PERPETUAL ASTONISHMENT
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CANTO XXV

7/19/2019

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EVER-CURIOUS
The desire of Dante the Pilgrim to learn, know and grow continues apace, as we’ve noted in the last few cantos. While Statius and Forese have provided opportunities to speak of and celebrate art and poetry, it ultimately comes down to the creative impulse and Dante the Pilgrim’s desire to know more about it all, the reality in which he lives and moves and has his being on this seven story mountain. This is shown in a lively and lovely little simile where Dante the Pilgrim wants to ask questions, but is hesitant, continually opening and shutting his mouth without speaking a word.

10 And as a baby stork may raise a wing,
E quale il cicognin che leva l'ala

11 longing to fly, but does not dare
per voglia di volare, e non s'attenta

12 to leave its nest and lowers it again,
d'abbandonar lo nido, e giù la cala;

13 such was I, my desire to question kindled
tal era io con voglia accesa e spenta

14 and then put out, moving my mouth
di dimandar, venendo infino a l'atto

15 as does a man who sets himself to speak.
che fa colui ch'a dicer s'argomenta.

Virgil finally says, dude, go ahead and ask away, what is on your mind and heart? Indeed, after all, the very reason for this journey through the medieval universe is to learn and grow in one’s own spiritual formation. Unlike Paolo and Francesca or Ulysses in the Inferno, this is the right way and the appropriate reason to be ever-curious: how does one follow love, why do the penitent shades actually change their being as they grow more repentant and loving, can poetry and art contribute to this redemption of the soul?

EVER-CREATIVE
Dante the Pilgrim wants to know why these shades, who don’t have physical bodies, change so radically in their appearance as in the hollow eyes and emaciated appearance of Forese, who is recognizable only by his voice. Virgil mentions briefly the parallel reality of the life of Meleager with the length of time it takes to burn a log or the copied actions of in a mirror. These may or may not help the modern mind to understand the simile, but the extended explanation by Statius about medieval embryology needs to be read in the context of these three cantos on poetry and creativity: 24, 25, and 26. My three main sources: Dorothy Sayer, John Ciardi and John Hollander all move in different directions to explain this odd excursus on the creation of life. The discourse of Statius is divided up into three parts:

1. The Nature of the Generative Principle [31-51]
2. The Birth of the Human Soul [52-78]
3. The Nature of Aerial Bodies [79-106]

We cannot go fully into the science of medieval biology, but we need to remember that blood was the active vital force in all bodily actions. It was thought that a mother’s milk from the breast contained blood, along with the assumption that blood formed part of the male ejaculation during intercourse. [“it descends where silence is more fit than speech and from there later drops into the natural vessel on another's blood.”] It was there that blood from the male joined with blood from the female to create life. There are many commentaries that will help you understand this medieval embryology in better detail. At the end of line 51, we have a nascent human being, an embryo, but, as yet, without a soul. As the fetus develops in nature, God celebrates and instills a rational, yet eternal soul in the body that has grown in the womb through the stages of plant [feeling], animal [sensual], finally to the image of God [spiritual]. 

Ultimately, like Aquinas, Dante the Poet uses Aristotelian terms and science to help medieval Christians understand their world. Prue Shaw does a wonderful job in explaining this in her book Reading Dante; “Aristotle’s account of the great chain of being places human beings above plants and animals in the natural order. Yet human existence presupposes and includes the qualities and capacities of plants [plants are alive] and of animals [animals have sensation…].” Humans have a third quality, given by God, to reflect on one’s self, to be rational. It all is summed up succinctly by Dante:

74 all it there finds active and becomes a single soul
in sua sustanzia, e fassi un'alma sola,

75 that lives, and feels, and reflects upon itself.
che vive e sente e sé in sé rigira.

Unlike many today, Dante has the capacity to celebrate and utilize secular science, classical poetry and theological reflection, all in the same canto. And ALL of this is to emphasize and explore the creative process, not only in nature, but in art as well. God, the Creator celebrates creativity in us as well, at every level.

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Purgatorio XXV; Amos Nattini
EVER-ONE
There is a recognition in Dante the Poet that once we have the image of God impressed upon us, it never leaves us, and brings all the different parts of our being together.  When our life runs out, the incarnational unity “both human and divine” that is a child of God, does not diminish.

