At the end of time will the Devil be allowed in paradise?
That is the theme of this poem by Irish poet and BBC contributer James Stephens, posted on Brian Sibley's blog.
On a rusty iron throne
Past the furthest star of space
I saw Satan sit alone,
Old and haggard was his face;
For his work was done and he
Rested in eternity.
And to him from out the sun
Came his father and his friend
Saying, now the work is done
Enmity is at an end:
And he guided Satan to
Paradises that he knew.
Gabriel without a frown, Uriel without a spear, Raphael came singing down Welcoming their ancient peer, And they seated him beside One who had been crucified.
Yes: Francis Mercy! Reward without repentance.
(/sarcasm)
Theological nonsense, of course, Satan is a very intelligent spirit, without emotions, neurological flaws, or other human weaknesses. And the idea "his work is done" here implies he was tasked by God to do evil. Really? Whose idea is that?
it is actually just the opposite: Lucifer was tasked to help those on earth, but he decided not to do it God's way but his own, and when God stopped him, he got angry: How dare he tell me what to do!
Satan is powerful and proud: He wouldn't repent or get tired of his deeds, because it is about him, not those he harmed.
Milton wrote the line: He'd rather reign in hell than serve in heaven. But this phrase seems quite benign and admirable: often in pop culture hell is seen as a frat party, with drugs and sex and having a good time, whereas God/angels/churches/rules are seen as party poopers, trying to keep a person from having a good time/making money/ being successful by bending the rules.
The actual Hell is not like that: Maybe we should paraphrase that line: I'd rather reign in Auschwitz....
When I think about someone who freely chooses hell, I always think of this scene.
cursing the one who had pity on him, choosing death for his family and followers by choosing hatred and revenge instead of accepting freely given mercy.
The quote is of course from Moby Dick, where another Captain chose murderous revenge over the welfare of his crew.
So they destroy themselves and/or project their self hatred and rage on those around them....maybe projecting their self loathing on others by posting vicious tweets, kicking the dog, killing a spouse who "rejected " them, killing innocent people who belong to an ethnic group you hate, or maybe even going up a tower or hotel room on the top floor with a gun and killing a bunch of innocent people for their sin of... what exactly? Because they are happy? Because they have family and friends and he does not? Or just because?
No, I have no easy answers.
but of course, the poem is not about Satan.
It is about men caught in the web of their sins, who see no redemption.
It is about those caught in a hell, true, a hell often of their own making, but hell none the less, and who cannot see any way out except maybe suicide....or maybe by projecting one's hatred on someone else.
Sigh.
and if we need to be merciful, it is so we also can obtain mercy.
So no, it is not that part of Francis' "mercy" that I have trouble with.
but mercy and forgiveness are too often meaningless psychobabble by those who are naive about the depths of evil. Or with enough faith to actually go into the pits of hell on earth to try to save folks.
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