Whom Are You Going to Serve?

 

You may be an ambassador to England or France
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls

But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes
Indeed you're gonna have to serve somebody
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody

Those lyrics by Bob Dylan capture what is on my mind this morning.  I have been listening to a program on CBC Ideas about the Divine Comedy of Dante.  This is a magnificent poem – probably the greatest ever written, is in three parts; Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso.   I have also read the Comedy some time ago and have started the Paradiso again recently.  The theme which I have focussed on in this encounter with the poem is, as the lyrics sum up, deciding who or what you will serve. 

The Comedy is an account of Dante, the author and the protagonist of the poem, journeying through the three aspects of existence – hell, purgatory and heaven.  He does this, fortunately for his and for the multitude who have read the Comedy since, while he is alive.  It is a journey of discovery for Dante the protagonist, and possibly Dante the author, of whom he will serve. 

In the beginning Dante, in my reading, is serving himself.  He begins by using the work as a great revenge play in which he places those who are responsible for the great tragedy of his life – his exile from his beloved city of Florence.  For Dante this was a form of death – he was exiled from the ground of his being, from all forms of support, from friends and family, from finances, and perhaps even from God.  Consequently, he places those he holds responsible in hell most notably Pope Boniface VIII.  Although Pope Boniface was not dead when Dante wrote the poem, he places Boniface in the eighth circle of hell devoted to the simoniacs – those who use the church for personal financial gain. He doesn’t stop there but uses the work as an opportunity to wreak literary vengeance on a wide assortment of villains and even including a good friend in his zeal. 

This starting point on his spiritual journey was from a position where he was wanting to be in charge.  Dante’s ego believed it should be in charge and his creative genius should serve his ego.   In effect, he believes that God should serve him.  At the end of his journey of spiritual discovery, he learns that the proper place for the ego is in service to God.  This is the journey that we are all called to make. This was addressed in one of the recent offerings from the Society of Saint John the Evangelist  (SSJE). 

Conversion is about having more and more space in our mind and heart for the “other” people of this world, people whom God so loves. Jesus changed. If we are following him, we are going to need to change – it’s a life-long conversion – to not only serve Jesus but to see Jesus in the “other,” whoever is “other” to us, different from us, not “normal” to us. This is very challenging news. The good news is it’s possible, amazingly possible.  Br. Curtis Almquist.

Blessings on your journey.