Unforeseen Influence
The conversation between the poets continues and will continue in the remaining Cantos. Some commentators have spilled much ink on the importance of poetry and philosophy that is shared in these conversations. We will surely get to that at some point. One of the central themes I wish to lift up here, however, is the issue of unexpected influence and unknown guidance / mentoring. Virgil and Dante the Pilgrim learn that Statius was, in fact, profoundly influenced by Virgil. First and foremost, of course, was impetus to become a poet himself, set by the power and beauty of the Aeneid of Virgil. 

64 And the other answered him: 'It was you who first
Ed elli a lui: "Tu prima m'invïasti
 
65 set me toward Parnassus to drink in its grottoes,
verso Parnaso a ber ne le sue grotte,
 

This is a classical reference which states that it was Virgil’s Aeneid that led him to drink of the water of inspiration given by the muses on Mt. Parnassus to classical poets. This is to be expected and was, in fact, assumed in Dante’s time that Virgil and Statius were the two great classical poets of Rome. 

And yet, we never know the extent to which our actions and statements affect and influence others who are watching, who are listening, who are the recipients of our love or anger or dismissive rejection. Statius tells them that, in fact, Virgil was also a spiritual guide, saving him in two different ways.  The first was slipped in on us in lines 37-39. 

37 'And had I not reformed my inclination
E se non fosse ch'io drizzai mia cura,
 
38 when I came to understand the lines in which,
quand'io intesi là dove tu chiame,
 
39 as if enraged at human nature, you cried out:
crucciato quasi a l'umana natura:
 
40 '"To what end, O cursèd hunger for gold,
'Per che non reggi tu, o sacra fame
 
41 do you not govern the appetite of mortals?"
de l'oro, l'appetito de' mortali?',
 
42 I would know the rolling weights and dismal jousts.
voltando sentirei le giostre grame.

​If Statius had not read in one of Virgil’s other works of poetry concerning the governance of the appetites, he might have ended up in Hell, not in Limbo with the other classical poets, but Hell. That may cause some to wonder. It should. In Dante the Poet’s creation, Statius was also saved by Virgil in helping him to take seriously the Christians of his day, the promise of Jesus and the consequences of Christian martyrdom brought on by Domitian’s persecution. This is seen initially in the lovely metaphor found in lines 67-69.

66 and you who first lit my way toward God.
e prima appresso Dio m'alluminasti.

67 'You were as one who goes by night, carrying
Facesti come quei che va di notte,
 
68 the light behind him--it is no help to him,
che porta il lume dietro e sé non giova,
 
69 but instructs all those who follow--
ma dopo sé fa le persone dotte,

We find the gift of Virgil’s Aeneid as well as the limitations of Virgil as guide. Dante surely acknowledges that he, like Statius, was guided by the light of Virgil’s creativity and power. And yet, the light guides those who come after him while he walks in the dark toward Limbo. Dante the Pilgrim will need a new guide soon and Statius is the precursor of the one to come: Beatrice.

No Secular vs. Sacred
Dante the Poet continues to surprise and shock modern sensibilities by refusing to condemn along doctrinal party lines.  In essence, Dante the Poet creates a scenario where the text of secular poetry is the lure and link into sacred life and reality. There is a true sense that wherever there is beauty, integrity and truth then God is to be found within that context, regardless of the origins of the text or the age in which it has been written. Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas and others embraced this approach to the classical poetry and philosophy of former ages. Hence the appreciation of both Plato and Aristotle by Christian Fathers and Mothers. Some of the secular and classical scholars attempt to state that Dante was not really a Christian at all due to his usage of classical themes, mythology and Aristotelian philosophy. Dante, however, will not be classified in such a simplistic manner. His embrace of the mystery of God’s love and acceptance is expansive and surprising. 
   Dante the Poet is in good company here, and has learned his lesson well. Augustine of Hippo in Book II recognizes this in the title of Chp. 18: “No Help Is To Be Despised Even Though It Come From A Profane Source.” In the chapter he states specifically “we ought not to refuse to learn letters because they say that Mercury discovered them; nor because they have dedicated temples to Justice and Virtue, and prefer to worship in the form of stones things that ought to have their place in the heart, ought we on that account to forsake justice and virtue. Nay, but let every good and true Christian understand that wherever truth may be found, it belongs to his Master…” Thomas Aquinas embraced this, bringing the truths and insights of Aristotle into his work. It has been said that all truth is God’s truth, but that embrace presupposes, of course, the presupposition that there is a loving God who creates and cares about our finding and embracing truth. 
    John Calvin recognized this and in Book II of his Institutes he speaks of accepting the gift of the sciences even though the insights may come from pagan and secular writers. “Whenever we come upon these matters in secular writers, let that admirable light of truth shining in them teach us that the mind of man, though fallen and perverted from its wholeness, is nevertheless clothed and ornamented with God’s excellent gifts. If we regard the Spirit of God as the sole fountain of truth, we shall neither reject the truth itself, nor despise it wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to dishonor the Spirit of God.” In our own time, C. S. Lewis and his beautiful “Till We Have Faces” and the Four Quartets of T. S. Eliot embrace the powerful presence of God’s truth in the greatest of the classical worldview and mythology. So too for Dante.