79 'When Lachesis runs short of thread, the soul
Quando Làchesis non ha più del lino,

80 unfastens from the flesh, carrying with it
solvesi da la carne, e in virtute

81 potential faculties, both human and divine.
ne porta seco e l'umano e 'l divino:

And the creative impulse that was in the Creator, passed on to us, remains as well, needing to be fulfilled, redeemed and celebrated.

82 'The lower faculties now inert,
l'altre potenze tutte quante mute;

83 memory, intellect, and the will remain
memoria, intelligenza e volontade

84 in action, and are far keener than before.
in atto molto più che prima agute.

Hence, our grief at betraying others is keener on Mt. Purgatory than it was while we were still alive, and our joy at being in the divine Presence is more profound than any experienced in worship ‘on earth.’ But it all comes back to being ONE; body, mind and spirit/soul. I find this profoundly parallel to my own experience, not only within my own life, but also within the 40 years of pastoral presence, teaching at the graduate level and spiritual direction. What one does with the body affects the soul. How one views and experiences the growth of depth of spiritual maturity and integrity dictates the choices one makes as to bodily choices. This is not just about choices of sexual partners, it is far deeper than that: where and with whom one chooses to travel through life, what one decides to take on as a vital realm of activity and sacrifice, the choice of response to suffering within one’s own self as well as injustice within society. It seems to me that these choices and responses may indeed continue on in and through this life, as well as into eternity. Indeed, John Donne got it right: “No man is an island…”

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EYES FRONT!
Moving on, we come to the final level, where Lust is cleansed from the shades by a raging fire. The path is indeed a narrow one, between a wall of flame and the precipice. 


112 There the bank discharges surging flames
Quivi la ripa fiamma in fuor balestra,

113 and, where the terrace ends, a blast of wind shoots up
e la cornice spira fiato in suso

114 which makes the flames recoil and clear the edge,
che la reflette e via da lei sequestra;

115 so that we had to pass along the open side,
ond' ir ne convenia dal lato schiuso

116 one by one, and here I feared the fire
ad uno ad uno; e io temëa 'l foco

117 but also was afraid I'd fall below.
quinci, e quindi temeva cader giuso.

118 My leader said: 'Along this path
Lo duca mio dicea: "Per questo loco

119 a tight rein must be kept upon the eyes,
si vuol tenere a li occhi stretto il freno,

120 for here it would be easy to misstep.'
però ch'errar potrebbesi per poco."

Here they cannot gawk and gaze as they meander along. But of course, at deeper levels we find this to be true as well. Matthew mentions it: Matthew 7:13-14  “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

This is true in the overall life of faith, for Dante the Pilgrim obviously lost his way on the narrow path in Inferno 1, line 1 “Midway in our life’s journey, I went astray…” But it also applies to this level specifically, the level of Lust. The sin of lust obviously enters first through the eyes. We see that immediately in the Petrarchan style of poetry and Dante the Poet recognizes that himself, for it was this simplest and most immature level of attraction that first drew him to Beatrice. And we return, yet again, to the fact that what we do, at almost any level of being, matters not only to ourselves and others, but also to the integrity of our spiritual being and the wholeness of society and God’s creation. What we do in Vegas does NOT stay in Vegas.

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CANTO XXIV

7/3/2019

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Botticelli: Purgatorio XXIV
HUMBLE HEART
While in Canto XXIII we spoke of a “Hungry Heart” and how that applied to curiosity at every level of the Commedia, here we have a glimpse of what I call the ‘Humble-Heart’ of those on this level. Their emaciated countenances are so severe that loved ones would no longer recognize them. Indeed, Dante only knew Forese by the sound of his voice. Each and every person noted by Forese accepted the fact that their faces are unrecognizable and yet, they are willing to be identified. They know their names would be known, not so much for reasons of fame, but infamy due to their gluttony. It is out of humility and acceptance of their need to be redeemed on this level in this particular way that they accept this act of recognition and acknowledgement by Forese.

16 This he said first and then:
Sì disse prima; e poi: "Qui non si vieta

17 'Here it's not forbidden to call us by our names,
di nominar ciascun, da ch'è sì munta

18 since our features are sucked dry by fasting.
nostra sembianza via per la dïeta.

19 'He there'--and he pointed with his finger--'is
"Questi," e mostrò col dito, "è Bonagiunta,

20 Bonagiunta, Bonagiunta of Lucca, and that one
Bonagiunta da Lucca; e quella faccia

21 just beyond him, the face more cracked and scaly
di là da lui più che l'altre trapunta

22 'than the rest, held Holy Church within his arms.
ebbe la Santa Chiesa in le sue braccia:

And he continues by explaining their particular penchant for gluttony and yet there is no self-justification or angry reaction from each soul so identified, as we found in the Inferno. There is a wise, gentle acknowledgement of the facts of a ravaged life that is now, thank God, behind them. One finds a similar wisdom and humble heart in the truly recovered addict who does not deny the damage done to family and loved ones, but is now living each day in thankfulness and one’s own acknowledged need of Grace to make it through this life.

