Matthew 25:41-44 – “Then he will say to those at his left
hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for
the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was
thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not
welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you
did not visit me.’”
A few verses ago, 25:37-39, I mentioned making a heaven on earth.
The same applies to hell. We make a hell on earth by not meeting Jesus’
criteria of loving our neighbors. We all know people, or of people, who create
their own hells. Sometimes it’s a sense of entitlement, sometimes it’s resentment,
sometimes it’s holding a grudge, sometimes it’s holding on to grief, sometimes it’s
bad coping mechanisms in general. To be clear, I’m not talking about addiction,
or depression, or chronic pain. I’m talking about making bad choices;
financial, social, relational, work-related.
Dante agrees with me. In his masterpiece, Inferno, he
describes a character who is still walking on the earth, but his soul is
already in hell. In the ninth circle, Dante meets a fellow Florentine who tells
him of a soul whose body is still living. According to Dorothy L Sayers's commentary, Branca
d’Oria invited his father-in-law, Michael Zanche, to dinner and murdered him. For
this betrayal, his soul is in hell while his body still lives. In fact, his
soul flew down to hell at the same time, or close to it, as Zanche’s.
139 “I
think,” said I (Dante), “that these are pure deceits,
For Branca d’Oria has by no
means died;
He wears his clothes and sleeps
and drinks and eats.”
145 “Up in
that moat where the Hellrakers bide,”
He answered, “Michael Zanche’d
not yet come
To boil and bubble in the tarry
tide
145 When
this man left a devil in his room,
In his flesh and that kinsman’s
flesh, whom he
Joined with himself in
treachery, and in doom.
…
154 … I
found
One of such rank deeds, such a Genoan,
His soul bathes in Cocytus,
while on ground
157 His body walks and seems a living man.
(Canto 33)
Our actions affect others is the lesson here. We can make
life hard for ourselves and others by closing ourselves off to the love God offers
us at every moment. One way to do this is to resist “stay at home” orders. Or
be untrustworthy, or betray our friends, or ignore the need we see around us. This
may seem harsh, but we become truly mature, as individuals and as nations, when
we realize how deeply interconnected we are with every person, creature, and
plant on the planet. Our actions affect others. It’s our choice whether to affect
others positively or negatively. Making choices that hurt ourselves or others
is how we create hell on earth. This includes abusing our planet’s resources,
not giving or caring whether others have access to food, shelter, water, or
healthcare; not to mention emotional and spiritual support. All these are
necessary to thrive.
There is no hope for Branca d’Oria. Of course, that’s Dante’s
theology, not necessarily God’s. With God nothing is impossible.
Let’s learn from d’Oria’s example and work for the
flourishing of others, which ultimately leads to our flourishing as well.
B
No comments:
Post a Comment