The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-03-12

Sphere Of the Moon.
Conde B. Palen, LID, delivered
his third and last lecture of his series
before the Catholic Historical society
and Newman Magazine club at their
rooms in the knights of Columbus club
house last evening. The lecturer said:
We left Dante on the summit of the
mountain of Paradise, which ascends
from the ocean at Jerusalem to the
first of the heavenly spheres, at the
conclusion of his last lacture.
According to Dante the earth Is the
center of the universe completely at
rest. Around 1t revolve nine spheres.
Dante stands on the top of Paradise
and looks into the eyes of Beatrice
from whom he receives the light and
grace that transcendaptly carries him
from the earth to the first heavenly
sphere. With trepidation, the speaker
approaches the celestial spheres, on
account of the difficulties that beset
and the subtlety of thought and speech
necessary to picture to the imagina-
ton the scenes of the heavenly plane-
tary spheres
The poet himself warns those who
have not followed him closely and
thoroughly to the summit of Paradise,
not to go further until they have
perfected their way. The first heaven
Of the planetary spheres is known as
the sphere of the moon, where may be
found spirits of a low order. Those
whose wills were not perfect and were
inconstant through some slight de-
fects. They are seen as through a
cloud-dim and vague. Although it is
true as a sensual fact that there are
graduations of spiritual spheres, yet
they are all spirits in full sight of
God.
DEPENDS UPON INDIVIDUAL.
The capacity of the different souls to
enjoy the Divine truth depends upon
the merit Of the individual soul. The
souls having locus in the first or low
er heaven of the moon have no enmity
whatever for the spirits of the other
and higher spheres for they reason that
their wills are disposed of by the law
of charity. They are satisfied with
what God wills. To will otherwise
than what God wills would be to offend
against Him. "In His will lies our
tranquility"
The second heaven known as Mercury
is the abode of those who sought high
things and have done noble deeds, but
whose motives were not entirely pure;
not always moved for the glory of God
but mixed with their own vain glory.
In Venus. the third heaven, we find
those who have fallen away from Div
inc love, the abode of lovers. Those
who have not entirely abandoned them
selves to passions. but by the means OF
Divine grace have redeemed themselves.
These first three spheres constituting
the first division of the planetary hcav-
ems, as Dante says, contains "the
shadow of the earth" Next come the
heavens OF the sun, Jupiter, Mars and
Saturn. In the sphere of the sun VIC
find such souls at st. Thomsa Aquinas
who have taught prudence. revelation,
etc. The great rulers of the earth and
excmplars of justice may be found in
Jupiter. Those possessed of fortitude
like the crusaders have a locus in Mars.
In Saturn we find such spirits as St
Bernard and other Contemplatives. AS
the poet proceeds from the second OF
planetary division of the heavens into
the stellar heavens, the light becomes
brighter and purer; the semblance OF
spirits departs and they become as
perfect rays of light. The various vir-
tues as represented by the abodes OF
the different spheres have their SYM
bols. The eagle in Jupiter is express
i've of justice.
SIGN OF FORTITUDE.
In Mars the souls take the shape OF
the cross. signifying fortitude even
unto death. In Saturn we see the con-
templatives-a golden ladder, symbol
iZing the ladder of contemplation
reaching up into the ninth heaven, be-
ing an extension and continuity of the
ladder from the first or earthly divis-
ion The ninth sphere is known as the
heaven of angelic intelligences.
Beatrice is the light that gives Dante
the power to see and endure the light
of each succeeding heaven. She tells
the poet to look upon the face of Hin
whose face mostly resembles God, viz.
Christ, in order that he may be able to
look upon the face of God and behold
the divine essence. To gain access to
the ninth heaven, the locus of the an
gelic intelligences, Dante is aided by
the Blessed Virgin and Christ, as well
as Beatrice.
The nine heavens are moving
spheres. In the ninth sphere all time
and motion begin and it imparts In
turn to the other spheres all life. mo-
tion and time to the other spheres.
The tenth heaven does not move. IT
is the heaven of heavens Gods divine
presence-Perfect Being, Truth, etc.
There is no motion there; no poten-
tiality; no time or space. Here in the
tenth heaven we see figuratively a
rose, in the center of which is the lu-
men gloriae or divine light the leaves
signifying the souls of all the blessed
whom Dante had seen i'm the nine
heavens are all seen by him in the
divine presence, reflected by the lumen
gloriae. Beatrice, the light of revela-
ton, now disappears, as did Virgil
when he left Dante at the summit of
Paradise.
The whole host of souls join in a
prayer with St. Bernard, after which
st. Bernard leads Dante into the
presence of the divine essence. He
sees God as the Archetype OF all be-
ings, the prototype from the highest
To the lowest type of all beings. ETC.,
of which humanity is but the external
manifestation.
STRUCK BY A TRAIN.
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