We come now to the appearance of the one for whom Dante has yearned and the one, as we shall see, from whom Dante the Pilgrim has strayed: Beatrice. All of the Commedia has been building to this point. It is here that we lose Virgil. It is here that we find her. And yet, she is far more than just a past flame or person of lustful adoration by the immature Dante. I shall walk with you through some of the highlights of this Canto. We are on the cusp of entering Paradise, and yet, Dante the Pilgrim has much to uncover and discover and discard before that can take place. I must admit I feel overwhelmed in trying to share all that is here, while still bringing in some of my own studies in Boethius and Augustine, both of whom also influenced Dante the Poet. Regardless, let us dive into some of the insights and revelations of Canto 30. 

PRELUDE
Verses 1 to 21 give us the joyous preparation for the appearance of Beatrice. One of the figures in the parade of the history of the church sings out from the Song of Songs “Come, Bride of Lebanon!” and everyone echoes that call. It is done three times, followed by a chorus of Hallelujahs. 

19 All were chanting: 'Benedictus qui venis' and,
Tutti dicean: "Benedictus qui venis!"

20 tossing flowers up into the air and all around them,
e fior gittando e di sopra e dintorno,

21 'Manibus, oh, date lilïa plenis!'
"Manibus, oh, date lilïa plenis!"

We have here preparation with scripture, psalter and sung prayers of the church. There is a sense of energetic joy and excitement that includes such a fury of the tossing of flowers up into the air that it becomes a “cloud of blossoms” from which Beatrice will appear. Surely your commentary will tell you that verse 21 is from the Aeneid, meaning “Give lilies with full hands” and it occurs at a funeral. And yet, here, we have a little “OH” tucked in the middle of the phrase that gives it an emotional twist. The lilies here can be applied to the Bride of Lebanon who will be the “Lily of the Valley,” so there is anticipation and celebration in its meaning. While we will soon find that this may be the very time when Virgil leaves the scene, unbeknownst to Dante the Pilgrim, and so the quote from Virgil’s Aeneid featuring the loss of a loved one is completely fitting as well. That one verse, that one little “OH” carries a world of anticipation and grief and hope!

THE APPEARANCE AND DISAPPEARANCE
Please note some remarkable examples of Dante’s symmetry in the Commedia: in the same canto that Beatrice appears, Virgil disappears. We are in Purgatorio 30, but then in Paradiso 30, Beatrice disappears. She will have been in the Commedia for 33 cantos. Comes a time to move from one mentor to the next. Do not weep over the last one, but rejoice in the next. We also have a variety of emotions in this canto: singing, praising, full-on weeping at the loss of Virgil, full-on disapproval by Beatrice with subsequent scorn and lecture. In fact, we have here in Purgatorio 30, more terms used for tears and weeping than any other canto in the Commedia. Indeed, there is even a shift in the gender of his mentors and guides. He turns toward Virgil as “a child running to his mamma” only to find empty air, while Beatrice appears out of empty air with a masculine “Blessed is HE who comes” in vs. 19. This is the quote from the Gospel of Mark for Christ. Virgil disappears as the loving maternal presence and Beatrice flashes onto the scene as the Christ figure Himself. 

And not only that, Beatrice continues this strong, male presence, telling Dante the Pilgrim not to weep… YET. And definitely not to weep for the loss of his ‘mamma’ Virgil. There is still a battle to be won and work to be done!

55 'Dante, because Virgil has departed,
"Dante, perché Virgilio se ne vada,

56 do not weep, do not weep yet--
non pianger anco, non piangere ancora;

57 there is another sword to make you weep.'
ché pianger ti conven per altra spada."

58 Just like an admiral who moves from stern to prow
Quasi ammiraglio che in poppa e in prora

59 to see the men that serve the other ships
viene a veder la gente che ministra

60 and urge them on to better work,
per li altri legni, e a ben far l'incora;

Beatrice speaks his name for the one and only time in the entire Commedia, “Dante… do not weep...” YET. We are now moving out of the Rational faith and guidance of Virgil to the realm of Repentant faith and surrender of Beatrice, through whom Christ guides Dante the Pilgrim. She uses his name but once, but that shocks him enough that the tears stop, even though his cheeks remain moist from them. 

