One thing we don’t talk about enough with Wake Up Dead Man is the ending. The very end. When Father Jud redecorates the church.
When he arrives, Monsignor tells him that the church is bare of all ornaments to remember the sin of the harlot whore. This is the first time we (unknowingly) hear of Grace, and it’s by explaining to us not an action of grace, but a punishment. It’s a warning to anyone who comes to the church. It says « You will not be forgiven. This church does not forgive and it does not forget, and it won’t allow you to forgive and forget either. ».
But at the end, the church is beautifully decorated, it’s glowing from the inside, there’ are flowers and a cross above the altar. It’s not just because now Father Jud can do what he wants, and he wants to make it pretty and welcoming. It’s forgiveness. For Grace. It is finally grace for Grace, and it comes from Father, from the Church. It says « You can finally rest in peace, you can finally move on, this church will move on. ». Grace is finally forgiven, and it’s also a way of saying that everyone who comes to this place, will be.
And by placing Eve’s Apple in place of the Christ’s heart, I believe Father Jud forgives all of the family. Not simply Grace, but her father and Monsignor too. They died for it, and now it’s with the Christ, safely protected. They are too.
