Another Angel of Love

by Henry K. Ripplinger

  “We sure did a lot here together,” Henry finally said.

  “That we did, Henry, that we did,” Mr. Engelmann replied, patting Henry’s shoulder. Mr. Engelmann bowed his head and prayed, “Dear Lord, thank you for this store, and the living it provided for Anna and me and Henry. It has been good to us. It has allowed us to serve You.”

  Mr. Engelmann clapped Henry’s shoulder again as they moved towards the front door. But neither could leave. Not yet.

  Henry turned to his beloved teacher. “Could we go out back one more time and sit on the old grey crate?”

  “I guess great minds think alike, Henry, the very same thought entered my mind as well. Come, let us sit and warm our faces and spirits under the sun.”

  Henry only nodded, already struggling to hold back his emotions.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day. The sun shone as it hadn’t in a long time as the two men stepped out back and headed for their favourite chair. A warm summer breeze cooled their faces. Henry recalled the first time he took a Dr. Pepper from the cooler and came out and sat on this very same crate. He’d loved it back then and he loved it even more now.

  Mr. Engelmann lowered himself onto the grey crate next to him and patted Henry’s knee, turning his face towards the sun, though really it was heavenward, Henry thought.

  He knew he was right when Mr. Engelmann spoke.

  “We’ve had a lot of good talks out here, Henry. My Anna loved to see us come out back and have our discussions. She knew how much I loved to sit and chat with you under the warm prairie sun.”

  “I’ve learned so much from you, Mr. Engelmann; I’ll never forget what you’ve taught me in this classroom. I hope the sun has burned all those lessons in my mind. And I’ve always appreciated you taking me as I am, accepting me and making it feel safe to tell you almost anything.”

  Mr. Engelmann turned to him. “And I have learned much from you, as well, Henry; we made a good partnership. And, yes, in relationships it is very important to accept one another —through love and caring both people grow. So many relationships fail because one tries to control the other, to change the other to suit themselves, being judgmental or fault-finding. This immediately closes the door to fruitful communication.”

  “Yeah, I see it all so clearly; Gary once told me he and his dad were always at odds with one another, and when he decided to just step back and accept his dad, their home was more peaceful. Each of them was able to begin looking at himself rather than defending their own point of view.”

  “Yes, Gary has learned a lot from the college he is attending.”

  “As have I in our classroom,” Henry added.

  Mr. Engelmann patted Henry’s knee again. “It was good for the Lord to bring the both of you into each other’s lives. Together, you are for the better as a result.”

  “Yeah, for sure.”

  Henry looked at his mentor and thought this might be a good time to ask him something he hoped Mr. Engelmann would not be offended by.

  “Mr. Engelmann, you know at the end of the summer Gary and his friend Jane are going to Edmonton and then Toronto to prepare for an eventual trip to India, right?”

  “Yes, he shared with me that he wants to do mission work for a year or two before going into the priesthood.”

  “Well, you know how close Gary and Mrs. Engelmann were…?”

  “Yes, they had a special bond as you did with my Anna too.”

  “I hope you won’t be disappointed that I’m suggesting this but I was wondering if I could give Mrs. Engelmann’s Bible to Gary, to take with him as a reminder of her love and care for him—well, our love and care for him, too—it really is such a special gift to me, but somehow I feel called to give it to him.”

  Mr. Engelmann looked at Henry and put an arm around his shoulder. “Henry, Henry, Henry, it is the Lord, and perhaps Anna too, who is touching your heart. To give something up that we love and treasure for another is a blessing. It’s a sign of the true friendship between you and Gary. Yes, you have my blessing to give Anna’s Bible to him. I know how much he will appreciate it. He loved Anna very much too.”

  “Yeah, I know he did. Thank you, Mr. Engelmann, for understanding.”

  “Well,” Mr. Engelmann said, “let me share something with you. Anna was torn as to who she should give the Bible to, you or Gary. She always considered you our son, though, and wanted you to have something to remember us by when you left the store after Grade 12. So giving it to Gary will not go against her wishes either. And since I am going into seminary, I would like to give you my Bible.”

  “Geez, are you sure, Mr. Engelmann? That would be great! But what will you read? You need it, don’t you?”

  “I will receive a new one from the church. It will soon be marked up like my old one and serve as a reminder of my new life in service to the Lord.”

  “Well, thanks a lot, Mr. Engelmann! I know how much you treasure it.”

  “And now you know how much I treasure you.” Mr. Engelmann patted Henry’s hand, resting on the crate next to him.

  They were silent for a few moments and then Henry spoke. “I’ll always remember the day you told me the meaning of your family name. ‘Angel man’ is so true and fitting; you’ve always been a guardian angel to me.”

  Mr. Engelmann patted Henry’s hand again, “Thank you Henry.”

  “And you’ve always walked in a manner that glorifies God. You’ve been such a big influence on me.”

  “And you have been both Anna’s and my greatest joy. We were so blessed the day you came into our lives.”

  This time Henry reached over and patted his teacher’s knee, thanking him. The mutual gesture of love and respect brought a smile and a soft chuckle, despite their teary eyes.

