While I may not agree with everything Michael Dirda writes in his article, “Why Mephistopheles Had to Work Overtime”, I can’t deny his conclusion:

To the believer, forgiveness ultimately comes from God. So it is actually appropriate that the poet Heine remarked on his deathbed: “God will forgive me—that’s his job.” In fact, one could argue that he wasn’t joking but was simply being theologically exact. Nonetheless, even if forgiveness may be God’s job, it’s also yours and mine.

Forgiveness, however, has always been a tough one for us humans.

(Link via Bookforum)