Divine Mercy and Cora Mills- or why this redemption was completely and 100% okay
Disclaimer- I’m not trying to shove it down anyone’s throats, but I do talk about religion and Catholicism.
Many of my followers know that I was raised Catholic. What I don’t think many know, however, is that when all Catholic youth are Confirmed as full adults in the Church, we take on the name of a saint. All Confirmed Catholics have this personal patron saint name, and it’s usually the name of a saint that has some personal meaning to them.
My saint name is that of St. Faustina Kowalska.
I reckon many people have seen this image at least once in their lives if they were raised in any kind of Christian environment. This is the image of Divine Mercy, a vision allegedly given to St. Faustina by Christ himself. She was instructed to have it painted (something she herself was never satisifed with, she reportedly hated the finished product) and to spread the message of the Divine Mercy of God. Hence, we now have this famous depiction of Christ, and the message of mercy that goes with it.
Once Upon a Time, whether it wants to or not, has created a story that lines up perfectly with the ideaology of Divine Mercy. Though the show is not blatant in any religious imagery or context, it is clear that despite the use of Greek mythology, the show writers are relying heavily on Western, Christian ideas of the afterlife. There is a Hell to which one can be sent, and there is a Heaven, too, which we’ve seen tends to vary depending on the people who make it there. As well, the Underworld itself is representing a period of the afterlife known as Purgatory, which exists predominantly in Roman Catholic theology as a place in between, where sinful souls not yet pure enough for Heaven go to begin a process of healing and purification.
Some might call that “unfinished business.”
Going back to theology, in Roman Catholic tradition, most souls go to Purgatory dependent on two conditions. The first- you must accept Christ as Lord and Savior at the time of your death. (This part is going to be void within the context of OUAT, given it’s a secular show.) The second? You must repent your sins. If those conditions are met, you can escape the eternal punishment of hell. If you do not repent, you burn.
OUAT only deviates from this idea in one genuinely significant way- no soul, once in Purgatory, is ever condemned to Hell. OUAT has shown that this is not necessarily the case for residents of their version of Purgatory. However, the other rules (beyond needing Jesus) seem to apply.
This is Divine Mercy. It does not matter the depth of the sin, the gravity of it, nor the quantity committed. All souls who repent, all souls who are willing to recieve the grace and mercy of God, will. And here is where Cora’s story comes into play. Cora Mills was, objectively, a terrible person. She has committed many an atrocity in her lifetime, ranging from child abuse/neglect to theft to lies to murder. This is about as sinful a woman as it comes, someone who lived her life selfishly in pursuit of power at the expense of everyone around her. How could someone like this ever hope to escape an eternity of Hell?
According to Catholic theology, it’s pretty simple really.
At the time of her death, Cora regretted her actions. She effectively repented her sins. She was sorry. (And since the acceptance of Jesus doesn’t matter in the context of the show, that was all the criteria for Purgatory that needs to be met.)
However, she’s clearly not a soul pure enough for Heaven. There’s some work that needs to be done on Cora’s soul before she can move on. And so, she is sentenced to the Underworld (Purgatory) to await such a time that her soul can be healed.
What we see of Cora’s story in the Underworld is her continuing to struggle against her own inner darkness, her baser, more selfish nature. We see her trying to make ammends with Regina, we see her trying to act to protect her. But we see Cora going about this in selfish ways, relying on old methods and old beliefs, still holding up love as weakness and wanting Regina to care about herself, to rely on only herself. And when this fails, Cora is punished for it.
(Though Hades was also punishing her for Zelena more so than anything else, and most of his spite is a personal vendetta there.)
However, Cora has not slipped so far as to deserve Hell, not yet. She was acting in what she genuinely believed was Regina’s best interests, and she wasn’t so terribly off base for thinking that was the case given that Regina has been in pretty serious danger since her arrival. As well, she’s still showing signs of genuine remorse and change in her. She acknowledges her own actions as reprehensible and truly finds nothing but sorrow in what happens.
When next we see her, Cora is once again tempted by her own darkness, and once again acts in selfish ways. She tries to make Zelena simply forget Hades (an easy way out) and for a while continues to hide the truth about her daughters’ connection out of a sense of self-preservation. She doesn’t want them to hate her.
But finally, when the tensions come to a head, Cora experiences a real turning point. She shows a true awareness of her own sins, of the pain and destruction she’s caused- and moreover, she chooses to heal it. Cora, for what is perhaps the very first time in her life, acts in an entirely unselfish way. She gives her daughters their memories back at the possible expense of her relationship with both of them. She mends the bond she broke, and brings her girls together in a way that never could have happened without her honesty.
Now, this does not heal every wound she has caused. This does not eliminate the terrible things she has done, it does not make everything right. But it is enough. It is enough to absolve her of her sins, it is enough for her to be forgiven, such that when she goes to face the fire, Heaven opens up instead.
Many people have criticized this moment as “too easy,” “unearned,” as being “unjust” or “undeserved.” Many people genuinely believe Cora has not done enough to make up for her sins and that she should have been punished for them. And this might be true, if justice was the matter at hand.
But this isn’t about justice. It’s about mercy, it’s about forgiveness. And Cora has done more than enough to be granted such mercy. Many people have stated she’s not worthy of going to Heaven- and that’s exactly the point. We are all of us sinners, and we are all of us unworthy of Heaven.
It does not matter the depth of the sin, the gravity of it, nor the quantity committed. All souls who repent, all souls who are willing to recieve the grace and mercy of God, will.
Despite being a relatively secular context, that is what is happening here. And that is why Cora Mills’ redemption and admittance to the OUAT version of Heaven was not only okay, it was earned.
This isn’t a story of justice. It’s not even a true story of redemption in the traditional sense. It’s a story of forgiveness, of healing, of mercy even to those least deserving.
And that is precisely why it is so beautiful.
Amen! I’m not Catholic, but her redemption shows that even the most evil person can find salvation if they repent. Even though Jesus is not included as an aspect of salvation in this secular show, it is still a beautiful thing and is reflective of the Christian Gospel. However, the Bible says that sinners are saved by grace, they did not do anything to earn their salvation, which seems to be the recurring theme. Cora didn’t really have to earn anything. She was ready to accept punishment for her sins, and was surprised when grace allowed her passageway into the gates of Heaven, or in this case, Olympus. It truly was a beautiful moment. She should’ve gone to Hell for her sins, but it shows mercy, and that “ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” 2 Corinthians 7:10. You don’t have to do anything to make up for your sins. Come to God as you are, willing to turn from your way way of life, and He will cleanse you and lead into abundant, everlasting life!
I kind of had a similar line of thinking, for Cora’s “walk into the light” to make sense to me. You put it quite nicely, thank you!
