Status Updates From Die Göttliche Komödie

On the Yale Lux et Veritas Dante program: Why teach Dante? Because I believe that in this time and age, when there is war, when there is hopelessness, when there is conflict, I believe that resummoning Dante to this world will give humanity hope.

Paradiso XIX asks one of the hardest questions in the entire Comedy: What about the genuinely good person who never had the chance to know Christ? I expected Dante to give a simple answer. Instead, he reminds us that the greatest obstacle to justice isn’t asking difficult questions, it’s assuming we already know the mind of God. Perfect justice requires perfect knowledge and only God has that.

Paradiso XVIII: the souls literally spell out, “Love justice, you who judge the earth,” before transforming into a giant eagle. Heaven turns justice into something beautiful. Dante’s reminder feels timeless: power isn’t measured by what you can command, but by how faithfully you serve. Leadership exists for others to grow and do well.

To read Dante, you have to take a leap of faith. You have to believe this is divine. You have to believe this is perfection. You’ll be transformed by it. So why not just take the risk? Put away your beliefs about our world and fully embrace divinity.