life or marriage.

  In regards to Camilla, Jenny assumed that since she gave up the child in Ottawa, in all probability she and her parents would still be in the city. If that turned out to be the case, then she would abort her plan to move to Regina and stay in Ottawa.

  Regina Remax faxed information of several properties to their affiliate company in Ottawa and they in turn couriered the information to Jenny. Of the five possible listings for her consideration, one stood out over the others. It was a spacious three-bedroom bungalow on Hill Avenue. The exterior appealed to Jenny right off the bat. It was completely finished in warm, earth coloured fieldstone with steep roofs. She loved how the roof curved at the eaves. It looked so quaint, rustic and inviting. The interior had a spacious layout. The master bedroom was huge and could easily accommodate all of her en suite antique chairs and writing desk. The second bedroom could be left as a guest room and the third and smallest was already turned into a laundry room, which was just perfect.

  The living room and dining room were also of good size and basically open to each other, separated only by an archway and pillar at each end. Jenny saw all of her antique furniture fitting easily into the space. She loved the stone fireplace at the end of the living room snuggled between bookshelves on either side. She could hardly wait to be reading a book by the open fire.

  What sold Jenny more than anything, however, was the huge front and backyards brimming with flowers and trees. The landscaping was not perfect, but the yard had potential. She visualized a gazebo in the far corner of the backyard and a winding paving stone path leading up to it. Jenny was excited about it and hoped and prayed that the home would not be sold until she made a final decision to move or not.

  A week passed and then another and Jenny still had not heard from the agency. She called at the end of the second week, but the lady she was dealing with said they had not heard from the adoptive parents. They could tell Jenny no more. Jenny worried if she didn’t find out soon, the home she was interested in in Regina might be sold.