Vide Cor Meum (See My Heart)

Dante wrote the premiere poem of Christian and western culture, The Divine Comedy.  It is the story of a pilgrim's journey of conversion, and Dante's offer of the pilgrim's journey as a template for our own lives.  At the core of the story is love, personified in the love of Beatrice -- the beautiful and beatified and good woman -- who captured his love early in life only to marry someone else and die at an early age, yet who intervened from heaven in Dante's earthly life to save him from being lost.  All is told in the story, a classic!

Earlier, Dante wrote of Beatrice -- her love opened a new life for him -- Vita Nuova.  Listen to the song of one of his lyrics in this poem.  It gives a glimpse of a love that can move us far beyond our mundane lives, into the world of divine love.  Dante came to see this love as needing purification, and he placed in Hell Paolo and Francesca who never advanced beyond sensual love.  The love Dante experienced with Beatrice was spiritual, and lasted beyond her death, conferring a salvific blessing on Dante as Beatrice condescended to save him and direct him to a higher love, love of Jesus Christ.  Judge for yourself:  In listening to a song from the Vita Nuova, what must the experience of God's love be like?