THE LESSON LEARNED
As with the Confessions of Augustine and the Consolation by Boethius, reflection and meditation upon one’s past life can reveal deep and profound truths. Beatrice helps him discover these truths, and what must be purged. Dante the Pilgrim discovers now that his heart has, in fact, been packed with ice and snow all around. Beatrice’s fierce gaze and stern countenance upsets not only Dante, but the angels as well. 

94 but, when their lovely harmonies revealed
ma poi che 'ntesi ne le dolci tempre

95 their sympathy for me, more than if they'd said:
lor compartire a me, par che se detto

96 'Lady, why do you torment him so?'
avesser: "Donna, perché sì lo stempre?"

97 the ice that had confined my heart
lo gel che m'era intorno al cor ristretto,

98 was turned to breath and water and in anguish
spirito e acqua fessi, e con angoscia

99 flowed from my breast through eyes and mouth.
de la bocca e de li occhi uscì del petto.

There will be no progress or healing, there will be little revelation in Paradise until Dante the Pilgrim surrenders completely, repents fully, and is remade, is born again. In a recent Bible study I attended, I was reminded of a Jewish rabbi, (was it Hillel?) who was approached by a student who asked the question; “Rabbi, why does the Torah tell us that the Almighty, Blessed be He, places His Word upon people’s hearts and not within them?” The rabbi responded “The Word of God can only be placed upon the heart. It is when the heart breaks that the holy words fall inside and we discover God’s truth.” Dante is now having his heart broken so that the truth can enter in. We read of his failings, his forgetfulness and his wandering in this incredible canto. He must be broken before he can be made anew.

142 'Broken would be the high decree of God
Alto fato di Dio sarebbe rotto,

143 should Lethe be crossed and its sustenance
se Letè si passasse e tal vivanda

144 be tasted without payment of some fee:
fosse gustata sanza alcuno scotto

145 his penitence that shows itself in tears.'
di pentimento che lagrime spanda."

Dante the Pilgrim is learning that his secular good that was embraced in Virgil’s writings and guidance must all now bring him to the place where everything is surrendered to the eternal good. He begins to see now, that God’s hand has been in all that brought him here, and he, Dante the Pilgrim, but fully release all his desires and pride, he must take full part in this purgation. We will see in the rest of the Purgatorio where that will lead him and how that will create the New Man in him. This is the deep logic of true faith.

Structure of Reality
As we slowly move toward the gate of Purgatory, we are given more and more hints as to the differences between this part of the Medieval Christian Worldview as seen through Dante the Poet’s eyes and our own modern world. It is in some ways a polar opposite of the Inferno, and yet there are dialectical parallels here and in Paradiso that will inform and enlighten as we compare and contrast the Cantos with each other. This is what continues to feed so many of us who return to the Commedia time and time again. 

Honor the Other
What a lovely beginning we have as Canto VII continues from Canto VI without missing a beat. The two poets from Mantua embrace in celebration of a shared home city. What a remarkable change this is from Farinata’s fierce demand of Dante’s family legacy when they meet in Inferno Canto X:

40 When I stood at the foot of his [Farinata’s] tomb
Com' io al piè de la sua tomba fui,
 
41 he looked at me a moment. Then he asked,
guardommi un poco, e poi, quasi sdegnoso,
 
42 almost in disdain: 'Who were your ancestors?'
mi dimandò: "Chi fuor li maggior tui?"
 
43 And I, eager to obey, held nothing back,
Io ch'era d'ubidir disideroso,
 
44 but told him who they were,
non gliel celai, ma tutto gliel' apersi;
 
45 at which he barely raised his eyebrows
ond' ei levò le ciglia un poco in suso;
 
46 and said: 'They were most bitter enemies
poi disse: "Fieramente furo avversi
 
47 to me, my forebears, and my party --
a me e a miei primi e a mia parte,
 
48 not once, but twice, I had to drive them out.'
sì che per due fïate li dispersi."

