Sermons on the Song of Songs

But perhaps it is her spirituality rather than her simplicity that the Bridegroom wishes to commend by comparing her eyes to those of a dove, because we read in St. Matthew how the Holy Spirit once revealed Himself under the image of that bird. If anyone prefers to adopt this view, it will be necessary to connect our present text with the words of the Bridegroom’s companions, spoken a little before, wherein they promised to make for the Spouse “chains of gold inlaid with silver.” There is here no question of ornaments for the body, as I have already explained, but only of instruction for the ears of the mind. It is therefore possible that, her heart being more perfectly purified by the faith which comes from hearing, she has now the power to see what before was beyond her capacity. And since the gift of the golden chains appears thus to have improved her faculty of spiritual perception, she has been advanced in the Bridegroom’s favour. For, so far as He is concerned, He always takes special pleasure in the soul which has learned to contemplate Him in the spirit. Hence He is but adding to her other merits this progress in spiritual discernment when He declares to His Spouse, “Thy eyes are as those of doves.” “Regard Me no longer,” He seems to say, “according to the flesh, but according to the spirit, because ‘a Spirit before thy face is Christ the Lord.’ And thou hast now the capacity for such contemplation, inasmuch as ‘thy eyes are as those of doves.’ Before thou wert wanting in this higher faculty, and therefore it was that thou didst meet with repulse. But now since ‘thy eyes are as those of doves,’ that is to say, spiritual, thou art permitted to enjoy the spiritual vision of Me, not indeed in the fulness which thou hast solicited, but in a degree proportionate to thy present capacity. It is necessary that thou shouldst be led on gradually ‘from glory to glory.’ Therefore, exert to the utmost the faculty thou now possessest; when thou hast attained to greater power, a higher vision shall be granted thee.”

I do not suppose, my brethren—I am very far from supposing—that this spiritual vision of Christ is either common to all or of but little importance, although it is inferior to that which is reserved for the life to come. Its dignity can be estimated from the words which follow. The Spouse is now speaking, and she says in reply, “Behold Thou art fair, my Beloved, and comely.” You perceive, my brethren, how wonderfully she has been exalted, and to what lofty heights she has lifted her gaze, since she thus, as by incommunicable right, claims as her Beloved the Lord of the universe. You will take notice how she does not speak of Him simply as the Beloved, but calls Him “my Beloved,” as if wishing to assert her special prerogative. Assuredly that must be a noble vision which has raised the Spouse to such a degree of confidence and dignity that in the Lord of all she no longer recognises a Lord but a Lover. There is here, as I think, no need or use for material, sense-transmitted images of Christ’s Flesh or cross, or any other representations which belong to the weakness of His mortality. For there “is no beauty nor comeliness in Him,” comparatively, when so considered. When, therefore, the Spouse, after contemplating her Beloved in this vision, declares Him to be both beautiful and comely, she gives us to understand that He has manifested Himself to her in some more excellent and spiritual way. For to His Spouse, as of old to Moses, He speaks face to face; and to her, as to the Lawgiver, it is given to see God openly and not in signs and symbols. And just as He has revealed Himself to her contemplation, in a vision as sweet as it was sublime, so do her words describe Him. Her “eyes have seen the King in His beauty,” yet not as a King but as a Lover. Isaias “saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and elevated.” Another prophet also testifies that He even beheld Him face to face. Yet it seems to me that the Spouse has been more highly favoured than either, because to them He showed Himself as the Lord, whereas He appeared to her as a Bridegroom. “I saw the Lord,” writes Isaias, “sitting upon a throne, high and elevated, and His train filled the temple.” And Jacob exclaims, “I have seen God face to face, and my soul hath been saved.” But in the Prophet Malachy we read, “If I be a Master, where is My fear? saith the Lord of Hosts.” Hence the revelations vouchsafed the prophets always inspired them with terror, for where the Lord is there must be the fear of Him. For my part, then, were the choice given me, I would gladly and lovingly choose that vision of Him wherein He appears as a Bridegroom; because as charity is nobler than fear, so is this manifestation more excellent than the others. “Fear hath pain,” as you have read in St. John, “but perfect charity casteth out fear.” Surely, then, there is a very great difference between that vision where the Lord appears “terrible in His counsels over the sons of men,” and that where He shows Himself “beautiful above the sons of men.” “Behold,” cries the Spouse on beholding Him in His character of Bridegroom, “behold Thou art fair, my Beloved, and comely.” There is nothing here indicative of terror, but every word is redolent of charity.

But perhaps “thoughts are arising in your hearts,” and you are asking yourselves in perplexity, “How is this? In what sense are we to understand that the Word Divine addresses words to the soul, and that she replies with words of her own so that she can hear His voice proclaiming her beautiful, and returns His salute immediately with the self-same eulogy? ‘How can this be done?’ We indeed employ words to speak, but not so He Who is Himself the Word of the Father. Neither can the soul make use of words unless she employs the corporeal mouth to fashion and utter them.” Such, my brethren, are the doubts which you may find suggested to your thoughts and not unreasonably. But remember that it is the Holy Spirit Who speaks, and that the words which He utters must be spiritually interpreted. Whenever, therefore, you either hear or read of the Word and the soul conversing together or holding communication by means of amorous looks, be on your guard against conceiving anything like an interchange of external words or glances, just as you would not suppose the two corporally present to each other. Listen, whilst I try to explain what thoughts such language should suggest to your minds. The Word is a Spirit and the soul is a spirit, and they both have their own spiritual tongues wherewith they converse together and manifest their presence to each other. The tongue of the Word is the grace of His condescension, whilst that of the soul is the fervour of her devotion. Hence, the soul which is indevout, as being tongueless and speechless, has no means of entering into conversation with the Word. Now, it is impossible for the soul not to hear, when the Word, wishing to speak to her, sets this spiritual tongue of His in motion; “for the Word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit.” Much less, on the other hand, can the Word fail to catch what is spoken by the soul, both because He is everywhere present, and also for the reason that the tongue of her devotion can never move at all, except under the impulse of His inspiring grace.