Wednesday in the 5th Week of Lent: Letter 29
The Scripture Lessons for Today are HERE! The Germans are bombing London and the area where the Patient is living so he is faced with the very real possibility that he will be killed. With this in mind, Screwtape now questions his nephew on the approach he will take with his temptations. In this letter we will see Virtues, vices, and emotions coming into play and how each can affect the other. The first question is whether to aim for cowardice or at courage with the resulting pride or hatred of the Germans. Courage is a Virtue so not something a demon can create in the Patient. Rather, if the Patient has courage, then it must be twisted and corrupted. As Screwtape tells Wormwood, “To be greatly and effectively wicked a man needs some virtue.” Good men chose to follow Attila the Hun and wasn’t because they were impressed with his wickedness. Shylock is a fictional character in William Shakespeare’s play, The Merchan...