The Scripture Readings of December 21, Songs of Songs 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Luke 1:39-45, reflect the spirit of Advent in light of how love moves lover to his beloved toward the union, as the incarnated Christ is coming to be with us soon, while we have been preparing ourselves to welcome him into our hearts with vigilance. And, knowing Christ is on the way and coming nearer to us, our joyous hope grows into great joy in union with him upon his arrival.
The First Reading (Song of Songs 2:8-14) is a poetic
description of a lover waking up his beloved as he speaking to her in her
dream, telling not only that he is rushing to be with her but also that the
union between he and she upon his arrival is as joyous as spring flowers and
harvesting abundant fruits, resulting in blessings of plenty of offspring.
Reading this text 4 days before the due date of the incarnated Christ’s
arrival, the feast of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas), we image that the
incarnated Christ is coming with the young lover’s vigor to be with us and to
dwell in our hearts.
Christ is the lover, and we are his beloved.
In Song of Songs 2:8-14, the beloved describes what
she heard from her lover in her dream, as she woke up and makes herself ready
to meet him.
In our dreams, Christ the lover speaking to us, announcing
that he has been on his way and calls us to wake up and be ready to meet and be
with him.
We first hear him and have an image of him,
springing across the mountains, leaping across the hills (Song of Songs 2:8).
So, we recognize his vigor, seeing him as so enthused in his coming to be with
us, like a gazelle or young stag, jumping and moving fast, so he is already
standing right outside the house where we are in. (Song of Songs 2:9).
And our lover, Christ, who is coming and has come,
already standing right outside the house, calling us to awake, because his
arrival is like waking up from the winter slumber upon the arrival of spring
time, like coming out of the house when rainy days gave their ways to a fine
day with plenty of sunshine (Song of Songs 2:10-11). As his arrival is
imminent, fragrant spring flowers blooming, followed by verdant well-pruned
vines destined to bear abundant fruits, fig trees already bearing fruits to
ripe, the turtledove’s songs also calling us to come out, as our lover calls us
“beautiful”(Song of Songs 2:12-13).
We, his beloved, are like a dove in a mountain
cleft, not yet seen by him, as we are still in the house (Song of Songs 2:14a).
And we hear our love, calling us to show him our lovely face and let him hear
our lovely voice (Song of Songs 2:14b), as he is right outside the house where
we are in.
Our lover, Christ, calling us to come out to show ourselves to him and let him hear our lovely voice, right outside the house where we are, reflects the optional First Reading (Zephaniah 3:14-18a), God’s call to shout for joy and exult wholeheartedly of the occasion of God renewing us with His love, making us new, removing our sins, which kept us in shame. God’s renewal on us is the arrival of Christ incarnated, in the baby born of Mary.
The lover’s enthusiasm and vigor in his coming to be
with his beloved, calling her to come out, to celebrate the spring and the
abundant fruitfulness to follow (i.e. Song of Songs 2:14-18), making it a
joyous renewal by God’s love upon Christ’s arrival (i.e. Zephaniah 3:14-18a)
really inspires us to work on our Advent preparation to welcome him into our
hearts, remaining vigilant and diligent. His enthusiasm and vigor certainly
make us so enthusiastic and vigorous in our Advent preparation, with our joyful
anticipation to be with him.
Christ’s love for us really makes him come to us, as
poetically reflected in Song of Songs 2:8-14 for a joyous renewal, as reflected
in Zephaniah 3:14-18a. The lover’s enthusiasm and vigor is also reflected in
Mary traveling in haste to be with Elizabeth, who was pregnant with her son,
John the Baptist, as reflected in the Gospel Reading (Luke 1:39-45). As she
learned about Elizabeth’s surprise pregnancy as she learned about her surprise
pregnancy from archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:31-33, 35-37), Mary’s initial anxiety
was replaced with invigorating joy. So, as she cannot contain this joy to
herself, Mary rushed herself to care for her elder relative, Elizabeth.
In fact, it is not just Mary rushing to visit
Elizabeth. What we see in Luke 1:39-45, known as the Visitation narrative, is the
incarnated Christ, hidden in Mary’s womb, coming to be with Elizabeth and her
son in her womb, John the Baptist, carried by Mary, in her womb. And, being
filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41), Elizabeth recognized the Christ within
Mary, as she blessed him, as the fruit of Mary’s womb, as she blessed Mary, the
bearer of the incarnated Christ, the Lord (Luke 1:42-43), followed by John the
Baptist leaping for joy in recognizing not only Mary but also the incarnated
Christ in her womb, as he, too, was filled with the Holy Spirit, together with
his mother, Elizabeth (Luke 1:41). Being with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41),
Elizabeth already knew what archangel Gabriel spoke to Mary about her Son, the Lord,
inside her womb, as she expressed her desire of the purpose of the Annunciation,
namely, the coming of the incarnated Christ and what the salvation that he will
bring, to be fulfilled, in making her benediction for those who believe this
(Luke 1:45). And what Elizabeth foresaw as the fulfillment brought by the fruit
of Mary’s womb is echoed in the spring time of the lover’s arrival to be in
union with his beloved to bring abundant fruits, namely, plenty of believers of
Christ (Song of Songs 2:11-13), the renewal of us, in juxtaposition to Jerusalem,
to rejoice and exult greatly (Zephaniah 3:14-18a).
Christ is our lover, and we are his beloved almah , sought by him, to be welcome him
upon his arrival, to be in the nuptial union with him (Revelation 19:5-9). For
this, he is coming a long way, but now his arrival is imminent.
Are our hearts renewed and open to welcome him in?
Are we no longer in the mountain cleft?
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