Beautiful Beatrice bellows out the Beatitudes

Now that mom has erected a shrine to Beatrice in the kitchen and dad has approximately 500 pictures on his hard drive, I thought I'd officially join the "I'm completely obsessed with Beatrice" fan club. (Although Daniel will tell you that I have been a member for a long time.)

On Friday mom returned from Italy. So, on Saturday we all gathered to eat paella and drink Porto Portuguese style. We chatted about mom's trip and looked over various goodies she brought back. Mom had visited Dante's house and brought back a print of Dante and Beatrice for Mike. (It is pasted below)

Now, for any classics neophytes who may be reading, it was Dante's love for Beatrice that inspired many of his works, including the Divine Comedy. Dante saw Beatrice when he was eights years old and instantly fell in love. He often followed her but only spoke to her many years later. In his trilogy Inferno, Purgatory, and Paradise, Virgil guides Dante through the three realms but it is ultimately Beatrice who leads Dante to Paradise. As her name implies, it is because of her beatific love, that Beatrice can lead Dante to heaven.

Being a Dante dilettantie myself, I wouldn't rely too heavily on my account if I were you. For a full account of Dante's works go to this site:
http://users.erols.com/antos/dante/

Also from wikipedia, here is where the word beatific comes from. Really beautiful if you ask me!!

In Roman Catholic theology, the beatific vision is the eternal, direct perception of God enjoyed by those who are in Heaven, imparting supreme happiness or blessedness. While humans' understanding of God while alive is indirect (mediated), the beatific vision is direct (immediate). Thomas Aquinas defined the beatific vision as the ultimate end of human existence after physical death. Aquinas's formulation of beholding God in Heaven parallels Plato's description of one beholding the Good in the world of knowledge

Dante and Beatrice


PS-Sorry about the title. I couldn't resist.