Paradiso, Canto 27 Francesco Vossilla

[@johndunham9236]

Thank you, Dr. Vossilla, for your richly guided tour through Canto XXVII. Authority and the path to God are connected integrally here. The laughter of the universe comes before the exquisite speech of St. Peter tearing into the corruption of the papacy in Dante's time (and future times). This "drunken joy" must be remembered before righteous anger seizes us. To God be the glory. Justice will be done. "my Holy See, my Holy See, my Holy See," is how Anthony Esolen translated it, though the Italian "luogo" heightens the sense of place and ownership and stewardship. I think it is vital to see that Dante is NOT claiming the Holy See is destroyed or invalid. Vacancy in this Canto is unworthiness, and this is Dante's fine line that remains in the Tradition without falling into his own place in Inferno for the schismatics. Longsuffering is something Dante wrestles with as he is exiled by aid of the Pope. How does this fit into God's plan? Paradiso has already meditated on this extensively. Faith, Hope, Charity. He must learn them. Entering the Primum Mobile is the milestone of the end. I can feel the trembling in the poem, the longing to see the Vision. Lord, keep greed and corruption from our eyes so that we, and the Pilgrim, may truly see the essence and emanation of Love: the Mind of God. We long for the days of justice in the Church in the world as we sojourn here below. Thank you!

[@5kidsNeverDullMoment]

Really liked this Canto: (1) Peter is peeved (everyone turning red) because so many died and worked hard starting a loving church and now the leadership of the church is using its power and manipulating Christian beliefs. (2) Dante is told to go back to earth and speak up against the church and its leaders (giving purpose/authority to the Comedy) (3) Beatrice/Dante start rising to the Primum Mobile. (4) On the way, Beatrice starts talking about humans, starting as innocent, but left to focusing on their own selves and teachings, grow corrupt - but things can still change (hope!) - (5) Primum Mobile is not ever anything humans will see (as Astronomy studies was rampant in that time) but is God’s love/mind moving the universe around.

[@patcamerino5456]

Canto 27: As the heavenly spirits invoke the Trinity, Dante’s senses awaken to new ecstasies. His interlocutors return as flaming torches. The heavens and its hymning souls redden to resemble the auroras of both dawn and sunset. An indignant Peter, calling forth the names of the earlier popes, states their intent was never to divide Christians, but to unit them. He urges Dante, on his return to earth, to make known this mandate. Dante beholds the souls around him rising as flakes into the heavens above. Looking downwards, at Beatrice’s request, he sees the entire Mediterranean with Ulyssess’s westward and Europa’s eastward expansions, as well as a view of the spheres through which they have passed. He returns his gaze to the beauty of Beatrice and is immediately transported to the highest and most rapidly moving of all the spheres, powered by the light and love of God, Himself. They have arrived in the Empyrean, the Primum Mobile, the First Movement, which encloses the wholeness of the world. Dante becomes aware of many truths. Here is hidden the roots of time, itself. Only the results, the blossoms of the tree of life, are visible. Here the intelligence of God reigns supreme by enclosing everything in its comprehension. Using its own free will, mankind attempts to control its own fruit; but with the coming of a climate that is both helpful and harmful, as depicted by falling rain, this fruit rots. The Innocence of the child is darkened so that the death of the parent is not beyond consideration. The tempest of the surrounding sea twists mankind’s bark on its waters; one can no longer tell which way is forward and which is backward. There is no one on earth to lead the way. However, the blossoms resulting from the ill-use of human will, may yet bear good fruit, if the tempest-turned bark now follows the will of God.

[@frankdenome324]

Thank you Professor Vossilla! For some reason, I could feel Peter's indignation come through your lecture. You provide two symbolic interpretations for the color red. I would propose a third, red as the color of charity. Peter's rebuke of the current papacy is charitable as a call to conversion. Thank you again!

[@brendantannam499]

Thanks. I found that a very challenging canto.

[@jeffreytrimbath5170]

I'm too slow to understand the canto, and too slow to comprehend this lecture. Hopefully the next one will be better