  Henry wiped his cheek with the back of his hand and went on to say, “You know, Mr. Engelmann, about angels? A thought came to me this morning when I was reading Matthew 18:10.”

  “Ah yes, ‘See that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.’ ”

  “Yeah, that’s it exactly, Mr. Engelmann! As I thought about that scripture saying that angels always see the face of God, I prayed especially hard that I do His will and walk with integrity like you. I wouldn’t want my guardian angel to have an unhappy or disappointed face that God sees because of something I’m doing wrong. This may sound childish, but I want Jesus to always see my guardian angel with a happy face.”

  “You are developing a closer relationship with Jesus and your protector, Henry. The deeper meaning of scripture is coming into your awareness. That is a good sign you are communicating with the Lord. You have grown much, Henry; there is little else for me teach you.”

  “You were right about my mom and dad too, that God’s divine providence would work things out in their lives. I’ve never seen them happier and I’m so grateful! They hug and kiss a lot more, Dad shares his feelings with Mom and me, they walk down the street holding hands and Dad isn’t ten feet in front of Mom like he used to be, and Dad even has us saying the rosary together each night! And, most important of all, Mr. Engelmann, I don’t see the hurt in my mom’s eyes anymore, she’s completely forgiven Dad and he seems so at peace too.”

  “Praise the Lord!” Mr. Engelmann responded. “He turns everything into such good. It is good that you have seen this and understand the Lord’s workings, His divine providence.”

  “Yeah, when it first happened I thought for sure that was it for our family. That was all she wrote. I was so afraid and unsure.”

  “You saw only one piece of the puzzle, Henry, while God saw the whole puzzle. He saw that out of this trial your father’s heart would change and that he would grow to be much stronger. He saw your mother growing in forgiveness and their relationship becoming stronger.”r />
  “It took years to happen and I wouldn’t even have noticed it as God’s divine providence if you hadn’t pointed it out to me.”

  “All God’s purposes are fulfilled in due time.”

  Henry nodded.

  “That is how the Lord works,” Mr. Engelmann continued. “It takes time for us to grow in character, faith, strength and trust. It does not happen overnight. And, as you say, we don’t even see it happen until one day, like now, we are back in the light, through the trial and amazed to see what the Lord has done!”

  “Well, this has all sure helped increase my trust in Jesus.”

  “That is good, Henry! This helps to increase your faith and gives you something to draw on when other difficulties arise. And there will be future trials in your life, Henry. God is in the business of building character, creating strong people who can withstand the storms of life, warriors who work with Him for the salvation of all mankind.

  “Always remember that God never abandons you. Remember this experience when you walk in the shadows or darkness of life and God seems distant or taking forever to solve your problem or heal your crisis. He is there working, bringing good out of whatever dilemma you face. Never forget the beautiful treasures He brought into your family when all seemed so dark.

  “I’ve said this before, Henry, but it is worth repeating. Welcome trials into your life and trust Jesus—you will remain at peace and you will come out stronger each time. When times are good and the sun is shining, we think we have no need of God. It is the wise man who trusts and loves and prays to God regardless of the season, the time of day or how good his life is at the time. When we do this we are always prepared and ready to do the work of the Lord and accept His will in our lives because He loves us, wants what is best for us and wants us to become a warrior for Him.”

  “Anna was a warrior…I mean, Mrs. Engelmann always worked for Jesus?”

  “Yes! She was such an influence on others, Henry, especially me. I would not be the man you see today if not for her example and love. She taught me much in developing a close relationship with Jesus. Anna was so close to the Lord, Henry, she wore Him on her skin.”

  Wow, a relationship can’t get any closer than that.

  Henry couldn’t help but feel lucky to have been part of the Engelmanns’, to have learned so much and felt such love and acceptance. And Mr. Engelmann’s teaching on divine providence, Henry still couldn’t get over that.

  “God’s divine providence is such an amazing thing, Mr. Engelmann, how can He be everywhere like that at the same time, helping people all over the world?”

  “I have thought about that as well, Henry. It is a mystery, and as I said before, a miracle of the first order. But I finally wondered if God’s Holy Spirit wasn’t a bit like electricity.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, let’s use the city of Regina for example, close to a hundred and ten thousand people. Now, electricity is a mystery to me as well and yet man has figured out how to harness it and make it available to all the homes in the city at the same time. And continuously, too. It provides heat and power for each person. They can, at any time, plug in a toaster, a radio, a fan and everyone in the entire city can do the same and at the same time too. Anyone can turn on a light or shut it off at the flick of a switch. The power or electricity is available to the whole city at any time, even though we cannot see it or understand it.

