In the spring of 1742, all of Dublin was abuzz.

George Frederick Handel’s new oratorio, The Messiah, was to be performed at the city’s famed Musick Hall. The Hall, with its stadium-style seating and spacious balconies, was the perfect venue: a place to see and be seen.

Though Handel’s genius no doubt drew many to the premiere, notoriety contributed to the ticket sales as well, for the contralto part was voiced by none other than Susannah Maria Cibber, considered the greatest actress of eighteenth-century England.

But Cibber’s personal life was a shambles. Stories of abuse, infidelity, and blackmail abounded — which lawsuits, divorce proceedings, and tabloids made all the more salacious. Though she moved from London to Dublin, she could not avoid the scandal.

So many people wanted to see The Messiah’s premiere that women were asked not to wear the fashionable hoops in their skirts, to make room for more attendees.

The oratorio began.

The audience sat in rapt attention.

And then, midway through the performance, Cibber sang Handel’s haunting text “He was despised and rejected of men…”

So moved was the Chancellor of St. Patrick’s Cathedral on hearing her that he famously stood and shouted, “Woman, for this be all thy sins forgiven thee!”

How fortunate we are that God does not dole out forgiveness on “merit” as man does! He never demands earthly perfection from us, but He is truly moved when we lift our hearts in earnest petition or praise.