According to some Church traditions, the Devil hates blackberries. Why? Because they remind him that he has lost.

War in Heaven

In its final book, Revelation, the Bible tells the story of a woman who faces an angry dragon that wants to eat her child. She flees to the wilderness where she hides for many days, and while laying low the dragon makes a full assault on heaven. With an army of rebel angels he aims to take the throne of God, but is stopped by Michael the Archangel and flung down to earth. After this, some Christians believe that he landed on a thorny blackberry bush, and was so enraged that he cursed, burned, stamped, spat, and even peed on it.

Whether or not the bush story happened, it has led to a feast called Michaelmas, and customs that have shaped the faith of countless people for centuries. Some believe that after the feast all blackberries become poisonous, and will bring curses and bad luck for anyone who eats them.

Growing up in a Baptist Church I was unaware of Michaelmas, but after learning of it as an adult I began to observe it. This year I am making a pie that is traditionally eaten on this day , and yes it will contain the infamous berries that made the Devil rage. To be clear, I am less prone to believe extra-biblical legends, but this story still conveys a message that I think is very important.

What was most humiliating for Satan was that life on earth continued.

Shame on Earth

Though evil is a harsh reality that should not be taken lightly, it does not have the final word or determine our destiny. Furthermore, we don’t just have a dream of evil being defeated someday. In truth, it has already happened and perhaps its presence on earth is a sign of this. Like the dragon in Revelation, evil has been beaten and expelled from heaven, and here below it rages among us deeply humiliated. And what brings it shame is not the extraordinary and miraculous, but common things like blackberries that we find in daily life.

Despite their delicious fruit, blackberry bushes are considered a noxious weed. They are often an invasive plant that grows rapidly in forests and parks. Last summer, while biking around the Bodensee with my family, I was amazed by the prevalence of them everywhere we went. I was also grateful for the abundance of them, I love blackberries, and I happily ate my fill. In short, I found a delight in the common and the ordinary, and this is what brings evil shame as it works around our world.

Looking back to legend after his fall from heaven, what was most humiliating for Satan was that life on earth continued. It didn’t matter how much he cursed, burned, stomped, spat, or peed. The plant that welcomed his arrival with thorns continued to grow and thrive as we do.

Our role is not to get the better of or shame the Devil.

Reminding the Devil

Our lives are not just a string of suffering and grief. They are a mix of brokenness and beauty where every pain is matched with a joy. And that joy is available to us each day in common things, which invite us to celebrate that the forces of against are vanquished. Yes, we will and should grieve when evil comes, but we can also laugh with the knowledge that it is a beaten enemy.

There are many messages that Michaelmas gives, but its most important message is that our role is not to get the better of or shame the Devil.  Our role is to remind him that he has been defeated, and we do so by living with an enjoyment of the common and the ordinary. Today I will remind the Devil by savoring a delicious pie, and recall the story that it symbolizes with gratitude and gladness.