Friday after Ash Wednesday: Letter 1 Notes
The Book Preface
There are 2 key pieces of information in the short Preface that we should
keep in mind as we read each of the letters: First, when it comes to demons and the human belief in them, Lewis defines
2 extremes: One side denies the existence of the devil and demons because they cannot be proved. We will talk more about the Materialistic view in a few minutes. The second side Lewis calls the Magicians, and these are folks who not only believe in demons but develop an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. Ultimately most humans fall somewhere between these 2 extremes. Second, the devil is a liar and so should we also consider all the other demons. So read these letters with a whole lot of salt.
Now to the First Letter.
The First Letter
1.
Without introduction – we meet Wormwood,
a Junior Demon who has been assigned the job in hell of tempting a young
Englishman referred to throughout the book as the “Patient”. We will learn more about both of them
throughout these 31 letters from Uncle Screwtape. The name “Wormwood” comes from Rev 8:10-11 as
the name of a great star that fell from heaven.
2.
Screwtape is a Senior Tempter and the Undersecretary of a department in
Hell. He is basically middle
management. Screwtape is a made-up name
combining Scrooge, screw, thumbscrew, tapeworm, and
RED TAPE into one demonic sounding name.
All of the letters in the book are from Screwtape to Wormwood and presumably
in response to letters Wormwood had previously written to his uncle and mentor
which we do not have.
3.
And then there is the “Patient” who obviously reads and has a
materialistic friend. It is Wormwood’s
task to lead the Patient into temptation and to make sure he stays there. We will learn a great deal more about the
Patient in the letters to come and certainly see that we have a good deal in
common with him.
a.
I will go ahead and tell you now that the one thing never learn about the
Patient is his name. I suspect this has
to do with the importance of names in the Bible. From Abraham and Sarah to the Apostles Peter
and Paul, God calls them and gives them a new name. So, as we read on, it will make more and more
sense why Wormwood would never want to refer to the Patient by his given
name. After all, this is the name we are
called when we are baptized.
4.
Quite obviously the Enemy refers to God and let us remember that Screwtape
and Wormwood acknowledge that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but all 3
are the Enemy.
5.
On the flip side, Our Father Below is of course the Devil or
Satan. In case you were wondering, the name Satan
comes from a Hebrew word meaning “accuser” or “adversary.” The purpose of Satan is to obstruct or oppose
God. The word “Devil” comes from a Greek
word meaning “slanderer.” Both of these
translations will make more sense as we study each letter.
6.
Now there are a couple of terms we will read in this first letter that
should be defined. After all, Lewis was
from Northern Ireland and lived his adult life at Oxford and Cambridge and the
English language in the UK can at times be quite different from our English in
the US.
a.
First, the materialist friend in the first sentence of
Letter 1, should not be confused with someone who simply likes things. Rather, Materialism was a popular philosophy in
Lewis’ day which basically said, “If you can’t prove it, it doesn’t
exist.” This is why in the Preface;
we are told a materialist would not believe in demons because their existence
cannot be proven scientifically. Materialism
went hand in hand with Scientism which is the belief that “science
alone can reveal to us the ultimate truth about the world and reality.” So, Screwtape talks about the ”real world,” he
is doing so from these 2 philosophical perspectives.
b.
Naif is
another way of saying “naïve.”
c.
Fuddle is to
cause to be confused or muddled in their thinking and behavior.
7. If you find other words that are confusing, just leave me a question in the comments section of my blog Inner Driving at www.innerdriving.blogspot.com.
8.
Now to what Letter #1 has to teach us at the beginning of Lent. And a reminder that Lent is about getting rid
of those things in our lives that get in the way of our relationship with
God. It’s about giving up something to
make room for God. But first we have to
know what it is that is getting in the way.
a.
Screwtape begins his first letter with a caution. Argument is not the way to keep the Patient
from following God. Screwtape is using
argument in its classic sense.
Philosophers would argue from opposing points of reason seeking truth.
b.
