Canto II. As in the rest of the poem the passing of time is marked carefully, almost obsessively, with respect to the appearance of the sun, moon and stars. Time is an important theme in this canto. The ship of souls, driven by the wings of its angelic helmsman, passes over the sea so swiftly and lightly that it creates no wake. As soon as the souls have disembarked, again at speed, the boat returns, and, as if to mark the urgency of the action, the sun’s rays appear. Dante meets with the souls, and is recognized by a friend of his, Casella, who starts to sing one of Dante’s own verses. But the curious souls are interrupted by Cato, who urges them to hasten to their purgation, and they run on, in Dante’s image they resemble a flock of birds.

At its best Lent passes with a certain acceleration, the dullness of the first days gives way to a heightened sense of the opportunities that the season offers, which in turn encourages us to mark it with still greater attentiveness. At least, that is how it can be. The Purgatorio matches this pattern. At the start Dante’s limbs are heavy. The passage up the lower slopes of the mountain is hard work , but as each terrace passes, and his own penance progresses, he feels a growing lightness. Grace, as it is said, merits grace. We are reminded of God’s gratuitous gift in the canto. It is why Casella has been admitted early onto the ship (because of the indulgences of the Jubilee year in 1300). But a response is needed, and the newly arrived souls have yet to acquire the sense of urgency of their fellows who Dante meets on the higher slopes. They, like we, have to be reminded that time is a gift, this season is a gift, to be used well.