How to Pray Without Ceasing According to Father Henri Nouwen
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In C.S. Lewis’ classic allegory, The Great Divorce, he finds himself aboard a bus in Hell, headed toward Heaven, with an amazing prospect – any who choose to are permitted to stay in Heaven.
This enticing opportunity, however, ends with most souls choosing Hell over Heaven. Each ghost from Hell is visited by a Spirit from Heaven, who aims to call the ghost to detach from that which keeps them in Hell, whether it be pride, vanity, lust or some other sinful attachment.
Not a single person is sent back to Hell, rather, they simply choose not to continue onwards to Heaven. The novel depicts the great spiritual insight from Lewis, Hell is a door locked from the inside. Hell is a person’s stubborn and eternal decision to say, “My will be done” rather than “Thy will be done.”
Each scene throughout the novel offers the reflective reader the opportunity to identify what attachments they might have on earth that must be purified for entrance into the Heavenly Kingdom. One early scene in the novel is foundational in demonstrating the central Christian principle that Heaven cannot be earned, it must be received as grace, a gift.
One of the ghosts who boarded the bus to Heaven is approached by an old employee of his from earth, now a Spirit of Heaven. The ghost of Hell is surprised that his former employee made it to Heaven, insisting instead that he deserved to make it there.
“I gone straight all my life,” the ghost explains, “I don’t say I was a religious man and I don’t say I had no faults, far from it. But I done my best all my life, see? I done my best by everyone, that’s the sort of chap I was. I never asked for anything that wasn’t mine by rights.”
The ghost repeats with insistence that he only wants his rights, he is not asking for special treatment or handouts, he only wants what he deserves.
The Spirit assures the ghost that he would receive something far better than what he deserves, in fact, the Spirit says he has not gotten his rights either, for if he had he would not be in Heaven.
The ghost simply does not understand, and continues blabbering about rights: “What do you keep on arguing for? I’m only telling you the sort of chap I am. I only want my rights. I’m not asking for anybody’s bleeding charity.”
The Spirit is quick to respond, “Then do. At once. Ask for the Bleeding Charity. Everything is here for the asking and nothing can be bought.”
It is not by rights that we may enter Heaven, for none of us may claim a right to the Lord’s Kingdom, not one of us deserves it. It is by grace, by the Lord’s Bleeding Charity that we might be granted permission to enter. Jesus Christ showed us this Bleeding Charity on Calvary, where he opened the gates of Heaven by His death and purchased for us the reward of eternal life. A gift He freely offers us - one we don’t deserve but are free to accept.
St. Paul explains it like this: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God” (Eph 2:8).
The ghost in C.S. Lewis’ novel did not recognize this beautiful truth, and so he chooses to return to Hell saying, “I’d rather be damned than go along with you. I came here to get my rights, see? Not to go sniveling along on charity tied onto your apron-strings.”
Because he rejected the Bleeding Charity of Christ, the ghost got what was his by rights, got what he, and all of us, deserve - Hell. If only he (and we) paused for a moment, recognized the beautiful offer that lies ahead, he (and we) could travel further up and into the Kingdom of God, not by rights but by Charity. It is not what we deserve, but it is what we are offered.
Hunter Leonard is a passionate Catholic with an intense love for learning about and sharing the Faith. He holds an M.A. in Theology from the Augustine Institute and a B.A. in Creative Writing from California State University at Northridge. Hunter's essays, articles, and poems have been featured at Busted Halo, St. Austin Review, Crisis Magazine, and Voyage Comics. He is a staff columnist at Catholic Stand and works at Flocknote to help parishes and dioceses build a more connected Church.
Hunter is also the author of the brand new children's book, When God Speaks, published by OSV Kids. You can find all of Hunter's books and articles at www.sacredvision.org.
