A Humble Petition (Canto IX) What better way to enter Purgatory than with an act of humility? This may seem obvious, but we’re prideful people who don’t generally even appreciate how prideful we are. Think about how easy it is to confess to a variety of Christian “struggles,” to go on missions trips or attend Christian…

The early cantos of Purgatorio feel obsessed with haste and urgency as well as light and shadow, continuing the themes of right desires and purification I identified in the first two cantos. Stepping Partly in the Light The pilgrim often notices the sun and its path, and he and the many souls frequently notice and…

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. —Paul to the Romans (7:15) “What is this negligence, this standing still? On your way to the mountain, running, and peel away the dead skin that keeps you from seeing God.” —Cato…

N.B.: As a reminder, I will be using W.S. Merwin’s translation of Purgatorio. Dante stands now at the foot of Mount Purgatory, about to begin an ascent of purification. As a Protestant standing beside him, there is a part of me that wants to say, “Um, you know you don’t actually have to do this, right?…