Today we hear a lot of arguing but from a need to be right and declare
the other side wrong without reason. God
creates and loves and is present with us.
The devil and his demons on the other hand use distraction.
c.
Screwtape wants Wormwood to understand that arguing for or against the
existence of God is always a losing proposition for a demon. Remember, even the demons know God’s exists.
d.
The better tactic is to distract the Patient using Jargon
that appeals to what’s popular, the latest fad, and what’s new. “Teach him to call it “real life” and don’t
let him ask what he means by real.”
e. We humans are always obsessing with “the pressure of the ordinary.” Faith is holy and as it says in Psalm 51 in our readings today, faith makes us pure and clean, and we experience joy and gladness. On the hand, “Real Life” is about getting up, going to work, paying bills, and keeping up with the Jones’s. All the ordinary stuff in our lives. It may be boring, but we know what it is. And if our demons can keep our minds focused on ourselves and our immediate problems, then we won’t be thinking about God working in our lives, or the presence of God when we face temptation, or sharing the love of God with those in any need or trouble.
9.
Thinking, reasoning, and believing risks doing.
a.
Our reading from the Prophet Isaiah calls the people of Israel to
practice what they preach.
b.
The Jewish leaders would make a big deal out of fasting and practicing righteousness
– in other words trying to look holy in public – yet they oppress their workers
and fight with one another. However, God
calls us to worship and to serve our neighbors who are poor and hungry.
c.
This is exactly what Screwtape does NOT want.
d.
Rather than focusing The Patient’s attention on the needs of the world
and thus the opportunities for helping others, Screwtape tells Wormwood to divert
The Patient’s attention to a “stream of immediate sense experiences – in other
words – his own needs.
10.
This brings us to Screwtape’s second instruction to his nephew – Keep our
Patient’s attention solely focused on himself.
a.
Going back to the Preface, Lewis tells us, “We must picture Hell as a
state where everyone is perpetually concerned about his own dignity and
advancement, where everyone has a grievance, and where everyone lives the
deadly serious passions of envy, self-importance, and resentment.”
b.
Screwtape tells the story of the time “His Patient, a sound atheist”
begins to think beyond himself while reading at the British Museum.
c.
We may only suppose he suddenly became aware of a God greater than
himself.
d.
Screwtape goes for the stomach instead of competing for the heart, soul,
or mind. A “healthy dose of ‘real life’”
takes him out of reflection and back to all the demands of the every day. It was time for lunch and with that Screwtape
had “His Patient” back under control.
e.
The Apostle Paul talks about this throughout his epistles warning against
setting our minds on things of the flesh and instead calling us to think on
those things heavenly – in other words God in our lives and our call to love
and forgive others as we forgive and accept love as children of God.
11.
Screwtape and Wormwood are
focusing on our human weakness to worry about ourselves first. Too often we fall into the trap of confusing
needs with wants. We play up in our
minds what we want - thinking that it must be the most important problem we
have. So, then we ignore those around us
and God in our lives because it is all about me.
12.
Yet this letter tells us that God is constant. At every moment of every day, God is with us
– whether we know it or not. God love us
always and will always give us our daily bread.
Remember what Rich says, if God has done it once, God will do it again
and again and again.
13.
Now if you are looking for a good spiritual practice during Lent – look
at the prayer and scripture reading for each day in Lent. That’s where you will find my earlier
references to Psalm 51 and a reading from Isaiah. You can find it online at www.lectionarypage.net/#March.
Click on March and look for Friday, March 7 on the calendar.
a.
Each day there is The Collect (just another way of saying the word “prayer”),
a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, and a reading from one of the
Gospels.
b.
Sit quietly for a few moments and focus on the presence of God with you
at that moment. Thank God for being with
you in that moment. Read the lessons
with The Screwtape Letter of the day in mind.
c.
Let us close today with the Prayer for Friday after Ash Wednesday.
d.
Support
us, O Lord, with your gracious favor through the fast we have begun; that as we
observe it by bodily self-denial, so we may fulfill it with inner sincerity of
heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.