Paradiso 23

This year, 2021, marks the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante, author of the great Divine Comedy. I invite you to experience the odyssey, by accompanying me as I discuss each canto.

(My book, Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Guide For The Spiritual Journey, is published by Angelico Press for the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death on 13th September 2021.)

Dante begins his journey by waking up in a dark wood. The air tastes bitter. He becomes fearful. Truth is out of reach. But his crisis is a turning point.

Many today, too, are waking up to something that's gone wrong. The air tastes bitter, people are fearful, truth is out of reach. We’re in a spiritual crisis. We must see the world afresh and understand. I believe Dante can help us discover how.

Canto 23 is full of visions - shattering visions. Dante is, in effect, asking himself with he can become the dwelling place of his desire, which is to say, the dwelling place of God. He looks to Beatrice who both steadies him, and reminds him that he can now look at her beauty, as he first sees the light of Christ in an instant glimpse; and then sees the light of the Virgin Mary who was able to say Yes, bear God in herself, and give birth to the divine in mortal life.

There is an MP3 version of the talk, a sign up to the podcast version and receive notifications, and more at www.markvernon.com/dantes-divine-comedy.

If you wanted to discuss the Comedy with others, a Discord-based gathering is currently running here - https://discord.gg/nuzPzn5.

I recommend the translation by Mark Musa in the Penguin Classics edition, both for its accessibility and notes.

The images that accompany my discussion are by Gustav Doré (in black and white), William Blake (in colour), Sandro Botticelli (the drawings), Giovanni de Paolo (illustrations) and assorted manuscripts.

Видео Paradiso 23 канала Mark Vernon