THE HEAVENLY MATRIMONY (Song 4:1-16) A. THE BEAUTIFUL RISEN BRIDE Through the divine Incarnation, the Word of God descended to make us His bride, through His Crucifixion, He performed the wedding ceremony, and through His resurrection, He justified us to become the risen bride without blemish. Therefore, the Bridegroom sees her as very beautiful and He praises her saying: “Behold, you are fair, My love! Behold, you are fair! (Song 4:1). The resurrection granted the Church all spiritual beauty and power. St. Peter said, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2Pet. 1:3-4). The features of that beauty are the following: 1. “You have dove’s eyes behind your veil” (Song 4:1). St. Ambrose said: [The eyes are as beautiful as dove’s eyes, because it resembles the dove of the Holy Spirit who descended from heaven1.] Earlier, we saw that the Lord compares His Church to the eyes of a dove2. The Church, looking continuously at the Holy Spirit, has spiritual enlightenment because the image of the Holy Spirit is reflected upon her. She is simple, seeking only God, and loves as the doves. She does not rest except in the bosom of the true Noah, as the dove did from the ark (Gen. 8:6-12). Her eyes are behind the veil because only the Church can comprehend the mysteries of the Spirit, while the world is blinded to the truth (2 Cor. 3:12-18). The literal translation is “in your silence.” The Church, being enlightened to behold the mysteries of God’s love, stands in silence reflecting on God’s majestic works. St. John Saba said, [Whoever wants to talk about God’s love proves his ignorance, because it is impossible to describe this divine love.] [How amazing is the love of God! It is the language of the angels, and it is difficult to translate. Who are we to talk about Him? But You, O Lord, speak inside us as You wish.] Describing the eyes as behind the veil shows that no matter how much we enjoy spiritual enlightenment in this world, yet it appears as though it is behind the veil, when compared with what we actually see in the eternal life. “For we know in part and prophecy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away… For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known” (1Cor. 13:9, 12). 2. “Your hair is like a flock of goats, going down from Mount Gilead” (Song 4:1). If the Lord Christ is the Head of the Church, then the Church is the hair surrounding the head3. Without the Head, the hair is nothing. This is the congregation of Christ; they are like the sheep grazing on Mount Gilead, the high mountain of the 1 De Myst. 7:37. 2 Cf. Com. on Song 1:15. 3 St. Ambrose: The Holy Spirit, 14. 5 word of God which releases the hearts of the children of God toward heaven. The higher the sheep rise on the mountain, the more difficult it becomes for an observer to distinguish one sheep from another. In the same manner, when we resurrect with the Lord, rise through the word of salvation, and enjoy the care of the Church to abide in the heavenly spirit, the spirit of schism, fighting, seeking temporary glory, and the love of the world all vanish away. When we rise with the Lord on Mount Gilead as the flock gathered on the mountain peaks, then the hair appears as black, with no grey color at all, for the Lord renews our youth as an eagle (Is. 40:31). The flock as going down from Mount Gilead patiently rests on the word of God, and takes refuge in God’s care. He chose Mount Gilead for the following reasons: A. The Lord appeared to Laban on Mount Gilead and warned him saying, “Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad” (Gen. 31:24). Hence, the believer feels secure and that no one can touch him. B. The slopes of Mount Gilead were known for their plentiful pastures, thus they became an example of the life of satisfaction and fullness. In the Old Testament the Lord promised to save his people from the wicked Babylonians and made them enter into a life of fullness. He said, “But I will bring back Israel to his habitation, and he shall feed on Carmel and Bashan; his soul shall be satisfied on Mount Ephraim and Gilead” (Jer. 50:19). In the Book of Micah, it is written, “Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in days of old” (Micah 7:14). C. In the Old Testament balms were planted in Gilead, which are known for their nice aroma. They were praised by poets and historians and used by doctors in healing wounds and diseases. It was written in the book of Jeremiah, “Is there no balm in Gilead, is there no physician there? Why then is there no recovery for the health of the daughter of my people?” (Jer. 8:22). On Mount Gilead, the true Physician, our Lord Jesus Christ, heals the wounds and diseases of His people by the balm of His Blood shed on the Cross. D. When Gideon was fighting the Midianites, 32,000 Hebrew men came to fight in the war, but the Lord said to Gideon, “Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead” (Judges 7:3). The Lord is not concerned about quantity, rather He desires true struggling believers who do not fear! This is the true Church of Christ, who has authority to trample on serpents, scorpions, and every power of the enemy, and who lives in complete trust in God: without any fear. 3. “Your teeth are like a flock of shorn sheep which have come up from the washing” (Song 4:2). The Church has matured and now it is ready to use teeth, for she has grown and is no longer satisfied with the milk for babies. She yearns for His fatness, which she can chew and digest in her life. St. Augustine1 said that the teeth of the Church are her ministers, who chew the food and then offer it as milk to the babies. There are different kinds of teeth (ex. molars, incisors, etc.) but they all work for the same purpose and the same spirit: for edification of the Church (1 Cor. 12). With these teeth, the Lord asked St. Peter to kill the animals and eat them, and not say that anything is defiled. The Church, through her ministers, presents the word of salvation to everyone. She kills the defilement of evil, chews the pagans, and tears their wicked mistakes until they become members in His body. 1 St. Augustine: On Ps. 95 (94); On Christian Doctrine 2:6. 