The Center of the Universe
We come now to the exact center of the Commedia, and it is momentous. Dante the Poet and Dante the Pilgrim seem to fuse at this point, addressing each individual who has ever journeyed with both to this Canto XVII: “Remember, O Reader…” The two most crucial qualities in the Commedia are lifted up in this Canto: Imagination and Love… and Imagination is addressed first. 
    As Virgil and Dante the Pilgrim move toward the steps that will lift them to the next level of Purgatory, we are ushered into a world of fantasy and imagination. Lines 13 – 18 give us insight into the creation of the entire Commedia with a realization that the imagination can be a gift of sacred creation that may have little to do with our current reality. It may come from within or it may be sent by the Holy Spirit, but it is that which can set our entire lives into motion and toward unexpected futures.

13    O imagination, which at times so rob us
    O imaginativa che ne rube    
                             
14    of outward things we pay no heed,
    talvolta sì di fuor, ch'om non s'accorge    
                             
15    though a thousand trumpets sound around us,
    perché dintorno suonin mille tube,    
                             
16    who sets you into motion if the senses offer
    chi move te, se 'l senso non ti porge?    
                             
17    nothing? A light, formed in the heavens, moves you
    Moveti lume che nel ciel s'informa,    
                             
18    either of itself or by a will that sends it down.
    per sé o per voler che giù lo scorge.    
                             

Dante the Pilgrim is ushered into the three visions that are the Scourge of Wrath: the Biblical, mythological and historical examples when wrath led to destruction and despair. These visions are so vivid that he is completely entranced by each one to the extent that he is completely unaware of what is happening about him in the “real world,” even if there were “a thousand trumpets” that were sounding in his ear.

But there is also a parallel lesson from this opening in Canto 17 that applies to the writing of this entire creation of the Commedia. We have in the Commedia that which acts as those soap bubbles of visions which “moves [us] either of itself or by a will that sends it down.” This entire work is a creation of the imagination, and indeed, there are certainly questions as to its origin; whether from God, or the muses or from within Dante the Poet himself only, it sets us into motion and changes our lives. We may be removed from our current reality during the time we are reading this great poem, just as Dante the Pilgrim is removed from his present surroundings during the time of each vision, and yet the lessons learned and the experience of each ‘fantasia’ will and should have a vital impact on our lived reality once we put the book down or the vision is complete. Lessons can be learned from this “lofty phantasy” that is the Commedia, and in fact, from any great work of imagination. My fear is that many of us allow our present reality to dictate our emotional state of despair and cynicism and we refuse anything that might lift us out of our current reality. There are visions / lessons from great and creative works of imagination that can lift us and help us continue the journey of growth and transformation into wholeness and holiness if we would read them with a sympathetic and open spirit. If the only thing we believe in or trust is the daily news, we among all peoples, are the most to be pitied. It is no wonder depression, fear and cynicism rules our current culture and worldview.

You Are Here
We journey now, after the removal of the “P” of Wrath from Dante the Pilgrim’s forehead, toward the next level of Purgatory. Yet once the sun sets, there is no more movement on the entire mountain: rest and contemplation are enforced, being just as important as movement and achievement. However, Dante the Pilgrim is eager to grow and learn more to such an extent that he yearns to journey in knowledge even if he can no longer journey further up Mount Purgatory. 

81    Then I turned to my master and I said:
    poi mi volsi al maestro mio, e dissi:    
                             
82    'Sweet father, tell me, what is the offense
    "Dolce mio padre, dì, quale offensione    
                            
83    made clean here in this circle that we've reached?
    si purga qui nel giro dove semo?    
                            
84    If our feet must rest, do not arrest your words.'
    Se i piè si stanno, non stea tuo sermone."    

Virgil explains that they are now at the level of Sloth and agrees to teach Dante the Pilgrim by explaining the second of the two themes. The first was Imagination and now we look at Love, which is the very foundation of the Commedia and the entire Medieval Worldview. There are two types of Love in God’s created order. The first is “natural” love which is to be found among all creation. An example of this is found in St. Francis of Assisi. His Canticle of the Sun celebrates the fact that all creation sings praise to the Creator, and can’t help but do so. There is, however, another type of Love which is measured by rationality and intention. In different translations of the Commedia, this Love is called “rational,” “elective,” or “mental.” The crucial point is that this type of Love defines the Seven Deadly Sins and helps form the Seven Storey Mountain as a result. 

