We've made it to the heights of the Empyrean—Heaven—with Dante and Beatrice. Surprisingly, we are met at this late stage by yet another guide, Bernard of Clairvaux.   

With Bernard we will praise the Blessed Mother, all the while preparing ourselves for the vision of God enjoyed by the blessed in Paradise.

This vision—all too much for human language and craft to communicate—is masterfully envisioned by Dante the poet. We see Heaven as an unfolded rose bloom. The Trinity is glimpsed in its Triune Glory. The image of the human person is centered, incarnationally, at the heart of the mystery that is God.

At last our journey that began in the dark wood comes to its culmination, where our sight will lose its power, but we will otherwise turn "with the Love that moves the sun and all the other stars."

My companion is Paul Camacho, Associate Director of the Augustinian Institute and Assistant Teaching Professor of Philosophy in the Humanities Department at Villanova University.  He also writes a weekly newsletter, "Will This Be On the Exam?" which is well worth the read.

Join us for this last installment of our nine part series on Dante's Divine Comedy. Links to the previous eight episodes can be found below. 

Links:

1. The Paradiso by Dante, a verse translation by Jean Hollander and Robert Hollander
2. The Digital Dante from Columbia University
3. Dante Series, No. 1
4. Dante Series, No. 2
5. Dante Series, No. 3
6. Dante Series, No. 4
7. Dante Series, No. 5
8. Dante Series, No. 6
9. Dante Series, No. 7
10. Dante Series, No. 8
11. www.paulcamacho.com
12. "Will This Be On the Exam?"

In this installment, we continue ascending with Beatrice and Dante through his "Paradiso." At the outset we find ourselves upon the Sun, encountering two 13th-century theological masters: Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure.

Interestingly they each courteously sing the praise of the other's spiritual father. Thomas the Dominican celebrates Francis of Assisi, while Bonaventure the Franciscan lauds Dominic.

Within these odes of praise, we encounter deep theological truths about the human person and the person before God. Not only this, but we consider the vigilance needed to preserve the Church's purity of mission and her ability to fulfill it.

Next we witness the joyous anticipation of the souls of the blessed as they but hear mention of being reunited with their bodies at the resurrection of the dead. With this we consider the essential nature of our embodiment and why we shouldn't conceive of heaven as some ethereal abode intended for disincarnate human spirits.

Rather, we can rejoice with the souls of Paradise at the thought of our embodiment, the Incarnation, and the firm hope in our own eventual resurrection.

This is our second of three installments on Dante's "Paradiso."

My companion for this trip is Paul Camacho, who is Associate Director of the Augustinian Institute and Assistant Teaching Professor in the Augustine and Culture Seminar at Villanova University.  He also writes a weekly newsletter, "Will This Be On the Exam?" which is well worth the read. 

Links:

1. The Paradiso by Dante, a verse translation by Jean Hollander and Robert Hollander
2. The Digital Dante from Columbia University
3. Lenten Dante Series, No. 1
4. Lenten Dante Series, No. 2
5. Lenten Dante Series, No. 3
6. Lenten Dante Series, No. 4
7. Lenten Dante Series, No. 5
8. Lenten Dante Series, No. 6
9. Lenten Dante Series, No. 7
10. www.paulcamacho.com
11. "Will This Be On the Exam?"

Now having ascended the heights of Mt. Purgatory, we are propelled by our love and desire into the Heavens as we enter the realm of Paradise with Dante and Beatrice, his guide.

In this episode, we consider what Dante is up to in his imaginative conceiving of Heaven, some general themes of the Paradiso, and how we are meant for glory, both God's and our own.

Then we consider the nobility of our freedom and the paradoxical way we voluntarily constrict it with vows and promises,  though only so that we can love more radically and fully.

This is our first of three installments on Dante's "Paradiso."

My companion for this trip is Paul Camacho, who is Associate Director of the Augustinian Institute and Assistant Teaching Professor in the Augustine and Culture Seminar at Villanova University.  He also writes a weekly newsletter, "Will This Be On the Exam?" which is well worth the read. 

Links:

1. The Paradiso by Dante, a verse translation by Jean Hollander and Robert Hollander
2. The Digital Dante from Columbia University
3. Lenten Dante Series, No. 1
4. Lenten Dante Series, No. 2
5. Lenten Dante Series, No. 3
6. Lenten Dante Series, No. 4
7. Lenten Dante Series, No. 5
8. Lenten Dante Series, No. 6
9. www.paulcamacho.com
10. "Will This Be On the Exam?"