6 The minister is like a shorn sheep whose wool is cut; thus the minister has to cut off all carnal thoughts and deeds through the power of Holy Spirit, granted to him in the baptismal font. Wool, in the Holy Bible, refers to the carnal life. Thus, the priests of the Old Testament were forbidden to enter the Holy of Holies with clothes made of wool because their clothes had to be made of linen, a sign of the righteousness of Christ. As the Mosaic Law ascertained, “You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together” (Deut. 22:11). “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” (2 Cor. 6:14-15). 4. “Each one of which bears twins, and none is barren among them” (Song 4:2). When a baby starts teething, his teeth usually grow out in pairs. Similarly, the Lord sent His disciples two by two for missionary work, so that when one began preaching the word of God, the other prays for him. Thus, the word becomes anointed with divine grace. When St. Pachomius was asked why the monks live in pairs, he answered, “So if one falls, the other lifts him up.” St. Augustine1 held that the statement “bears twins” refers to the two commandments: loving God and loving the neighbor. “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the prophets” (Matt. 22:40). St. Cyril of Jerusalem2 says that this refers to dual grace, or the perfection of man through water and Spirit, or through the graces of the two Testaments, Old and New. St. Jerome commented on this saying, [Since they are not barren, then they have to be full of milk for nursing, as St. Paul said, ‘My little children for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you’ (Gal. 4:19), and ‘I fed you with milk and not with solid food’ (1Cor. 3:2).3] Finally, we can say that whoever has enjoyed the word of salvation through the pure teeth of the Church, her true ministers, is not barren, but gives birth to many abundant fruits. This is like the Samaritan woman who after meeting the Lord Jesus and hearing His voice, she went and called the entire town of Samaria to meet the Lord. Also Levi, after meeting with the Lord Jesus, called all his friends to enjoy the Savior with him. 5. “Your lips are like a strand of scarlet, and your mouth is lovely” (Song 4:3). The believer must witness to the Savior by his lips and mouth. What are the features of these lips and his mouth? A. In the Old Testament Rahab the harlot tied a scarlet cord out of her window (Josh. 2:18). This is a type of our faith in the Savior and our protection in His Blood through the forgiveness of sins. She and all of her household were saved from destruction. The same happens with a believer who binds all what comes out of his mouth with the precious Blood, witnessing to the Lord with his words as well as his deeds, until everyone is saved and enters the house of God. B. When the soldiers mocked the Lord Jesus, they put on Him a scarlet robe as a sign of His kingdom. United with her King, the Church now appears with her lips 1 St. Augustine: On Ps. 95 (94). 2 Catechetical Lectures, 3:16. 3 Epistle 69: 6 7 like a strand of scarlet because no inappropriate words comes out them, and is worthy to be a queen or a bride for the Heavenly King. C. The lips of the bride are like a thin strand which makes her mouth lovely. No insult, no deceit, no hypocrisy come out of the mouth, but it is full of love and compassion. 6. “Your temples behind your veil are like a piece of pomegranate” (Song 4:3). In the Old Testament, the robe of the high priest was adorned with embroidered pomegranates (Ex. 28:33-34, 39:24-26). Also, the temple was adorned with carvings like the shape of the pomegranate (1 Kings 7:18). The pomegranates refer to adornment, in which the Church adorns herself with the robe of the Lord Jesus Christ and the temple in which dwells His Holy Spirit. Her temples are compared to pomegranates, for they refer to the features of man that reveal feelings of joy, sorrow, or trouble. The features of the Church expose her complete peace and joy. He did not say your temples are like pomegranates, but like a piece of pomegranate, to show the inside, which is filled with seeds full of red juice, and does not know dryness at all! Your temples are like a piece of pomegranate, full of redness. The secret of her beauty is the Blood of Christ, which sanctifies her. Also this redness refers to being shy and decent, rather than proud or haughty like the children of this world. Her temples, being under the veil, reveal that her true glory is from within (Ps. 45). 