94    'The natural is always without error,
    Lo naturale è sempre sanza errore,    
                            
95    but the other may err in its chosen goal
    ma l'altro puote errar per malo obietto    
                            
96    or through excessive or deficient vigor.
    o per troppo o per poco di vigore.    
                            

Love, surprisingly, is at the heart of every action, whether good or bad and this clarifies the map of the entire Purgatorio… hence this Canto has an arrow pointing to the terrace of Sloth with the words “You Are Here.” Elective or Rational Love defines the sins and consequences of these choices and actions. In line 95 we read that choosing the wrong goal to love can lead to sin. Misdirected love can lead to Pride or Envy or Wrath, the first three levels of the Purgatory. Line 96 completes the map; deficient vigor in Love is Sloth [their current level]. Avarice, Gluttony, Lust are the sins that result from excessive vigor in loving the wrong things which gives us the last three levels. The rest of the Canto expands on this insight, that how we choose and use Love forms the morality and integrity of our lives. As opposed to the Inferno, where actions are punished, intentions are primary in the Purgatorio. Virgil expands his statements further in the rest of this Canto.

97    'While it is directed to the primal good,
    Mentre ch'elli è nel primo ben diretto,    
                            
98    knowing moderation in its lesser goals,
    e ne' secondi sé stesso misura,    
                            
99    it cannot be the cause of wrongful pleasure.
    esser non può cagion di mal diletto;    
                            
100    'But when it bends to evil, or pursues the good
    ma quando al mal si torce, o con più cura    
                            
101    with more or less concern than needed,
    o con men che non dee corre nel bene,    
                            
102    then the creature works against his Maker.
    contra 'l fattore adovra sua fattura.    

It was Augustine of Hippo in the ‘City of God’ who helped describe this Christian understanding of Love: 

City of God: 14:7
…a right will is good love and a wrong will is bad love.
…recta itaque voluntas est bonus amor et voluntas perversa malus amor.

Aquinas expanded this definition of ‘bonus amor’ and ‘malus amor’ in helpful and important ways in his treatise on the passions:

…every agent whatsoever, therefore, performs every action out of love of some kind. 
…Unde manifestum est quod omne agens, quodcumque sit, agit quamcumque actionem ex aliquo amore.

This is remarkably helpful to find at the exact center of the Commedia in that we can look back, for instance, at the different relationships in the Inferno that were justified in the name of “Love,” but they were, in fact, Love used incorrectly. This is what Augustine would call “malus amor” forgetting that, as Virgil reminds us, Love “cannot be the cause of wrongful pleasure.” This clarifies much when we read of the supposed love of Francesca da Rimini for her lover Paolo in Inferno 5, or comparing the love of Cavalcanti for his son with the love of Farinata for Florence in Inferno 10. Even Ulysses’ doomed love for learning and discovery is set in its proper context in Inferno 26, for according to this paradigm, he had no proper love he was without proper moderation and had even less discernment. This, of course, leads us all the way back to the Golden Mean of Aristotle too…

​All You Need Is Love… NOT!
The Beatles obviously had not read this Canto! Love misused and misdirected or even misplaced will not lead to a whole and holy life. Indeed, the misuse of love will more often than not lead to the abuse and misuse of other human beings, those beloved ones made in the image of God and for whom Christ died. We will be looking at these concepts further in the Commedia, but let me stay a moment more on the level of Sloth before signing off. Let’s remember that there is a priority of place in Dante’s universe. Sloth is where it is due to its placement between the lower and greater sins Pride, Envy and Wrath and the ‘lesser’ sins further up the mountain, Avarice, Gluttony and Lust. The sins below Sloth destroy others and community. The sins above Sloth represent the immoderate love of good things which should be secondary in one’s life, basically destroy oneself. Food or sex or material wealth are not evil in and of themselves. It is only when they take the place of God the Lover and Creator that they become sinful.  Robert Hollander notes, “By failing to respond to God’s offered love more energetically, the slothful are more rebellious to Him than are the avaricious, gluttonous, and lustful… .” Indeed. Here is where Aristotle’s golden mean becomes a bit jaded and stale. God is looking for more than just those who won’t make mistakes or don’t act fiercely and lovingly, even if in the wrong direction. None of the commentaries I read had this Biblical quote, but it belongs here:

Revelation 3:16: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”

I suppose if I had my ‘druthers’ I’d rather be guilty of being to passionate and foolhardy in my loves than to never have loved fiercely at all.