The Hallow series on The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis continues to fascinate me. The author’s clever portrayal of a one-sided correspondence between senior demon, Screwtape, and his tempter nephew, Wormwood, has intrigued readers since 1942. So, I am in good company.
Wormwood has been assigned a patient to tempt, and I love the part when the man falls in love with a devoutly Christian woman from a strong faithful home. Screwtape knows that the woman’s influence will draw the man closer to God and weaken their chance of claiming his soul for Satan.
So Screwtape growls to Wormwood, “So your man is in love, and in the worst kind he could possibly have fallen in to. I have looked up this girl’s dossier and am horrified at what I find! Not only a Christian, but such a Christian! The little brute; she makes me vomit! She stinks and scalds through the very pages of the dossier. Oh, it drives me mad the way the world has worsened! We would have had her to the arena in the old days; that’s what her sort is made for. Then, of course, he gets to know this woman’s family and whole circle. Could you not see that the very house she lives in is one he ought never to have entered? The whole place reeks of that deadly odor. The very gardener, though he has only been there five years, is beginning to acquire it. Even guests, after a weekend visit, carry some of the smell away with them. The dog and the cat are tainted with it.”
It is interesting to think of holiness as having an odor, but I remember once reading that smell is one of the senses that helps us choose a mate. Not by his or her cologne or deodorant scent, but by a hidden trait that we can only access with our noses. In this case, the aroma of sanctity may be similar. Why is it that holy people are attractive? It isn’t necessarily their appearance. Why do their homes feel comfortable and safe? They may be humble while grand homes can be cold and unappealing. Holiness is the aroma of Christ demonstrated through love for family, friends, and strangers; and when we imitate Christ, we imbibe his aroma. I would expect that the girlfriend’s home also had a crucifix, religious art, and some holy water – sacramentals which are repulsive to demons. Let us disarm the evil one by enveloping ourselves and our homes in the aroma of Christ.
Scripture: Read 2 Corinthians 2:14-17. What stands out?
Call to Action: Take a fresh look at your home. Is it a haven of sanctity? Is there an odor of love? What can you do to enhance its bouquet?
