Meeting In Hell

Friday 10/10/14 14:32 PM - Lm. Jack McArdle ss cc

I heard a story recently about a meeting in hell where the daddy devil was very upset with all these renewal programmes. You know, Christian family movements and Charismatic renewal and Dedjugorje groups, prayer groups and God knows what all. If things are allowed go on like this, sure we’ll be out of business after a while. So he wanted them to really get a move on, and he called them all back to base to think, think, think. He wanted a plan for the nineties, up to the year 2,000.

After a while, one little devil put up his hand and he said he thought he had an idea. All of his pals cheered him on and the daddy devil asked him what it was. He said, ‘Why don’t we tell them that there is no such place as hell at all, that there is a heaven alright but no such place as hell, and then they’d say, “Ah, well, sure it doesn’t matter. You can do whatever you like, you’re not going to go to hell anyhow.”’ And all his pals cheered, but the auld fella, the daddy devil, wiser in his ways, thought for a while and he said, ‘No, no, no. You don’t understand the human species. You don’t understand, because they would never, ever believe that. From the time when they are children, they know when they do wrong. Even a dog looks guilty when he does something wrong. They’re even punished by their sins. They would never believe that.’

So, much deflated, the young devil sat back down again and the daddy devil ranted and raved and told them to come on and put on their thinking caps. And eventually another devil stood up and said, ‘How about this one?’ ‘What is it?’ ‘Supposing we tell them that there is a hell but there’s no such place as heaven. Then of course they’ll say, well, what’s the use in trying? We’re all going to and up in hell anyhow. It doesn’t make any difference.’ And all of his pals cheered and thought it was a great idea. But the daddy devil thought for a while and shook his head and said, ‘No, no, no. It just shows you don’t understand the human species. They would never believe that. There is some sort of a resilience in them that, even when today is lousey, they somehow expect that tomorrow will be better. That’s the way they go. I never can understand it but somehow there is something in them, that is put there by God, that gives them hope for a better tomorrow. No, that wouldn’t do.’

So at this stage he was really hopping mad and ranting and raving and eventually this devil stood up and said, ‘I think I have it!’ And he said, ‘what’s that?’ ‘We’ll go up and we’ll tell them that there is a hell and that there is a heaven but there’s no hurry. Take your time! There’s no urgency!’ And the daddy devil stepped down off his throne and shook hands with him and he said, ‘Listen, boys, get back up there at once and get that message out right, left and centre. Let them believe in heaven if they want to; let them believe in hell if they want to; but if you can convince them that there is no hurry, there is no urgency, then we are back in business.’

Have you heard that whisper at any time?

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