The God of all comfort

March 16th

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5 (ESV)

 

If a good man were ever housed in Hell

By needful error of the qualities,

Perhaps to prove the rule or shame the devil,

Or speak the truth only a stranger sees,

 

Would he, surrendering quick to obvious hate,

Fill half eternity with cries and tears,

Or watch beside Hell’s little wicket gate

In patience for the first ten thousand years,

 

Feeling the curse climb slowly to his throat

That, uttered, dooms him to rescindless ill,

Forcing his praying tongue to run by rote,

Eternity entire before him still?

 

Would he at last, grown faithful in his station,

Kindle a little hope in hopeless Hell,

And sow among the damned doubts of damnation,

Since here someone could live and could live well?

 

One doubt of evil would bring down such a grace,

Open such a gate, all Eden could enter in,

Hell be a place like any other place,

And love and hate and life and death begin.

 

Edwin Muir, The Good Man in Hell (The Narrow Place)

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*clears throat*

So Muir was a little inclined towards melodrama…