25 He named many another, one by one,
Molti altri mi nomò ad uno ad uno;

26 and each seemed happy to be named--
e del nomar parean tutti contenti,

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Unknown: circa 1497

TAKING DICTATION
There is a need to mention briefly the parallel progression of poetry in Dante’s time and the maturing wisdom of Dante the Poet. In his early days his writing focused either on the joys of physical beauty and sexual love, or the bawdy celebration of something along the lines of limericks [“there once was a woman from Nantucket…]. This was a result of the popularity of Petrarch and his celebration of feminine beauty. Beatrice was viewed by Dante at first in this way: adoration from afar due to her beauty. Now, however, due to his growth and maturity not only as an artist, but as a Christian and theologian, he sees Love as part of the fullness of God’s plan and very Being. Dante the Poet is shallow about love at first. One can see that in his fainting reaction to Francesca da Rimini in Inferno Canto V. Now, he is learning to listen to the lessons of Love, from on high, and to write them down.

52 And I to him: 'I am one who, when Love
E io a lui: "I' mi son un che, quando

53 inspires me, take note and, as he dictates
Amor mi spira, noto, e a quel modo

54 deep within me, so I set it forth.'
ch'e' ditta dentro vo significando."

Hollander, Sayers and others believe that this is a statement by Dante the Poet that he is following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, third person of the Trinity, in all that he is writing at this time in the Commedia. That does not mean he doesn’t craft and create profoundly beautiful poetry, but that he is trusting and being guided by his true muse: not Beatrice, but God. [It is significant that Virgil the Poet gives full recognition of this, his true muse, while Virgil and Statius do not even speak in this Canto.]

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Gustav Dore: Purgatorio-Canto XXIV
THE GIVING TREE
There are other lovely images and touches of humanity in this Canto, such as the plaintive question by Forese to his dear friend, Dante the Pilgrim “when will I see you again?” or the wheeling of the souls up and away as the cranes do in Egypt. I encourage one and all to find a translation and read each Canto before and after these odd reflections of mine. Toward the end of Canto XIV, we come across yet another tree. The crowd of souls under the branches, which are “weighted down with fruit” raise their hands like little foolish children…

109 who beg, but he from whom they beg does not reply
che pregano, e 'l pregato non risponde,

110 and, to make their longing even stronger,
ma, per fare esser ben la voglia acuta,
 
111 holds the thing they want aloft and does not hide it.
tien alto lor disio e nol nasconde.

But there is a fine sense of subtlety here, in that the tree, which denies them the fruit they so desire, in fact GIVES them that which they most need: Grace and Redemption. Hence, the souls move on, sated and wiser, having denied their own desires and embraced God’s wishes.


112 Then they went away as if enlightened,
Poi si partì sì come ricreduta;

113 and it was our turn to approach the lofty tree
e noi venimmo al grande arbore adesso,
 
114 that turns away so many prayers and tears.
che tanti prieghi e lagrime rifiuta.


Apparently this is a shoot from the original tree from which Eve first plucked the fruit, obeying her human desires and denying God’s wishes. Ultimately, Dante the Pilgrim learns the same lesson from this tree as do the souls on this level, that one’s will must be aligned with God’s rather than allowing one’s own self-referent wishes to control one’s life. They leave the tree, hearing the examples of past gluttony, reflective and repentant; “each of us silent, deep in his thoughts,” and they come upon the Angel of Temperance, fiery and beautiful. He tells them which path to take, and combined with these recent examples, not only from the tree and the souls he’s met, but the blinding beauty of the angel, Dante the Pilgrim is fully guided by them alone, and not his own will: 

142 His shining face had blinded me,
L'aspetto suo m'avea la vista tolta;

143 so that I turned and walked behind my teachers
per ch'io mi volsi dietro a' miei dottori,

144 like someone led by only what he hears.
com' om che va secondo ch'elli ascolta.


As a result the next ‘P’ is erased from Dante the Pilgrim’s forehead. 
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    Kelby Cotton

    Selected insights and reflections from 30 years of teaching and reading and leading retreats.

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