OVERVIEW

Fr. Stephen Gregg is Choirmaster, Our Lady of Dallas Cisternian Abbey and teaches English, Fine Arts, Latin and Theology at the Cistercian Prepatory School. He is also pursuing a doctorate in English at the University of Dallas. 

Reflection Questions:

• Dante and Virgil tarry by the seashore. What spiritual disposition are they showing here? 
• How do souls arrive at the shores of Mt. Purgatory? How does their arrival contrast with the “mad flight” of Ulysses in Inferno 26?
• What biblical story do the souls sing about as they arrive at Purgatory? What does their song suggest about the character of the purgative journey they are undertaking?
• How is Dante’s presence among these souls a distraction from their moral responsibility (2.75)? 
• The pilgrim meets his old friend Casella. How do we see Dante reverting to nostalgia rather than pressing on with the moral and spiritual demands of the movement (2.106-123)?