Meditations on the Song of Songs (1)
Meditations on the Song of Songs (1)
The spiritual ones read this book and grow in their love for God. But the carnal need a guide when reading it, lest they misunderstand it and deviate from its lofty meaning to worldly interpretations…
In these first articles of our meditations on the Song of Songs, we wish to enter into the spirit of the book, to understand its symbols and meanings, so that this may help us in a coherent and orderly interpretation…
In the previous meditation, we contemplated the Lord’s saying: “My sister, my bride, a locked garden…”
The Church is the Bride of the Lord, and likewise the human soul, as explained in chapter five of the Epistle to the Ephesians. Yet, this is a spiritual union, not a physical one as in marriage. The Apostle says: “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17). As for how one becomes united with God, the Scripture says: “This is a great mystery” (Ephesians 5:32)… And in the spirituality of this union, the Lord says: “My sister, My bride.”
My sister, My bride:
It is humility from the Lord to call the human soul “My sister,” while she responds saying, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord,” meaning His servant and maid… The Lord called us His brothers when He “emptied Himself,” taking the form of a servant and “being found in appearance as a man.” Therefore, He was not ashamed to call us His brothers.
In His striving for the salvation of the human soul, He uses the same expression, saying:
“Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My perfect one.”
In these four phrases, the whole story of salvation is encompassed—both what God has done for our salvation and what we must do ourselves.
“My sister” symbolizes the Incarnation:
For the Lord Jesus Christ, when He shared our human nature, “became the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29). Thus, when He sent Mary Magdalene to proclaim the good news to His disciples, He said to her: “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see Me” (Matthew 28:10).
When He says to the human soul, “Open to Me, My sister,” He means: open your heart, your mind, and your will to Me. For your sake I emptied Myself; I became the Son of Man to make man the son of God. Therefore, “Whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50).
If “My sister” symbolizes the Incarnation, what does “My love” symbolize?
My love:
The story of salvation began with the Incarnation but was completed in the Redemption. In the Redemption, God revealed His love for us, for “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
When the Lord says to the human soul, “My love,” He means His love that was manifested in His death for her. This soul was condemned to death, “But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).
Thus, if the story of salvation begins with the Incarnation—signified by “My sister”—and continues in the Redemption—signified by “My love”—then what does “My dove” signify?
My dove:
God offered salvation through the Incarnation and the Redemption, but we have a role in it too. The Apostle warns us: “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). How do we work it out?
By surrendering to the work of the Holy Spirit within us. We do not let our human will act on its own, but allow the Holy Spirit to work in us for our salvation and the salvation of others. The more our selves fade and the Holy Spirit is revealed, the Lord then says: “My dove,” for the dove symbolizes the Holy Spirit, as in the story of the Baptism.
My perfect one:
Salvation was accomplished through the Incarnation and Redemption, and we receive it through the work of the Holy Spirit in us. Is this enough? Yes, it is enough—but in our surrender to the Spirit’s work, we are still called to perfection. The Lord says to us: “Be perfect, therefore, as your Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).
This soul, which strives toward perfection through the Spirit’s work within her, is the one to whom the Lord says: “My dove, My perfect one.”
This is the complete story of salvation—it includes God’s part and the human soul’s part—and it is summarized in these profound theological words:
“Open to Me, My sister, My love, My dove, My perfect one.”
Thus, we approach the Song of Songs in its deep symbolic meanings, far from superficiality and away from the carnal level of interpretation.
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Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – El-Keraza Magazine, Year 5, Issue 4, October 26, 1974
