Dante's in Heaven?!?

Disclaimer: If you have never read my blog post from February 2016, you might want to check it out before continuing as I will be building off from that.

Man, this really pains me. I actually have to talk about Dante Alighieri once again, and I am not sure if I am happy that I have the chance to roast him one more time or if I am sad because I have to pretend that he is not chilling in the seventh circle of Hell to place him somewhere in Heaven. We shall find out.

We need to talk about Heaven really quickly before we assign our best friend Dante a sphere to reside in for eternity – theoretically, of course, since he is in a river of boiling blood. Paradise portrays Heaven as ten spheres that correspond to the celestial beings known in Dante’s time. The ten spheres along with what they represent are as follows: The Moon (faith – imperfect), Mercury (hope – imperfect), Venus (love – imperfect), the Sun (prudence), Mars (fortitude), Jupiter (justice), Saturn (temperance), the Fixed Stars, the Primum Mobile, and the Empyrean. Each sphere houses different beings in accordance to their life on earth.

So where would Dante Alighieri be placed if he was placed in heaven? Before I designate a sphere for him, I want to make it clear that I am not God, and it will be Him who determines our place in Heaven. I am just guessing where he would be designated if he wasn’t boiling. Okay? Let’s go.

Right off of the bat we can eliminate the ninth sphere of Heaven: Primum Mobile. This is the sphere that moves other eight (27.115-117) and houses the angels (28.97-105). Dante is not an angel – far from it – and I cannot justify placing him here. That’s it, really.

The Moon is terminated as well. This sphere hosts the souls of those who neglected their vows (3.55-57). Some of those who broke their vows did so willingly while others were forced to. Dante is not a nun who broke a vow to God by being forcefully married to someone against their will. He will not be sharing a sphere with Piccarda, Constance of Sicily, or the other nuns who apparently did not put up much of a fight. 

The next sphere we are going to eliminate is the fourth circle. The Sun is the dwelling place of the wise (10.109-114). In my opinion, Dante was not the wisest man during his lifetime. He obsessed over a woman he had met when he was a child, played the politics game with a bad hand, was exiled from Florence, and wrote the Divine Comedy instead of doing something productive. I am going to spare Thomas Aquinas from having to reside in the same sphere as Dante.

Another sphere we will cross off of the list is the fifth sphere known as Mars. This is the circle where those who gave up their lives for Christ chill (14.97-129). If you did not know this about our new best friend, Dante was exiled from his native city of Florence. He stayed with several different patrons in various Italian courts. He did not die a martyr’s death, and I feel that it would be unfair to allow him to spend eternity in this sphere – even if his ancestor Cacciaguida is there (15.133-135).

Jupiter, the sixth sphere, is the next to be eliminated. This circle plays host to the kings and figures of authority that ruled justly during their lifetime (18.115-117). Dante was not one who really had much power, and it would seem strange to place him here. He held various offices but he did not accomplish much as a politician. It is because of this that Dante will not hang out with the pagans Trajan (20.43-45) and Ripheus the Trojan (20.67-69).

The next two spheres we are going to remove are the seventh and eighth spheres, Saturn and the Fixed Stars, respectively. Saturn is the sphere of the contemplatives (21.106-119), and since Dante was not a monk who devoted his life primarily to prayer he will not be placed here. The sphere of the Fixed Stars houses the saints and the Virgin Mary (23.124-139). Dante is not a saint nor is he a virgin woman which excludes him from this sphere.

I was tempted to place Dante in the second sphere of Heaven: Mercury. Here reside the brave spirits “who live their lives that fame/ and honor might succeed them when they die” (6.113-114). These people cared more about their desire for fame than the glory of God. When I first read Paradise I made a mental note that Dante could fit in the sphere nicely. His actions throughout his life could be portrayed as seeking glory, but I ultimately decided against putting Dante here. There is a sphere that is even more perfect for him.

The sphere I have chosen for Dante is the third sphere Venus. This is the sphere where those who were too ardent in their fleshly love reside (8.122-148). The reason I decided to put our friend here is because of Beatrice herself. The smoking hot babe who guides our hero through Heaven is Dante’s obsession. He barely knew Beatrice and was in love with her – even obsessing over her whilst married to someone else. Honestly, I think it is fitting that this would be the sphere Dante would chill in if he was not already hanging out in the seventh circle of Hell.

The second sphere we are also going to place our buddy in is the tenth sphere: Empyrean. This is the abode of God. It is here that all of Heaven revealed to be a river of flashing light (30.61) as well as a celestial rose that encompasses all of the souls of the faithful (30.112-117). Dante would be in this sphere along with every other soul who was granted entrance into Heaven.