7. “Your neck is like the tower of David, built for an armory, on which hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men” (Song 4:4). Often the Lord associates the beauty of the Church with her strife, so that the believers understand that the secret of their beauty in Christ Jesus is their lawful spiritual strife. The temples of the Church are not beautiful like a piece of pomegranate without the neck stretched out like the tower of David built for an armory, that is, without the living Orthodox faith associated with the strife. Through the neck, which is faith, the face of the Church is lifted up to heaven. Then the Lord shines upon her with His light and makes her live an upright life, unlike the woman with the spirit of infirmity who was bent over and could in no way raise herself up (Lk. 13:11-16). She sees in God the secret of her power and strife and hears Him saying, “I am your shield” (Gen. 15:1). Through Him, she is protected from all the fiery darts of the enemy (Eph. 6:16). He compares her neck with the tower of David, for David represents the man of faith who fought Goliath and conquered him saying, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you with the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Sam. 17:45). In his Psalms David the Prophet declared that God was his refuge and the strength of his life; meanwhile, he never ceased struggling. Leaders used to hang their shields on a tower to remember their great victories and to illustrate their valor. In the same manner, the believers use this spiritual tower, which is the working faith, as a center for their triumph in Christ Jesus and their victory over the wicked enemy. Mentioning the number of bucklers as thousand refers to their nature, for the number 1,000 is a symbol of the heavenly life. He says that the weapons of the Church are heavenly and spiritual, as St. Paul said, “For the weapons of our warfare 8 are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds” (2 Cor. 10:4). 8. “Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle, which feed among the lilies. Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away, I will go my way to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of frankincense” (Song 4:5-6). Since the Lord Jesus Christ is girded about the chest with a golden band (Rev. 1:13), He offers to the Church both the Old and New Testaments as two breasts to nurse the Church. The Church of Christ has both Testaments as two breasts to feed her children. The word of God appears in both Testaments as twins of a gazelle, born from one mother, which symbolizes that the two Testaments compliment one another, without any partiality, for the Old Testament prophesied about the New Testament, which in turn, clarified the Old Testament. The lilies refer to the group of believers who resemble the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, “the Lily of the valleys” (Song 2:1). They also refer to the inner emotions and capabilities which become as food for the living word of God! The Bridegroom is praising the bride for her inner perception, her strife in the oneness of the spirit, her mission work, her gentleness, faith and abiding in the word of God. Dazzled by all His praises, the bride declares to her Bridegroom that the mystery of all her beauty lies in the Cross of the Groom and in His Resurrection. Therefore she promises to go with Him to the mountain of myrrh, that is, to enter with Him the life of suffering. She is buried with Him and goes to the hills of frankincense, so she may live all her sojourn in continuous prayer until the day breaks and the shadows flee away. The Bridegroom answers, “You are all fair, My love, and there is no spot in you” (Song 4:7). He concludes His speech by saying that it takes Him a long time to describe the beauty of the one who shared with Him His suffering and lived in continuous prayer and fellowship. He sees in her all beauty because His love hides all her weaknesses, and His blood covers all her sins, showing all the adornment of her beauty. Thus He sees no spot in her. St. Jerome commented on the Bridegroom’s speech, [What is more beautiful than one to be called the daughter of God (Ps. 45:10), who does not ask for outward adorning (1 Pet. 3:3)? She believes in Christ, and granting His Spirit to her He leads her way toward Him, her Bridegroom and Lord, with great hope.1] CALL TO LABOR AND STRIFE “Come with Me from Lebanon2, My spouse, with Me from Lebanon. Look from the top of Amana,3 from the top of Senir and Hermon,4 from the lions’ dens, from the mountains of the leopards” (Song 4:8). When the bride first meets the Bridegroom, she feels comforted and rested; however, she knows that she has to accompany Him to lawful spiritual strife. In this call which the Lord repeats, we notice the following: This is a call to go out with the Bridegroom, for the spiritual war is for the Lord, and it is in His name. When the soul goes out feeling secure in Him, she is victorious, for without Him there is nothing but defeat. 1 St. Jerome, Epistle to Furia, 54. 2 Or “Libanus” in the Septuagint 3 The Hebrew origin “Amana” means faith, and it is the top of a mountain in Lebanon. 4 Hermon means “El Moharem” which is a mountain in Lebanon, its peak is 9,232 feet, and has three peaks, which the Sidianites call “Sirion.” while the Emerites call “Shenir” or Senir. From the top of these peaks, one can see Lebanon and the valley surrounding Damascus, Carmel, Galilee. This mountain is called now “the mountain of Sheikh.” 