Limited series will reflect upon C.S. Lewis' classic, 'The Screwtape Letters,' featuring excerpts read by actor Jim Caviezel
PLYMOUTH — A Detroit-area priest has partnered with the Catholic prayer and meditation app Hallow, along with actor Jim Caviezel and exorcist Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti, for a limited series on C.S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters,” a classic work that examines the tactics employed by the devil to tempt and corrupt souls.
Initially released in October, the series examines 10 excerpts from the book read by Caviezel, followed by meditations and reflections led by Fr. John Riccardo and Msgr. Rossetti. The series will be available until October 2026.
Fr. Riccardo, along with his Detroit-based apostolate, ACTS XXIX, previously collaborated with Hallow on a series of episodes based on The Rescue Project, a free video series made in response to what Fr. Riccardo and his team think is the most urgent need in the world at this time: the compelling proclamation of the Gospel.
“One of the things that ‘The Rescue Project’ does is help to make clear that there is an enemy of the human race — only one — and that's the devil and his minions, and that's obviously also what Lewis is unmasking in ‘The Screwtape Letters,’” Fr. Riccardo explained to Detroit Catholic.
Fr. Riccardo was further drawn to the project because “The Screwtape Letters” is one of his favorite books.
When it comes to helping understand the enemy, much like Scripture, “The Screwtape Letters” serves as a type of “game film,” Fr. Riccardo explained.
“In sports, you start watching game film to prepare for your opponent, and the game film reveals both what the enemy, your opponent, does well, and what they don't do well, so that you can win,” Fr. Riccardo said. “That's what Scripture is: Scripture is like game film. It reveals not just what the enemy did at certain moments of history, but it reveals what he always does, because the enemy actually only really has one play, which is to accuse God and to say that He's not a good Father and that we can be happier apart from Him, and that we can't trust Him.
“‘The Screwtape Letters’ is a masterful, alarmingly revealing look at how the enemy tries to employ that strategy,” Fr. Riccardo added.
The series was intentionally released in October because of the culture’s tendency to focus on the supernatural and scary in the days leading up to Halloween, said Kevin Cotter, head of studios at Hallow. However, the lessons and messages of “The Screwtape Letters” remain relevant year-round, he added.
“There are certain times of the year that reveal certain truths, but those eternal realities — heaven, hell, judgment and death — are true throughout the whole year,” Cotter said. “Fr Riccardo does such a great job of really helping people understand supernatural realities, and then see how those realities point to everyday lives.”
Fr. Riccardo hopes that by learning about the “bad news” as illustrated in “The Screwtape Letters” — namely, the devil’s attempts to separate us from God — listeners will grow in confidence in the Lordship of Jesus.
“It's important to know the enemy, because while the Gospel is good news, unfortunately, many people don’t experience the Gospel as good news because they don't know the bad news,” Fr. Riccardo said. “But as bad as the bad news is, that's what makes the Gospel such great good news — namely, that God has done something about the situation of the human race after our first parents had sold us into slavery to the powers of sin and darkness and the devil.
“And he didn't do this by waving a magic wand, saying a word, snapping His fingers, or sending an angel,” Fr. Riccardo continued. “He did it by Himself, becoming man and going to battle for us, and winning by His death and His resurrection. He also unveiled for us the truth: that God is, in fact, a good Father. Otherwise, why would He have done that?”
To listen to the series, download the Hallow App.