While it did pain me to write a paper where Dante receives a place in Heaven, I can at least be at peace knowing that all of this was speculative for the sake of receiving a grade and that Dante is actually in the seventh circle of Hell. He is in a river of boiling blood, and if he tries to lessen his punishment by rising out of the river, he will be shot with an arrow by a centaur (Inferno 121.73-75).

Just Monk'n Around

“All must endure great travail and conflict when they are first converted to the Lord but later they have unspeakable joy”

It has been an extremely long time since I have read a book that has caused me to stop and question my relationship with Jesus Christ. The Desert Fathers is an interesting read in regards to how some of the early Christians lived their lives during the first centuries. From insane stories about demons to blatant sexism against women to relatable grievances, this book offers an array of reflections that cause Christians to think about how exactly they model their lives for God.

Honestly, I do not think enough about God and His will for me as I live out my day. I might say a short prayer to Him as I drive to classes or I might talk about Jesus to my friends, but my life does not reflect the words I say. I do not spend enough time just praising God and recognizing Him as the Creator of the universe, the Author of salvation, the One who gave me everything I have and will ever receive. I just do what I want to do without really thinking about how I need to be living for Him.

The men and women in The Desert Fathers, however, actually do whatever is necessary to live a holy life for Christ. They take their sin very seriously and spend every waking moment trying to better themselves and put God first. As Evagrius said, to “go against self is the beginning of salvation” (153). It was not their will they wanted to follow, but the Father’s. As one of the hermits said, “A monk ought to examine himself every day, morning and evening to check how far he has kept the Lord’s will” (126).

One of the ways the monks attempted to purify themselves was through self-control. This included fasting, watching your tongue, and restraining anger. Hyperichius stated that fasting is the monk’s “control over sin. The man who stops fasting is like a stallion who lusts the moment he sees a mare” (27). He also said that the monks “who cannot control his tongue when he is angry will not control his passions at others times” (28). Marcarius said that if you are “stirred to anger when you want to reprove someone, you are gratifying your own passions. Do not lose yourself in order to save another” (24).

Another way the monks practiced their faith was by watching who they were friends with. A hermit said that you should not “make friends with a woman, a boy, or a heretic” (7). This seems strange, but the monks were careful to not be tempted by anyone or anything. Women were seen as tools of the devil. An archbishop even said to a woman, “Do you not realize that you are a woman, and the enemy uses women to attack holy men” (10). Paesius also said, “Do not stay with anyone who is always scornful when they speak” (123). Constant negativity can adversely affect even the most devout Christian.

“A brother said to Antony, ‘Pray for me.’ He answered, ‘Neither I nor God will have mercy on you unless you do something about it yourself and ask God’s help’” (89). This is very powerful. Many times we ask others to pray for us whenever a situation arises, but we do nothing to fix it ourselves. Instead of going directly to God and asking for wisdom, we go to others to intercede on our behalf. As Christians, we are to be constantly taking charge in improving ourselves and removing sin from our lives with assistance from the Lord. We cannot ask others to help us if we are not ready to help ourselves.

It really is a tough pill to swallow when you think about how far from God we can be – especially when we think we are so close to Him. It’s hard to imagine that there are sins you are committing and you don’t even know it. The monks realized this and chose solitude to be able to recognize those grievances. That’s why it is important that we stop what we are doing and spend some time in quietness so we can see the hidden faults within ourselves. We have to be able to see the issues in our lives before we can address them. Mathois said, “The nearer a man comes to God, the more he seems himself to be a sinner. Isaiah the prophet saw the Lord and knew himself to be wretched and unclean (Is. 6:5)” (157).

I think that we as Christians are called to practice some form of monasticism. I don’t mean that we need to live in a monastery only speaking after dinner or giving up everything we have. No, I mean that we need to remove ourselves from the distractions of the world and just reflect about our lives in relation to Jesus Christ. How can we see our sins and repent from them if we are too distracted by the different things the world offers to us? How can I claim to solely love Jesus if I refuse to put down the remote and spend time with Him in prayer? Antony summed up this idea best when he said, “Fish die if they stay on dry land, and in the same way monks who stay outside their cell or remain with secular people fall away from their vow of quiet. As a fish must return to the sea, so must we to our cell, in case by staying outside, we forget to watch inside” (8).

The monks were definitely insane sometimes, but I think that we can all learn a lesson from them. We need to take our sin seriously, and we need to remove ourselves from the picture and focus only on God. The Christian life is not an easy one, but the reward of being a child of God makes it all worth it. We need to remember that.