Chapter 6
1. (Verse 1.) My beloved, he says, descended into his garden to the bed of spices, to feed in the gardens, and to gather lilies. Where he may seek the Word, he recognizes: what he may abide among the prayers of the saints, and what may cleave to them, he knows, and what he may feed his Church or the souls of his righteous among the lilies, he understands. This mystery he demonstrated to you in the Gospel, when on the Sabbath he led his disciples through the cornfields. Moses led the people of the Jews through the desert, Christ leads through the sown fields, Christ leads through the lilies; for through his passion the desert blooms like a lily. Let us therefore follow, so that on that great Sabbath day, on which there is great rest, we may gather fruit. Do not fear that the Pharisees will accuse us of gathering what has been sown: even if they accuse, Christ pardons, and He makes those souls similar whom He wants to follow Him, like David, who ate the bread of proposition above the Law, already conceiving the prophetic sacraments of the new grace in his mind at that time.
(Verse 2.) I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, who grazes among the lilies. The voice appears easy and common, but it is of a few. For it is rare enough for someone to be able to say: I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine. What does it mean to say: I am yours? For it is he who speaks who is joined to God with all his senses, who cannot think of anything else, he who uses this voice who can say to the Lord: Show us the Father, and it is enough for us. (John 14:8). Does he use this voice eagerly for money, honor, power? For many people, knowing God is not enough, and indeed for many more. So many populations, so many nations, so many rich people think that poverty serves the Lord; and He who is above all is small and narrow to them: the Son of God is not enough for them, in whom all things are. Finally, that rich man in the Gospel to whom it was said: If you wish to be perfect, sell all that you have, and give to the poor (Matthew 19:21); he judged that God was not enough for himself. Finally, he was saddened, as if he were ordered to leave what was worth more and choose what was worth less. Therefore, he says: I am yours, who can say: Behold, we have left everything and followed you (Ibid., 27).
This is the voice of the apostles, but not of all the apostles; for even Judas was an apostle and reclined at the table with Christ. He himself also said: I am yours; but with his voice, not his heart. Then Satan came and entered into him, and began to say: He is not yours, Jesus, but mine. Finally, he thinks about what is mine, he turns over in his heart what is mine: he feasts with you and eats with me: he receives bread from you, money from me: he drinks with you, and sells your blood to me: he is your apostle, and my hireling. The secular person cannot say: I am yours; for he has many masters. Lust comes and says: You are mine; for you desire those things which pertain to my body: you have sold yourself to me for the love of that young woman: I have counted the price of your concubinage with that prostitute as yours. Greed comes and says: The silver and gold which you have is the price of your servitude: the possession which you hold is the purchase of your right, the sale of your freedom. Luxury comes and says: You are mine; a banquet of one day is the price of your life: that expense of feasting, the bidding of your head, is the sum of your contract. And what is worse, you have been bought at a price for flesh, you are cheaper than your food: your table of one day is more precious than your whole life: I have redeemed you among the cups, I have acquired you among the feasts. Ambition comes and says to you: You are completely mine. Do you not know that I made you rule over others so that you would serve me? Do you not know that for this reason I have given you power, that I might subject you to my power? Do you not know that it is written in the gospel of the Lord and Savior himself, by the prince of this world, when he showed him all the kingdoms of the world: All these I will give you, if you fall down and worship me (Matt. 4:9)? Therefore, he who wants to have others subjected to him is himself subjected. All vices come and each one says: 'You are mine.' How great they seem, how worthless they are! Therefore, how can you, who are of such a kind, say to Christ: I am yours? He will answer you: Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 7:21): not everyone who says to me, I am yours, is mine.
