August 2007

Stories Seldom Heard
87th Edition
A Book for All Seasons
 

 Readings from “The Song of Songs”

 “I will seek him whom my heart loves… and now that I have found him whom my heart loves, I held him fast and would not let him go. Such is my beloved, such is my friend.”  (3:2)

My beloved lifts up his head and says to me, “Come, then, my love, my lovely one, come.  For see, winter is past, the rains are over and gone.  The flowers appear on the earth.  The season of glad songs has come.  The cooing of the turtledove is heard in the land.  The fig tree is forming its first figs and the blossoming vines give out their fragrance.  Come then my love, my lovely one, come.  (2:10 -12)    Set me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm.  For love is stronger than death.  The flash of love is a flash of fire, the flame of God.  Love no flood can quench, no torrents can drown.  (8:6-7)

 For my beloved is mine and I am his…” (2:16)

 Part I

Summer Weddings

Welcome to Stories Seldom Heard.  Like many of you, this summer I have attended a few weddings and wedding recommitment ceremonies.   Each of the celebrations has been unique since each event has reflected the personalities and histories of the couples being celebrated.

In July I attended the wedding of the daughter of a long time friend.  Since she was marrying a man from New Zealand, they wanted readings and music that would reflect both their Catholic and cultural traditions.  From the very beginning of the service I could tell they had spent a lot of time preparing the ceremony.  It was a unique blend of Maori story and music with what we would consider the more traditional Catholic wedding rituals.   

A few weeks after the wedding the newlyweds, their family and I got together for dinner.  Of course, the wedding was the major topic of discussion.  The couple was very clear as to why they chose the readings.  They told us that in their preparation for the ceremony, they talked with a woman who teaches scripture.  During their discussions they talked about their relationship and how they wanted the readings and music to reflect the joy, wonder, seriousness and sincerity of their life commitment.

As their friend/teacher listened to them she offered some suggestions.  She mentioned some of the more usual or typical wedding scripture readings like I Corinthians 13:1-8.  “Love is always patient and kind, love is never jealous, love is never boastful…” and the Beatitudes.  But then their friends read some passages from the “Song of Songs”.  Over the next couple of months the couple reflected on the passages and discussed them with her.  If they had not been so nervous on their wedding day, it would have been wonderful to hear the bride and groom preach on the readings they chose.  But as it turned out the preacher used some of the newlyweds own comments and insights as part of the preaching. 

Part II

A Celebration of Love

You might not be celebrating a wedding anniversary this summer, but as they say “there’s no time like the present” to celebrate the importance of human love.  So let’s look at the “Song of Songs”. 

In some bibles the “Song of Songs” is called the “Canticle of Canticles” or the “Song of Solomon”.  (1)  Anyway we name it, the title seems rather odd.  It is obvious what the title wants to convey; this song is the greatest of all love songs.  So why don’t they just entitle it:  The Greatest Song or the Greatest Love Song?  Well, even though many of us have struggled through English classes learning the correct way to use comparative and superlative words, such as good, better, best, the Hebrew language does not have the same vocabulary or structure as the English language does.  In order to get across the idea that something/someone is the most vain, the holiest, the greatest, they repeat the word.  In Ecclesiastes we hear, “Vanity of vanities”. (Eccl 1:1)  Isaiah 6:3 says, “holy, holy, holy is Yahweh” and today we read from “The Song of Songs”.

“The Song of Songs” is rich in imagery and in many ways echoes the love story in the second creation account in the Book of Genesis. (2:5-25)  Both of these stories are poetic, both celebrate the wonder and goodness of God and the created world as it is expressed through the beauty of garden imagery, and both celebrate divine and human love and friendship.  In Genesis, however, there is an overt reference to God.  God is named and is an intimate part of Adam and Eve’s love and friendship.  God walks with them in the garden, in the cool of the evening.  But “The Song of Songs” takes a different tack.  It is the only book in the Bible that does not mention God’s name directly.  But don’t let this fool you.  This is not just a secular love song. 

