I love how Dante Alighieri always manages to impart the most basic Christian values in this captivating and uncanny story. After reading Canto seven to eleven, I realized another vital Catholic belief that he portrayed—a belief which I presume is one of the main themes of these last few cantos. This belief is none other than the child-like abandonment in the Lord that I so often hear of in our Opus Dei inspired school.

I was first made conscious of this in Canto 8, where in Virgil reassures Dante. I quote, “Take heart. Nothing can take our passage from us when such a power has given warrant for it.” To be honest, after reading those cantos, this line was what struck me the most. It just goes to show that nothing and no one can harm you when you are under the protection of our Lord. In other words, if you are acting under God’s command, or under the wishes of those close to Him, there is no doubt that you will succeed in whatever undertaking, no matter how treacherous the path may seem.

You see, dear reader, this complete abandonment and dependence on God is one of the things which I believe I lack. I am, unfortunately, very prone to self-inflicted anxiety and stress. Therefore, you can imagine my interest growing as I saw this concept play out in those cantos. When you have been striving to gain or strengthen a certain virtue, it would, in my opinion, make a huge impact if you saw this virtue being acted upon in a book written by an author whom you have admired for some time. The way Dante Alighieri so winningly incorporates these Christian virtues and values in his story is one of the main reasons why I marvel at his work. I mean, come on! Who knew that you could learn virtues in hell?