Most of us don’t read medieval poets, so much of their poetry doesn’t speak to us in the 21st century. But there are exceptions. Dante is one. Although the style may not speak to our modern minds, much of his thought does.
Dante’s opening line of Inferno reads: “Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself in a forest dark. For the straightforward pathway had been lost.” How often many of us feel that our straightforward pathways have been lost. We cannot even find the trail markers as we look for a way out.
We certainly don’t want to have our journeys take us where Dante’s took him –into the very center of hell, but at times they seem to. There are times when the forest around us grows darker and we struggle for a way into a clearing, and like Dante and the Psalmist we find our faith tested.
Prayer for the Day
Light of our life, we want to cast away the darkness
That holds us and contains us in its prison;
More than knowledge of the mind, we seek wisdom of the spirit,
That frees us from our past and moves us into the future.
Illumine us with your presence and shape our response
So we live the radical equality of the Gospel preached.
In the name of the One who is your Gospel,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The beginning of wisdom is found in doubting; by doubting we come to the question, and by seeking we may come upon the truth.
- Peter Abelard, Philosopher (1079-1142)
Faith and doubt are both needed, not as antagonists, but working side by side to take us around the unknown curve.
- Lillian Smith, Southern writer, social critic (1897-1966)
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long must I bear pain in my soul,
And have sorrow in my heart all day long?
Psalm 13: 1-2