The Last Time I saw my father!

The Last time I saw my father!

This becomes a personal perspective that appears to be something of concern from a family remembrance.  However it goes much further than saying so long or see you soon.  The occurrence involved a spiritual significance that has stayed with me for 46 years.  It involves angels and the possible meaning for its inclusion.

We wonder why God allows or at times promotes the appearance of angels in different lives, especially when the results are for the outcome of humanities’ salvation.   Beginning with the announcement to Mary by the Archangel Gabriel, (Lk 1: 26 - 38); the New Testament vision was an eye-opener from God to a peasant girl who would become the vessel of holiness to give birth to the Son of God.  This alone would be the sign of reconciliation between sinners and their creator.

When the Magi departed from their worship of the Christ Child, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.”  “Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.” Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt.  He stayed there until the death of Herod, so that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my Son.”   (Mt 2: 13 - 15).

Throughout Sacred Scripture we find instances where angels play an important role in God’s plan to save his creation from their sins.  So it is no surprise when we come across events that present angels, as the messengers that they are, in  ways that show how God works with us as well.

Our niece, Lisa, was dying of an inoperable brain tumor and my wife and I went to visit her at her home; and while we were sitting across from her in the living room there was a quick but very real vision to me of two angels standing directly behind Lisa.  They appeared as a male and the second one as a female.  My quick observation placed them as late 20’s or early 30’s.  I was impressed that such a vision should even appear to me.  I still cannot place a meaning to it but it showed me Lisa had angels waiting for her death which came later in the month.  No fear, just seeing God’s love for Lisa and my opportunity to see her guiding angels that would escort her into eternity.

Several years later, as my father was in the hospital with cancer which was about to take his life, when it was in metastasis, my daughter and I were about to leave his hospital room, where he seemed in good spirits.  My daughter said good night to grandpa and I said goodbye to dad.   As we spoke at a fast-food restaurant my words were, If he goes soon I hope it will be painless.  At 5 AM the hospital called me saying my father had died.  After arriving at his room and the nurse closed the door I stood there and glanced over the side of the bed and there they were;  My father standing next to an angel (the very one I saw standing behind Lisa) and there was a smile on my father’s face.  Again why was I allowed to see angels next to Lisa who was on her way into eternity shortly and my father who had already passed and was waiting for me to say good-bye?

What purpose this had to do with me I have no idea, but it showed me there is a close connection to the Lord with all of us and a certainty that death is real and angels will have a significant role in being near to us when they will call us home to be with God. 

An obvious result of this, even if we never see an angel, is they are around and are there to comfort the souls of the deceased and assure us that this is God’s final design of taking care of us through his angels.  

Ralph B. Hathaway