9 The call here is directed toward the soul to depart with her spiritual Bridegroom from Libanus.1 This means that she is called to go out from the life of prayer2 to be ready to meet the lions and leopards. Christian life is not mere comfort in the prayer room, but rather it is a fierce war against sin, against the evil powers, and against Satan himself. It is true that St. Peter desired to remain with the Lord on the Mount of transfiguration saying, “It is good for us to be here,” but the Lord compelled him to go down to encounter the events of the Cross. The call is directed to leave Lebanon, which is a tourist country known for luxury. The heavenly Bridegroom calls the human soul to accompany Him. He calls her to leave the easy life, the life of physical rest, and go to face the battle against darkness with her Bridegroom, the Conqueror of lions and leopards. In the true departure, she goes out from the top of faith (Amana), and through faith she enters the top of Hermon, or the life of self-deprivation and voluntary poverty. She practices the Cross in her life by emptying herself from the lust of the flesh to live a life of satisfaction with the Lord Jesus only. She says in faith with St. Paul, “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content” (1 Tim. 6:8), and “I know how to be abased and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:12-13). Through this living of the inner life in Christ Jesus, the soul enters into a war to overcome the lions and leopards by the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the essence of the victorious life, where one crosses with the victorious Lord from a fierce war to a spiritual triumph, thereby attaining eternity. St. Augustine commented on this call, declaring that the call here is not crossing with Christ, but rather it is crossing to Him. He describes it as a uniting with Him to practice the spiritual marital life, saying, [Cross to me from the beginning of faith, for faith is the beginning of matrimony.3] St. Augustine further describes the bride crossing to the Heavenly Father, through her unity with Christ the Bridegroom, saying, [She comes as a chariot of God carrying thousands of joyful men, walking successfully, crossing this world to the Father, for her Bridegroom Himself crosses the world and takes her to the Father. ‘Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am…’ (John 17:24). Hence, they go through the beginning of faith.4] St. Gregory of Nyssa says that this passage declares the bride’s unlimited thirst to follow the Bridegroom: [The one who walks toward God continuously experiences a yearning toward continuous progress. 5] He also paraphrases the Bridegroom’s call, “Come with Me from Lebanus, My spouse…” saying, [you did well when you came with Me to the mountain of incense. You were buried with Me in baptism, and you were raised and ascended to heaven…. Now arise to two other tops so you may grow through knowledge. As long as you have reached that height, do not cease climbing. This frankincense is the beginning of your faith, which is the start of your progress, to attain greater gifts. Cross and come from the beginning, that is the faith, and you will attain. Do not cease to keep crossing and rising forward.6] St. Gregory of Nyssa relates that the Bridegroom calling her to cross with 1 Taken from frankincense or incense 2 Incense reflects prayer (Rev. 5:8) 3 St. Augustine, Sermons of N T Lessons, 55:6. 4 St. Augustine, Sermons of N T Lessons, 55:6. 5 Sermon 8 6 Ibid 10 Him from the lions’ dens and from the mountains of the leopards means that sin is a wild beast like a lion or a leopard. Man has been transformed from this sinful nature, but the Bridegroom fears lest His bride goes back to sin. Therefore, He calls her to put off the old man. This is a call for continuous struggle in the life of faith. Since the Bridegroom calls the bride to cross with Him through the life of faith and continuous strife against the spiritual beasts, the bride sometimes feels the bitterness of this conflict, so she lifts up her inner eyes asking for help. She hears Him answering: “You have ravished My heart, my sister, My spouse; you have ravished My heart with one look of your eyes, with one link of your necklace” (Song 4:9). At the beginning of the relationship with God, He takes her to Lebanon, like when a bridegroom takes his bride to a tourist place away from the cares of life. There they get to know each other. However, the marital life will not remain like that, but they have to leave Lebanon to start labor and strife. Hence, the Lord called her to go with Him from Lebanon to face the lions and leopards in their dens, or to go with Him from the mountain of frankincense to a life of struggle against the deeds of the old man, which are like the wild beasts. Amidst the bitter struggle, she weeps and groans in her heart, but He cannot stand her tears, so He is drawn to her and is captivated by her inner crying. St. Gregory of Nyssa noticed that the Bridegroom here says, “With one look of your eyes.” Man has two kinds of vision: the outer vision where he sees the visible matters, and the inner vision, which is the heart, where he sees God. The tears of the inner vision are what captivate God’s heart. He is the Heavenly Bridegroom who understands his bride’s heart. He cares for her through her strife and suffering and does not require any talking. He understands the language of her inner eyes. When Peter denied the Lord Jesus, he did not apologize with words, but the Lord knew what inside his heart, from his tears. When the adulterous woman entered the house of Simon the leper, she did not talk, but the Lord, who examines the heart, said, “Her sins which are many are forgiven, for she loved much” (Lk. 7:47). The Church taught us to talk with the Lord with this language, the language of tears. During vespers of every day, we pray saying, “Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us! Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us! For we are exceedingly filled with the scorn of those who are at ease, with the contempt of the proud” (Ps. 123). The Lord answers: “I cannot endure your contempt and humiliation. You have ravished My heart and all My love. I do not call you servants but friends. You are My brothers, My bride.” In his letter to a blind priest in Baetica, Spain, St. Jerome talked about the eye which ravishes God’s heart, saying: [You should not be sad because you were deprived from the physical eyes, which the ants, flies, reptiles and human beings have, but rather rejoice because you have the eye, which was mentioned in the book of Song of Songs, as ‘You have ravished My heart with one look of your eyes.’1] This eye can see God, as Moses referred to this eye when he said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight” (Ex. 3:3). We heard about philosophers from this world who ruined their eyes so their thoughts may completely turn to their deep pure minds. 1 Epistle to Abigaus, 2 11 God’s heart is ravished by the language of the contrite eyes before Him, and by the language of obedience and sacrifice. He says, “You have ravished My heart … with one link of your necklace” (Song. 4:9). What is this necklace which adorns the inner neck of the soul except carrying the yoke and obeying the divine commandment? It was written in the book of Proverbs: “My son, hear the instruction of your father, and do not forsake the law of your mother, for they will be graceful ornaments on your head, and chains about your neck” (Prov. 1:8-9). The bride adorns herself by accepting her father’s chastening with joy and keeping the commandments of her mother, “the Church,” that is, she carries, on her neck, the yoke of obedience, which is Christ easy yoke. THE RESULT OF THE SUFFERINGS OF STRIFE Amidst sufferings, we feel our weaknesses, thus, we lift our inner eyes with contrition, toward God who is inside us. Then, we draw His heart and ravish His love by our broken hearts. He declares our position that we are powerful and not weak, and we live in glory and not reproach. We groan feeling our weakness, but He ascertains the hidden truth, that our strife, in spite of all this weaknesses, declares the sweetness of our love and a sweet aroma spreads out of it. He says: “How fair is your love, My sister, My spouse! How much better than wine is your love and the scent of your perfumes than all spices!” (Song 4:10). The words of the Bridegroom correspond to the words of the bride in her praise to Him, but in a stronger version. The words of the bride: “For Your love is better than wine. Because of the fragrance of Your good ointments…” (Song 1:2- 3). The words of the Bridegroom: “How fair is your love, My sister, My spouse. How much better than wine is your love…” We commune saying, “The fragrance of your good ointments,” and He says, “How much better is the scent of your perfumes!” Amazing are the Lord’s praises to us, although all the love we have for Him is a reflection of His love in us, and all what we have of sweet fragrance are the fruits of His fragrance working in us! It is astonishing that He gives us all what He has, and He gives us the credit for it, praising us, and rewarding us for it! The honor of the fragrance of the New Testament Church “is much better than all the scent of perfumes,” and surpasses the scent of all the previous kinds of worship. St. Gregory of Nyssa describes this in saying, [The mystery of the truth which was fulfilled through the message of the Gospel is considered very sweet to God and better than all the scents of the Law. It is no more hidden behind symbols and shadows, but its fragrance is spread by openly declaring the truth. Since one of the earlier scents pleased the Lord as a sweet aroma, then the secret of her acceptance is not due to the honorable material used in worship, but the meaning which was revealed through this kind of worship. This is very clear from the saying of the Prophet, ‘I will not take a bull from your house, nor goats out of your folds. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?’” (Ps. 50:9, 13)1.] Now we do not have the animal sacrifices, but the unique Sacrifice which the Father smelled as a sweet aroma. Through this Sacrifice God smells all our worship and spiritual strife as a sweet aroma “much better than all spices.” Henceforth, through our bitterness due to the feeling of our weakness, the Lord praises us without hypocrisy and continues to discuss the blessings of sharing His suffering and struggling for His sake, saying: “Your lips, O My spouse, drip as the honeycomb; honey and milk are under your tongue; and the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon” 1 The Greek translation Libanus is excerpted from frankincense and not from Lebanon. 