4. My plan is, if conscience does not reproach me, if my mind or actions do not refute your words. I do not deny that he is mine who does not deny himself, or certainly if he denies himself for my sake. I do not want to have a slave serving many masters. For how can he be mine if he says to me in word: I am yours; and denies it in deeds, and condemns himself to the devil and binds himself? He is not mine whom lust inflames, because chastity is mine: he is not mine whom the desire to plunder the weak drives, because generosity is mine: he is not mine whom the fickleness of the wind troubles, because tranquility is mine. I am not a slave to the intoxication of wine, impure in the filth of ambition, desirous of worldly glory, drunk into danger, who cannot keep the trace of sober moderation. I am peace, I do not know how to argue: why should I care what the devil may say about him. He is mine; for he has bent his neck to me, I find more in him: he claims your name for himself, and my gift. Therefore, he is not of Christ, unless he is free from crime: he is not of Christ, unless he can always show himself to be a servant of Christ.
5. I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine, who pastures among the lilies. It seems that among the beloved, the beloved says: My secret is mine, my secret is mine. For she had understood certain mysteries of her hidden faith in the ecstasy of her love, which she believed should not be revealed even to the daughters of Jerusalem themselves. The mystery of the king is to keep it hidden; for it is a sin against God for anyone to think that entrusted mysteries should be made known to unworthy individuals. Therefore, there is not only the danger of speaking falsehoods, but also of speaking truths, if someone insinuates them to those who ought not to know. What vice is fourfold, either flattery or greed or boasting or careless talk; because when someone wants to flatter, they reveal a secret to the person they are speaking to: some also, driven by the desire for gain, follow the payment of betrayal, so that they may sell what should be hidden by speaking in silence; others, in order to seem to know more and boast of their knowledge, reveal what they should conceal; most, when they speak without judgment, utter a word that they cannot take back. Therefore, the man is praised for being diligent and not idle. He was a man who carefully chose his words, like the apostle Paul, who knew what to say to each person and when to speak.
6. (Verse 3.) You are pleasing, my sister, beautiful like Jerusalem, admirable like an army arrayed for battle. The truth of love is proven by its perpetuity. Therefore, the Bride is praised by the Bridegroom because she has sought him so well and steadfastly. And now she is not only called sister, but also named pleasing, as if she has pleased him; because she pleased the Father: and, beautiful like Jerusalem, admirable like an army arrayed for battle; because she holds all the mysteries of the eternal city: and she is a wonder to all who see her; because she is filled with equity, and is perfect: and she shines with the light borrowed from the Word, while always striving for it, and is also terrible in a certain order, advanced to the highest level of virtue.
You are beautiful, my friend, sweet and lovely, etc. And truly beautiful, which is said of Him: ‘Thou art fairer than the children of men.’ (Psalm 44:3). Therefore, let us direct our minds as much as we can towards Him and be in Him. Let us hold firmly in our minds that which is beautiful, lovely, and good, so that our souls may become beautiful through His illumination and shine brightly. For if our eyes are clouded by darkness, they are nourished by the greenness of fields, and the beauty of a forest or shady hill repels every imperfection from our dwindling gaze, and the pupils themselves and the iris seem to take on a healthy color: how much more does this eye of our mind, when it beholds and dwells upon that Supreme Good, and feeds on it, become resplendent and radiant. Beautiful as Jerusalem. This beauty of the body is not perishable, either by disease or old age, but is not subject to any troubles, and will never die in the estimation of good deeds; for it is worthy to be compared not to human beings, but to heavenly ones, whose life it lives on earth. Therefore, the Bridegroom, as if to a bride already perfected, says:
Turn your eyes away from me, for they have caused me to fly away. Do not direct too much devotion and faith towards me. You have exceeded the possibility of your nature and condition, for it is difficult to behold an inaccessible light from a distance. 'Turn your eyes away from me,' he says, 'because you cannot endure the fullness of his divinity and the radiance of true light.'
