Midway upon the journey of our life
I found myself in a dark wilderness,
for I had wandered from the straight and true.
(Dante, Inferno, translated by Anthony Esolen)
These poetic lines stand at the beginning of one of the greatest literary masterpieces ever created, The Divine Comedy. As part of honoring Dante, the poet behind the poem, on the 700th anniversary of his death, a project began this past September to have the world’s largest reading group work its way through all 100 cantos, ending on Easter weekend 2022. Videos by Dante scholars accompany the readings to deepen our reflection and understanding. There are also smaller groups meeting to discuss as well. You can find out more information at 100daysofdante.com
Now, my purpose is not to write a lengthy, multi-post mediation on this poem, though I do think there is much to be gleaned from it about the Christian life, even if we wouldn’t agree with every theological jot and tittle. However, these opening lines are striking. The poet/pilgrim (for Dante is both) at age 35 (a biblical lifespan being defined as 70 years) finds himself at a crisis point. While this situation is multifaceted for Dante (political intrigue, spiritual waywardness, exiled from home), he sums his circumstances up in the image of being in a dark woods (a more usual translation). He tries on his own strength and effort to escape but is hindered by three terrifying beasts.
What hit me reading the lines this time is how Dante invites us into his dilemma by making it a common plight. One would expect the opening line to read, Midway upon the journey of my life. Instead, he pens, Midway upon the journey of our life. He is an everyman. And that means that we should not be surprised when we find ourselves in our own dark woods, wandering from the straight path.
Yet, it seems Christians go to great lengths to put up a facade that life is good and easy and pleasant. We never admit our struggles; we never acknowledge our doubts; we never want others to know when we find ourselves in dark woods. But our Bible is replete with accounts of believers facing trials and tribulations, sometimes for extended periods of time. Consider the years that Joseph spent in slavery and in prison. Or David’s years in the wilderness being hunted by Saul. Or Daniel and the other exiles who spent decades in exile, many never to return home (much like Dante who died in exile from his beloved hometown of Florence). In a real sense, the entire earthly life of our Savior was an extended tour in the dark woods.
Saints, we must learn to be honest about the reality of the dark woods. We need to be honest with God. We need to be honest with ourselves. We need to be honest with others. At some point in our lives (and it isn’t always a mid-life crisis), we will find ourselves in the dark woods. It may be losing a brother when you are young. It may be betrayal by a spouse in your forties. It may be a chronic illness that no doctor can diagnose. The time in the woods may be measured in days, weeks, or years. And often, we find ourselves in those places more than once.
But, the good news, as Dante finds, is that we are not alone in the dark woods. For Dante, the poet Virgil arrives to be his guide through the dark woods, into the depths, up the mountain to paradise (though Virgil cannot guide him through that place). But as Virgil relays to Dante, Virgil has been sent ultimately by God. Virgil is a sign of divine grace and assistance.
Yet, we get something better than a dead poet when we are in the dark woods. We get God Himself. There is a reason we love to speak of Christ as Emmanuel, God with us, because it means He is present with us always and perhaps even especially in the trying times, though we feel alone. But as the Psalmist reminds us Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death (a dark woods, perhaps?), I will fear no evil for you are with me (Psalm 23:4). Saints, the dark woods are real but so is our Savior and we have His word, secured by His work, that there is no dark woods that can ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-38).