All that is shared here is hatred and dismissal of those whom he believes are beneath him, even though they are from the same city. Unlike Farinata, the reaction of Sordello and Virgil is of respect and comradeship and acceptance. Indeed, the opening couplet was so admired by Boccaccio in The Decameron that he used it verbatim as part of the tale of the mother Beritola in Decameron 2 – 6 – 96. She celebrates finding her son with Dante the Poet’s description in Canto 7:

1 Once the courteous and joyful greetings
Poscia che l'accoglienze oneste e liete
 
2 had been repeated a third time and a fourth…
furo iterate tre e quattro volte,

Respect for the other without a need to build up oneself is all through the Purgatorio. Sordello’s embrace of Virgil, once he actually learns that here is the greatest poet of his age, simply completes the honor that was being shared merely as a brother. In Purgatorio, those on the journey are learning to move out of the self-referent sphere that defines the Inferno. It is telling, therefore, that Virgil now shares more of himself than at any other time. In this Canto, Dante the Pilgrim is never mentioned. At all. If some have wondered why Cato is included in Purgatory while Virgil is kept in Hell, we might have one hint here: Virgil takes center stage and seems to enjoy it.

The Rhythm Method
We learn here as well that unlike in the Inferno, there is a rhythm to the journey here, day and night matter. Dante the Pilgrim and Virgil plowed ahead through the Inferno, only stopping to talk or when they were stymied by hateful guards at the City of Dis or the fierce Giants. They moved on and on with a vengeance. But now, they are unable to travel once the sun [God’s Grace] is gone from the sky. Yes, one could MOVE if one cannot stay still, but that will only result in losing ground on one’s spiritual journey toward Paradise. To everything there is a time and a season. Yes, one must climb and suffer in order to cleanse one’s heart. But one must also take time to rest, recover and become, in fact, Mary who chose the better part, sitting at the feet of Jesus in contemplative presence while Martha remained bustling and busy. [Luke 10:38-42] 
   Of course there is a need in the spiritual journey for goal-driven hard work, to sacrifice and study and measure one’s progress and follow in obedience. But there is also the necessity to simply sit in silence and hear the still small voice of God. I love the fact that here in Purgatory, rest is mandated. Here one can dream. Here one can sit and sing with others. Here one must wait upon the Lord. I have found that the statement “God cannot drive a parked car” to be profoundly damaging to the spiritual life. And truth to tell, it is rooted deeply in many traditions of the Western Church in Christianity.

Togetherness

82 Seated in the grass and flowers, I saw
"Salve, Regina" in sul verde e 'n su' fiori
 
83 souls not visible from beyond the sunken valley.
quindi seder cantando anime vidi,
 
84 'Salve Regina' was the song they sang.
che per la valle non parean di fuori.

Another lesson learned as we move toward the gate of Purgatory is that one is not alone and will never progress without the community. There is no sense of the solipsistic soul such as we had in the Inferno, where even Farinata shared a tomb with many others, but refused to acknowledge their presence. Here, the pilgrims sing together, travel together, rest together. Repentance must be a communal experience because sin affects and destroys the community. Sin cannot simply be surrendered by one person alone, but forgiveness must be asked of those who have been wounded by the betrayal. Yes, confession is crucial and God in Jesus Christ is part of this process, but so is the entire community of faith. Dante the Poet makes that clear as people help each other, travel together, suffer with and for each other. This is the shared air of love now. 
   We are also reminded that we are in a monastic world, where the hours of monastic worship are part of Purgatory. Monasteries were part of Dante’s world, with one in Florence [Fra Angelico’s monastic community], and many more dotting the countryside. In fact, monasteries often served as Inns for travelers, who then joined the community in their prayers while they were there. The Salve Regina is sung at Vespers, as the sun goes down, both in Florence and in Purgatory. Monasteries followed the Medieval Opus Dei is the “Work of God” which is to gather eight times a day to sing and pray the Psalms, to serve one another and to ask for repentance. Here we are in the world of ritual that is guided by the Word of God and is shared by all those who are on the same journey. It is a hard lesson for the 21st century, to hear that according to Dante the Poet, one cannot be a Christian by oneself. No, we don’t need to sing the Psalms eight times a day, but there is a real assumption here that one will lose one’s way spiritually without a community of faith and a guide to follow. As I’ve mentioned earlier, my fear is that we in the modern world follow blind guides, and prefer to travel alone. I must return time and again to these wise texts and to the community of faith so I do not lose my way.