12 (Song. 4:11). What does the Lord see in His struggling and suffering bride? He sees her like a bee, for “The bee is small among flying creatures, but her product is the best of sweet things” (Sirach 11:3). St. Gregory of Nyssa spoke of the secret of the honeycomb dripping from the bride’s lips and the honey under her tongue, saying, [We ought not despise any teaching of piety, but, as we fly over the meadow of the inspired doctrines, we ought to gather from each one something for our store of wisdom. Thus, we may mould within ourselves a honeycomb, as it were, storing this sweet product in our hearts as it were in a hive, and with the various doctrines fashioning in our memory storehouses, just like the different cells in the wax, that cannot be destroyed. Just like the bee whose honeycomb is sweet and whose sting does not prick, we should constantly be busy in the important labor of virtue. It busies itself indeed by exchanging the labors of this life for eternal blessings, and offering its own toils for the health of kings and people. In this way too the soul attracts the Bridegroom, and is an object of admiration to the angels, perfecting her power in weakness by honoring wisdom.1] What else does the Lord see in His struggling and suffering bride? He sees her like the holy land flowing with honey and milk (Ex. 3:8, 17). The Lord presented His struggling and suffering bride in a very beautiful picture. Since the Lord had promised His people with a land flowing with milk and honey, and a place for physical rest, satisfaction, and worship, His bride, in turn, becomes a place for rest for her Lord, where the Holy Trinity dwells inside her and overflows from the fruit of the spiritual milk and honey which angels desire and by which the saints rejoice. This milk and honey flows over even to unbelievers. Amidst the afflictions of the believer, the Lord sees her lips dripping as the honeycomb, her tongue hiding honey, and her bosom full of spiritual milk. The honeycomb which drips from his lips refers to the words of grace that proceed from the believer’s mouth. They are few, but nevertheless are sweet and delicious! They give the listener blessing and inner satisfaction! The honey symbolizes a hidden (under the tongue) treasure presented to others by the believer, without boasting, for the mature to cherish and be nourished! This hidden honey is the word of God, who is called the heavenly manna. In the Old Testament, God sent them manna similar to wafers made with honey (Ex. 16:31). Ezekiel the Prophet ate the word of God and said, “It was in my mouth like honey in sweetness” (Ezek. 3:3). David the Psalmist described it as, “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth” (Ps. 119:103). “The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Ps. 19:9-10). Solomon the wise also asked us to enjoy eating the good word of God, saying, “My son, eat honey because it is good, and the honeycomb which is sweet to your taste” (Prov. 24:13). “Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the bones” (Prov. 16:24). When the Lord speaks about caring for His people, He emphasizes that He offers them honey referring to the sweetness of His gift, or the sweetness of His words in their mouths, saying, “You ate pastry of fine flour, honey and oil. You were exceedingly beautiful and succeeded to royalty” (Ezek. 16:13). “And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you” (Ps. 81:16). “…He made him to draw honey from the rock…” (Deut. 32:13). The honey of the word of God is the source of the beauty 1 Sermon 9 13 of His people until they are good to become a queen. He who nourishes His people with honey finds His work hiding under the tongue of His bride; and then He rejoices with her! The Lord presents His honey through the tongue of His bride to satisfy the mature people, and also nurses the babies with undefiled milk. St. Gregory of Nyssa described this person, saying, [The one who knows how to speak to every sort of person and has under his tongue the varied power of the divine word is the one who can offer to each according to his capacities what each one needs in good season.1] During our afflictions we become disinterested in our clothes; however, during the afflictions of the bride the Bridegroom smells the fragrance of her clothes as a pure aroma of prayer (frankincense). He hears her groaning and supplications while she suffers! He listens to her and answers her prayers because she asks with a broken heart! In the spiritual struggles, the believer takes off his earthly clothes and, by the Holy Spirit, he puts on the imperishable heavenly clothes: love, joy, peace… (Gal. 5:23). This is the work of the Spirit in the life of the suffering bride! Finally, during tribulations one often looks at himself as though he is in a wilderness and barren. The Lord sees the opposite, saying: “A garden enclosed is My sister, My spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed” (Song 4:12). He asks her to remember all the hidden capabilities inside of her, saying, ‘You are a garden, a spring, and a fountain. These are the capabilities of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside you. These cannot be declared to you unless you accept the sufferings and you bow yourself before the Cross.’ Why the bride was called a garden enclosed, a spring, and a fountain? 