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Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Song of Songs 2:8-14 or Zep 3:14-18A
Psalms 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Luke 1:39-45
Advent Weekday
Song of songs 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18A
Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21
Luke 1:39-45
Summary
Today’s readings promote the themes of anticipation and excitement. The
Song of Songs reading is the voice of a bridegroom speaking words of love to
her groom. The reading from Zephaniah speaks of the reunion between the
Lord and Israel. The reading from Luke is the story of Mary traveling to see
her cousin Elizabeth, and the joy she and her cousin feel when Elizabeth’s
child, John (who goes on to become the Baptist) leap in her womb.
Reflection
The Song of Songs is one of my favorite books of the Bible. It is poem (or a
series of love poems - scholars debate this point) in which each chapter
speaks of longing, desire and a love that transcends distance and obstacles.
Throughout history this book has been understood on two levels – the literal
and the allegorical. In the literal reading, the poem is a conversation between
a bride and her bridegroom. In the particular passage for today we hear the
voice of the bride, growing in excitement and anticipation for reunion with
her lover; she compares it to the end of winter and the coming of spring. On
the allegorical level, the Jewish tradition reads this poem as a love song be-
tween God and Israel. In the Christian tradition, the theologian Origen first
introduced our allegorical interpretation to us in the 4
th
century; he under-
stood this poem to be a love song between
Christ and the Church. For us, the passage is
clear: as the bride of Christ we are calling out
our exultation at the coming of Jesus just four
days from now. The feeling of preparation
during Advent is giving way to feelings of
mirth and joy, warmth, exhilaration and un-
ending hope for our own reunion with Christ,