Merciful Heavens
by
Sam Loschiavo
Two angels sitting on the edge of a cloud were looking over a crowd of applicants being screened for entry into heaven. The senior angel with considerably more experience was giving his junior partner tidbits of information.
"Do you see that fellow in the Armani pinstripe suit with a white carnation in his lapel and wearing Gucci shoes? He was head of a big Mafia family in Chicago and had most of the drug and prostitution trade sewed up. But he got greedy and wanted it all and tried to muscle in on another gang's territory. In the gang war that followed, he inherited more holes than a Swiss cheese and arrived here in that aerated condition."
"It's not likely that he will be granted an entry permit, is it?" asked the younger angel.
"Probably not, but you never know. We have a guest who has been here on probation since the 1930's. His behaviour here has been exemplary. Mind you, he cut quite a swath during prohibition. He gave money to the poor in the same district where he grew up. He made handsome donations to the church, schools, orphanages, community groups, and the police and fire departments. The people loved him, and had he wished it, he could have been elected mayor. He was quite a philosopher and often remarked that if people didn't want his beer and bathtub gin, he would be out of business."
"Very perceptive of him," remarked the second angel.
"Do you see that tall chap with the well-coiffed hair and manicured nails waving his arms and head heavenward?" asked the senior angel. The second angel nodded.
"On earth he was a renowned televangelist. He used to hold crowds spellbound with his powerful voice and rhetoric filled with conviction of righteousness and piety. He claims that thousands of people found salvation and that many were cured of disabling diseases through his ministrations."
"He will most certainly be admitted to heaven, right?"
"Wrong!" replied the older and wiser angel. "He's on a one-way fast track to eternal damnation.
Don't ask me how I know. Now, look at that well-dressed, polished middle-aged gentleman sitting down there. Notice how he bows to the ladies and pats the heads of children as they pass by. What do you think of his chances?"
"Seems like a shoo-in."
"Wrong again," smiled the senior angel. "Remember the old axiom, 'Judge not by outward show.' He was a bank manager. He loaned millions of dollars to corporations but denied loans of ten to twenty thousand dollars to young people with sound ideas, enthusiasm, and energy, but no collateral. Many dreams have been shattered because of the bank's inflexible policy. Many of those corporate loans defaulted but we don't often hear about those. I could tell you hundreds of heart-breaking stories that happened during the Great Depression. But, perhaps another time."
"There's another guy — the tall, thin-faced one. He became president and CEO of a large corporation whose stock reached about twenty times its initial value making thousands of stockholders rich. Then it started diving downwards making thousands of stockholders poor. The president sold his shares at their peak value and he made millions. There was talk of insider trading but no one could prove anything against him. Up here, we have an inside track."
"Oh, he's headed downwards too," beamed the rookie angel confidently.
"Right," replied angel Number 1. "He will join the ranks with the courtly bank manager, the convincing televangelist, and the greedy mafia boss."
"Let's see how you handle this one. Do you see that woman wearing expensive clothes and jewelry and talking loudly? She was the madam of an exclusive bordello frequented by the elite of the business and political community."
Angel Number 2 replied, "Since she earned her living off the avails of sin I would think that she's a candidate for the eternal furnace."
"On the prima facie evidence you would be right," said the first angel, "and you shouldn't be faulted for reaching the conclusion you did because you aren't privy to the whole story. You see, this lady, branded as scarlet by a more genteel society, was not just a madam but also a mother to her girls. Most of them came from impoverished homes where abuse, cruelty, and abandonment were the norm. Since she herself had come from a similar background, she understood their situation only too well. She provided them with a home, comfort, safety, and helped them to gain self-esteem. She has made generous contributions to safe houses, child care facilities, food banks and hospitals. She has set up bursaries for deserving students and an endowment fund for people who need a hand up. Her big heart has earned her a secure place up here. She personifies a classic case of casting bread upon the waters."
"Don't be discouraged. Once you get the hang of things, you'll be great at this job."