1. St. Gregory of Nyssa2 says that the spouse of the Lord must become a flourishing garden, having within himself the beauty of all kinds of trees. The fruits of the trees may be bitter at the beginning, but later at due time, they will ripen and become delicious and sweet to all the senses. In the same manner, in the spiritual life, the Lord plants the soul and gives her water. She carries sufferings and bitterness of labor, but in due time she will bear fruits bringing joy to the soul. 2. St. Gregory of Nyssa talks about the reason of her being enclosed, saying, [Our garden is closed in on all sides by the fence of the commandments, so that no thief or a wild beast can gain entrance to it… It cannot be reached by the solitary wild boar or the ‘boar out of the woods’ (Ps. 80:13).] 3. Since the garden needs a spring or a fountain, the spring has to be closed and the fountain sealed. Solomon the Wise said, “Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed.” (Prov. 5:15-18) Hence, divine inspiration commands us not to waste the water of our fountain outside in the streets with strangers. St. Gregory of Nyssa declares that when our thoughts deviate towards sin (strange), we become weak, offering our water to strangers. St. Ambrose relates the sealed fountain to Baptism, which remains closed and sealed until it is manifested by words and deeds3. Through the Holy Baptism we 1 Sermon 9 2 Ibid 3 St. Ambrose, De Myster., 55 14 became a paradise, capable of life and bearing fruit. Although its springs can erupt with pure water to quench many, it is a closed paradise with sealed fountains that surge forth living water! We may think that we are empty; however, the Lord sees in us a paradise, a spring, and a fountain. All of these are only opened for Him, for He is the Only Bridegroom of the soul who has the right to enter the paradise of the heart and drink from the living fountains! Hence, as a bride, the soul must remain virgin and only desire the Heavenly Bridegroom. She opens her heart, her feelings, her emotions, and all her energy, as a chaste virgin waiting for her Bridegroom (Matt. 25) and as a member in the Church of the first-fruits. St. Ambrose splendidly comments, [The Lord says that to the Church, whom He wants to be chaste virgin, without guile or blemish. The fertilized garden is virginity which carries many fruits with nice aroma. It is a closed garden surrounded by a fence of purity. It is a sealed fountain for virginity is the fountain of chastity and its origin. It keeps the seal of purity, where God’s image is reflected, and where the purity of simplicity with the holiness of the body is combined. 1] St. Ambrose links here between this seal and the Eucharist. The Lord the Bridegroom gave the Church, His bride nourished by His Holy Body and Precious Blood, a commandment to keep this sacrament sealed in her life, which neither can be unbound by evil deeds nor losing purity2. St. Augustine describes this closed garden to be the Church, saying, [Paradise is the Church as was called in the book of Song of Songs. The four rivers of the Paradise are the four gospels, the fruitful trees are the saints, the fruits are their deeds, the tree of life is the holy of holies, that is Christ, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is free will. When someone despises God’s will, he destroys himself; then he can distinguish between sanctifying himself for doing good and between behaving according to his personal will.3] Many of the Church Fathers saw in the Holy Virgin Mary “the enclosed garden.” for she represents the virgin Church who was devoted for the Lord only. St. Augustine said, [Christ Himself is a virgin, and His mother is a virgin. Yes, although she is His mother, she remains a virgin, for the Lord Jesus entered through the locked doors (Jn. 20:19). He was laid in His new tomb, where no one has laid in it before (Jn. 19:41).” St. Mary is “a garden enclosed” and “a sealed fountain.” Joel the Prophet said that this fountain was also the source of watering the valley of thorns, the thorns of sins which we have committed (Prov. 5:22). 4] The enclosed garden, the closed spring, and the sealed fountain refer to the life which no one enters except the Lord Jesus Himself, who has the key of David “He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens” (Rev. 3:7). This life bears the precious heavenly fruits of the Holy Spirit, for He says: “Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits, fragrant henna with spikenard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense, myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices, a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon” (Song 4:13-15). What does the Lord find inside us? He finds various kinds of fruits to eat, such as pomegranates, fragrant spices, frankincense, other ointments, and living water to drink. 1 Epistle 63:63 2 St. Ambrose, De Myster, 55 3 City of God, 13:21 4 Epistle 48:21 15 Christ’s bride appears to be rich in everything: she has food to satisfy her, water to quench her thirst, precious spices for beautification, medicines for treatment, etc. Her Bridegroom and His friends rejoice in her. We notice that the words “all” and “every” are repeated several times, because she is not deficient in anything. This is the same expression which St. Paul used in describing the believers, saying, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, have an abundance for every good word” (2 Cor. 9:8). “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good word and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy” (Col. 1:9-11). The following are some examples of the fruits the soul bears: 1. Orchard of pomegranates1: The temple of the bride is like a piece of red pomegranate, a sign of the spiritual beauty through the Blood of