A Letter from Fr. Dominik (cont’d.)

the truth is, and by knowing the truth, they decide to manipulate either the trust of others, or the facts, to lead others toward falsehood. Lying is a sin against the mind and therefore holds greater consequences than sins of the flesh which are often manipulated by our own passions and emotions.

The deepest circle of hell, the Ninth circle, is for treachery. Mainstream depictions of hell often involve fire and brimstone. However, Dante, in his brilliance, takes the opposite image. The souls condemned in the deepest circle of hell are not set on fire, but rather they are condemned to be frozen in ice. It is because the lowest circle of hell is the complete absence of love. For Dante, love is the animating principle of the whole universe. Love is what inspired God to create and set all the planets and stars in motion. Love is what animates a man to leave his mother and father and cling to his wife. Love is the force which moves our souls. That is why ice is a more fitting symbol for hell, because when love is absent, we become frozen. We become unable to speak, unable to move, unable to love, and the less love we have, the more self-enclosed we become.

Dante does not give any moral argument as to why pride, anger, greed, or heresy are wrong. Through image and symbols, he reveals what sin is. Dante, the poet, rips off the attractive veil that sin has, and reveals to the reader the true and hideous face of evil and human depravity. You want to live a life of anger? Go ahead, but remember, it is like a never-ending fist fight with no resolution or peace. You want to live a life of greed? Go ahead, but remember, it is like collecting rocks and rolling them eternally to no end. You want to live a life of pride? Go ahead, but remember, it is like being frozen and trapped in the lake of your own ego. I think Dante is a better teacher than most moral professors, because he expresses his understanding of morality through the power of imagination. Next week, I will go into depth with Inferno Canto V and Dante’s encounter with Francesca and Paolo.