The text certainly celebrates human love.  It is a profound expression of the reverence, love and joy between a bride and a groom.  But folded within this story of human love is another story.  The conversation between the two lovers mirrors God’s love for us.  Their human love is holy and sacred.  It is a flash of fire that reflects the flame of God’s love - a flame that cannot be extinguished by torrents of water or by our fears and doubts.  God signs us as God’s own.  God sets a seal on our hearts, a seal that cannot be broken by flood or our faithlessness.  God’s love is everlasting. 

Throughout scripture we hear of God’s intimate knowledge of us and unending love for us.  Psalm 139 reminds us that before a word is on our lips, God knows what we will say.  Every detail of our lives is open to God.   “It was you who created my inmost being… for all these mysteries I thank you.” (Ps. 139)  In the psalm and “The Song of Songs” we can clearly hear God’s closeness to us.  God’s love permeates the deepest part of our being and God’s faithfulness will never end.    

The early writers of “The Song of Songs” who combined these love poems from various sources and generations saw the connection between God’s love for us and human love.  It is because of this that “The Song of Songs” is placed within the Wisdom literature of the Bible.  No one wants us to miss the connection.  Within “The Song of Songs” lies the wisdom of God: a God who does not trivialize the importance of human relationship and the sacredness of intimacy and commitment - a God who teaches us that Love is stronger than death.  This death is not just the death that comes at the end of our life, but the daily little and big deaths of disappointment, frustration, failure and the acknowledgement of our own limitations.  

These canticles reassure us that we are not alone when we commit ourselves to one another because within the mystery of human love, God is present-  present in the courage it takes to say “I’m sorry” and to ask for forgiveness when we have offended the other and present in the humility it takes to accept an apology.  God is present in our tenacity to work through doubts and disagreements and present in our on-going holy curiosity to learn more about the other.  God is present in our willingness to listen to the other and change our ways because we trust the sincerity of the other person’s words and the truths of their insights.  God is present when we take pride in the other’s accomplishments and present in our openness to new possibilities. 

God was present when you said for the first time “I love you” and present the last time you said those same words but realized how much they had grown in meaning.  No, God has not left us on our own.  God has created us in love and has placed a seal on our hearts - a seal that marks us as God’s beloved.  And because of this many of you have had the courage to enter into a sacred and unique relationship with your spouse.  It was a relationship initiated by God and will continue to grow by the power - the flame of God’s love.

Many of the couples I met at weddings and anniversary celebrations this summer have said that the ceremonies helped them renew their commitment to one another.  I guess that’s the power of a sacrament!   It’s not just for those who are committing themselves to each other for the first time or renewing their vows on their fortieth anniversary, but an opportunity for all those who are present to renew their commitments to one another.

No, it doesn’t have to be your wedding day or anniversary to celebrate “the person of persons” or “your love of loves”, as they would say in Hebrew.  So why not celebrate!  Do something special to honor and recognize how important the relationship is and continues to be in your life.  You might also like to read the whole book of “The Song of Songs”.  It’s not long, only eight chapters, but it is a lovely book and inspired by the God who is Love.

1.  Because the “Song of Songs” is one of the Wisdom Books in the Bible some people have attributed this book to King Solomon since he is often seen as an icon of wisdom.  Most scholars, however, don’t think this book was written by Solomon because much of the language, vocabulary and style of writing come from a much later date.

Special thanks to Sharon Grant and Mary Ellen Green who have helped in editing this article.

 "Stories Seldom Heard" is a monthly article written by Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P.  Sister is a Dominican Sister of San Rafael, California.  This service is offered to the Christian community to enrich one's personal and spiritual life.  The articles can be used for individual or group reflection.  If you would like "Stories Seldom Heard" sent to a friend, please send a note to "purple115@juno.com".  If you would like to support this ministry, please send tax deductible contributions to Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, c/o Sister Patricia Bruno, O.P., 1520 Grand Avenue, San Rafael, CA,   94901 

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