Christ, as well as the sign of shyness, meekness, and calmness. She carries the beauty of God’s love and meekness. St. Gregory of Nyssa said about the tree of pomegranate: [We ought never to grow soft in the indulgence and luxury of this life, but that we should choose the way of life that has become hardened by continence. In this way the fruit of virtue will never be accessible to thieves, protected by the harsh covering of continence; and surrounded by a severe (self-control) and rigorous way of life, as though by the pricks of thorns, it will sting those who approach it bent on an evil purpose. But when the season allows us to enjoy it, the pomegranate offers us the combined pleasure of every kind of fruit.”2] 2. Fragrant henna3: is what the bride uses for adornment the night before her wedding. She dies her hands and feet red and prepares herself for the Bridegroom with sweet fragrance. 3. Spikenard: is extracted from a small plant from the Himalayan Mountains, about 1100–1700 feet above sea level. It is very expensive and is used in business. Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed the Lord Jesus’ feet with the precious spikenard (Jn. 12:3), and she poured it on His head six days before the Passover (Mk. 14:3) as a sign of her love and gratitude to Him. 4. Saffron: Although yellow in color, its flower is purple with red veins. It is ground and mixed with olive oil, and is used both as spice in food and as a medicine. 5. Calamus: has a sweet aroma, and oil is extracted from it to be used in matters concerning the sacrifice (Is. 43:24, Jer. 6:20). 6. Cinnamon: is a kind of wood with a sweet fragrance, and is used instead of tea by some Middle Easterners. It was used as one of the ingredients of the holy oil which was used to sanctify Aaron and his sons (Ex. 20:22). It is still used as one of the elements of Holy Myron (chrismation) oil when it is cooked. It is also used as a kind of medicine. 7. Finally, the Bridegroom communes with her saying, 1 See commentary on Song of Songs 4:3. 2 Sermon 9 3 See commentary on Song of Songs 1:14. 16 “A fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon” (Song 4:15). The Lord Jesus, the Living Fountain, waters the vines inside of her enclosed garden, pours water on her, and draws her complete attention towards eternity. 17 B. THE BRIDE SPEAKS WITH HER BRIDEGROOM “Awake, O north wind, and come, O south! Blow upon my garden that its spices may flow out. Let my Beloved come to His garden and eat its pleasant fruits” (Song 4:16). In the wedding banquet, the Bridegroom praised His bride and called her to go out with Him outside of the camp to share His suffering and crucifixion, to be anointed with myrrh, to be buried with Him, and to rise, carrying many branches. This is an act of His resurrection inside of her. She drips her ointment, and her Bridegroom descends to her, and enjoys His fruits inside her. The bride asks for the cold north wind and the warm south wind to blow on her. What does the bride mean by the north wind and the south wind? 1. The word “wind” in Greek means the same as “spirit.” The bride asks her Bridegroom to send to her His Holy Spirit so she may bear abundant fruit. 2. Calling on the wind refers to calling on the Beloved, Himself, who is the quiet and gentle Spirit who penetrates the heart1 and dwells in it. Thus, Christ works in us. 3. Perhaps the wind describes the outer circumstances. The soul, being an enclosed garden, is devoted to God, and does not fear any outer circumstances, “For all things work together for good to those who love God” (Rom. 8:28). St. Paul was given honor which led to the progress of the Gospel. Even when he was imprisoned, his chains led to more progress (Phil. 1:12). He also said about himself, “Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or death” (Phil. 1:20). 4. The wind also refers to temptations, whether from the left side (sin that erupts on the soul), or from the right side, (self-righteousness). The Lord protects her from these temptations and brings forth fruit which gladden the Bridegroom! He is like Samson who out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet! Notice that the soul calls her heart “my garden;” it belongs to her. However, as soon she says, “Let my Beloved come to His garden.” she becomes His vine, the work of His hands, and under His care. He is in her midst and cannot be shaken. The soul cannot drip her spices amidst afflictions unless she submits herself to become His garden. He takes care of her and eats her fruit which is “His fruit.” She calls to Him to descend to her, for the heart is His and the fruit is related to Him. St. Ambrose sees that this call is directed to the Bridegroom for Him to descend to the soul in the baptismal font. She then receives His garden, He works in her with His Holy Spirit, and she becomes fruitful. He said, [“Let my Beloved come to His garden and eat from the apple tree which is His.” Truly, it is a beautiful tree full of fruits, and its roots extend to the baptismal water, the baptismal font! He descended to her through the incarnation, through His crucifixion and burial. He also descends to her when she is baptized in the holy font. She still asks Him to descend to her, and to come on the clouds to take her with Him, for she has carried His fruits inside her!2] 1 The Jerome Biblical Comm., London 1970, p. 509. 2 St. Ambrose: De Myst. 56.
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