The Screwtape Letters- Letter XII

The first time I came into contact with The Screwtape Letters was when I was a senior in high school and I read them for my English class. I had to read all of the letters, and they are all very good and thought provoking, but I remember this one the most. I think the reason this one stuck out at me the most was because of how frightening it is the first time you read it, especially at the very end of the letter when Screwtape tells Wormwood that "the safest road to Hell is the gradual one--the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts." We talked about this in class a bit, but that is not the reason why I brought this quote to your attention. The reason is because I find it so surprising. I had always thought that one "big" sin would start leading you down the path to Hell, but you could always ask for forgiveness and you could be forgiven for those "big" sins. I never realized that the smaller sins accumulate and eventually when you forget about them and forget to ask forgiveness for those they stack up. Just the fact that Lewis, through Screwtape of course, mentions the "gradual path" as the best way to Hell is the wake up call that I need to ask for forgiveness for all of my sins, not just the ones that I deem to be "big" ones.

Another part of this letter that really caught my attention is the part where Screwtape mentions the "inattention in his prayers." Screwtape tells Wormwood that this human is practically begging Wormwood to distract him from prayer, and Wormwood must take advantage of the opportunity. This part of the letter hit me pretty hard because I know I am bad at this sometimes. I try to pray at specific times during the day, including right before I go to sleep. If I'm really tired I can tell that my prayers aren't as focused and I don't get into them as much, I just feel like I ran through the motions. Lewis points out that this is what the devil wants, he wants us to just run through the motions and not develop a very healthy relationship with God, and the devil understands that prayer is one of the main ways for us to build a good relationship with God.