  “Now think of God and His Holy Spirit as a source that provides power. Not only to our city but to everyone in the entire world. He is there in every residence too, but the real home He occupies is the mind and heart and soul of every person. At any time His love, His ‘electricity’ is available to anyone. They can turn it off and remain in the darkness or, with the flick of a switch in their mind or heart or soul, enter the light. He is always available to hear our prayers or intercessory petitions or to work His divine providence. It is a wise person who always stays connected and remains in His light!” Mr. Engelmann raised his eyebrows and winked, then quickly added, “And do not forget there is another spirit assigned by the Lord to us—one we spoke of earlier: our guardian angel. He protects our soul and body in both ordinary and miraculous ways every moment of our lives. In this way too the Lord sees and watches us, as you said before; angels always have their eyes on their Lord at the same time as they watch over us. In any case, Henry, that is the best explanation I can offer.”

  “Wow! That’s pretty good, Mr. Engelmann—excellent way to describe it! I guess you’ve figured out just about everything there is to know!”

  But Mr. Engelmann was quick to correct him.

  “No Henry, only the Lord knows all things. But I do pray for wisdom each and every day to know the will of God so I may serve Him completely.”

  That triggered another question.

  “Can angels see into the future, Mr. Engelmann? Do they know what is going to happen in my life and…?” Henry paused.

  And…what? Mr. Engelmann wondered what Henry had stopped short of asking. He had an idea but thought it best to wait for Henry to express his heart and simply answer the first part of his question in the meantime.

  “No, Henry, I do not believe that angels can see into the future—only God can, unless He chooses to reveal it to them. However, angels, like humans, can predict the future on the basis of cause. For example, if you mail a letter, I can predict it will be delivered in the future. Or if you say you are going to lie out in the hot sun for the afternoon, I can predict that you will come in either very tanned or very burned.

  “Angels have a much greater intellect than humans, though. They can grasp a complicated concept and understand it at once, whereas humans have to study it and slowly learn about it in stages as they develop, grasping a little bit at a time. Having said that, I would expect that angels have far greater predictive powers about the future than we do. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, Mr. Engelmann, while I am at peace in my relationship with Julean, Jenny and I had such a strong spiritual connection I just can’t seem to shake this feeling of being tied to her, even though we’ve been apart for so long. Will it ever go away? If angels can see into the future, maybe I could pray they’ll give me a sign of what will happen or whether I’ll always have this feeling…” Henry’s words trailed off.

  Mr. Engelmann reflected carefully on Henry’s lingering concern. If he himself had not been there that morning in the store and felt the energy between them or seen the aura that had surrounded those two, the way their gazes locked into one another, he would brush it aside as a figment of Henry’s imagination. Something had happened, but what?

  Mr. Engelmann shrugged. “All I can say is that God has a reason and only time will reveal what it is. Maybe for now Henry, your prayer to your guardian angel should be that he help you to accept this feeling as part of your life, and perhaps help to lessen it too. That is all I can suggest. I will pray for you too.”

  “Well, I guess I have sort of accepted it and I’ve definitely moved on with Julean, but maybe Jenny will always be a strong part of me. You know, my first love and all.”

  For the first time, Mr. Engelmann wasn’t sure how to counsel his student any further. He had never witnessed anything like it. The power of human attraction, he thought, or was it something more than human love?

  Henry interrupted Mr. Engelmann’s thoughts. “How do angels work in our lives, anyway? Has anyone ever seen one?”

  Mr. Engelmann answered the second question first. “Yes, Henry, the Blessed Virgin saw the Angel Gabriel when he appeared to her to announce that she would be the mother of Jesus.”

  “Oh yeah, I forgot about that.”

  “And an angel appeared to St. Paul when he was in prison and freed him of his chains. Angels have appeared to many prophets in the Old Testament and many saints have written of encounters with their celestial protectors. Too many to name.

 
“And regarding your first question, as you already know, they guide us, protect us, prompt us, inspire us, pray for us and go to the Lord on our behalf to ask forgiveness of our transgressions …the list is endless Henry. The more we acknowledge them and become aware of them, the closer to them we become. They are our best friends and allies, our unseen link to God.

  “And as you said earlier, since they constantly see the face of God, they are filled with adoration, love and radiance, all the while attending to us. They are examples of what we might become, and with the insight you shared earlier, it seems to me that perhaps your angel is beginning to rub off on you!

  “You also said that you thought it was childish to want your angel to reflect a happy face to God on your behalf. And you are on exactly the right track. The Lord wants us to become like little children—childlike, rather than childish—adopting their character, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And what are the traits of children? They are honest, kind, quick to forgive, trusting, with no false pride or pretended humility and so on. That is what the Lord wants us to become.”

  Mr. Engelmann studied Henry and asked, “These questions about angels, have they got to do only with Jenny and Julean?”

  “Oh, not really, but if you’re concerned about Julean and me, don’t be. I love her very much and feel closer to her with each passing day. We’re going steady now, and every now and then there are hints that marriage may even be in our future.”

  “Yes, I see it in your eyes like you see the renewed happiness in your mother’s. The Lord is working His healing in your life as well. Julean is such a lovely girl, Henry, inside and out, and she comes often to church with you.”

  “Yeah, she really likes the ritual of the mass and seems to be drawn to the communion part of it. You know, when the bread and wine turn into the body and blood of Jesus. She finds that so intimate and wonders what it would feel like to receive the Host herself.”