However, we can also understand it this way: Turn your eyes away from me; although you are perfect, there are still other souls that need to be redeemed by me, and others that need to be supported. For you lift me up by seeing me, but I have descended in order to lift up all. Although I have risen and have the seat of the Father, I will not forsake you as orphans deprived of paternal protection, but I will strengthen you with my presence. In the Gospel it is written: Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world (Matthew 28:20). Turn your eyes away from me, for you lift me up. For as much as anyone directs their intentions towards the Lord, they elevate the Lord even more, and they themselves are elevated. Therefore, he says: I will exalt you, O Lord, for you have lifted me up (Psalm 29:1). The holy person exalts the Lord, while the sinner humbles themselves. Therefore, they want to turn their eyes away from her, so that by not considering her, she may be elevated to higher things and not abandon other souls. That is why in the Gospel, he revealed his glory not to all the disciples, but to the more perfect ones (Matthew 17:1). Now, establish someone as a teacher who is willing to explain obscure matters to his listeners, even though he himself may be skilled in speech and knowledge. However, he should lower himself to the ignorance of those who do not understand and use a simple, clearer, and more familiar speech so that he can be understood. If there is anyone among the listeners who is more lively in understanding and can easily follow, he is raised and promoted. Seeing this, the teacher calls him back to allow the more knowledgeable to dwell among the humble and straightforward, so that others can follow.
10. (Verse 5-7.) The Bride is praised because she is faithful, powerful in word, fruitful in various fruits, and one dove, having the unity of the spirit, in which there is peace, which makes both one: and which is not composed of diverse elements of conflicting and separate nature. For what is so different than fire and water, air and earth, from which the creation of our body consists? But every blessed soul is simple, which imitates the one who says: That they all may be one, as thou, Father, in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us (John 17:21); for this is the consummation and perfection, from which he added: That they may be one, as we also are one: I in them, and thou in me; that they may be made perfect in one (Ibid., 23). This is therefore a dove and perfect, which is simple and spiritual, not troubled by the passions of this body, in which there are outward battles, inward fears. Finally, Scripture teaches us that this word signifies unity and peace, saying: 'The multitude of believers had one heart and one soul, and there was no separation among them.' (Acts 4:32)
11. The soul is praised for its fruitful nature, not only because it is fruitful in virtues, but also because it has no evil within itself; for that which is beautiful and lovely is that in which there is no evil. For what is beautiful is good; but what is ugly is evil. Fruitfulness is the beauty of good works, therefore sterility is the opposite of beauty; because one who lacks beauty or charm, in them is all evil: for what is evil is barren and unfruitful. What greater evidence is there of something than the earth? For the earth that is good is fertile and productive; but the earth that is bad is barren and sterile; and the earth that is fertile is both beautiful and adorned. For what is more beautiful than a field full of crops, with the crops waving in the breeze, the fruit ripening, and the vines bearing garlands, or the olive trees bending under the weight of their fruit, or the low hills covered in lush green grass?
For God is the author of all good things, and what belongs to Him is certainly all good, and there is no evil in Him; and if our mind remains in Him, it does not know evil. Therefore, the soul that does not remain in God itself is the author of evils, and thus sins. But the soul that sins itself will die; for, freed from the golden chains of virtues, it is inclined towards a precipice and falls to lower things. However, the blessed soul is the one that is not conquered by any adversities of the body. This soul, like a sparrow, escapes from the broken snare. For bodily pleasures are the bait: whoever indulges in them, ensnares their soul. But whoever refrains from those pleasures and departs from darkness, their soul shines like the dawn, of which it is said:
13. (Verse 9.) Who is this looking forth like the dawn, beautiful as the moon? She looks forth like one set free from her home, and does not say: Darkness covers me, and walls surround me, and who knows if the Most High sees me? But she herself seeks the light more, as if in the higher parts of her own home, that is, her body: and placed above the world, she looks upon the divine and elevates herself to the eternal, to be with God; now the light of her works, like the moon, carries her orbit throughout the whole world.
14. (Verse 10.) I went down into the walnut grove, to see the birth of the torrent, and to see if the vine had flowered, and if the pomegranate trees had borne fruit. Finally, the Word of God is invited into the walnut grove, where the fruit of prophetic reading and the grace of priesthood are found, which is bitter in temptations, hard in labors, and fruitful in interior virtues. Hence, even the staff of Aaron bloomed with walnuts, not by its own nature, but by a hidden power. Therefore, let him descend into the garden, in order to find faith, to pluck fragrances, to discover heavenly sustenance, to feast on the sweetness of our honey.
15. For while she is praised by the Bridegroom, she modestly shies away from being praised; then, called back by the love of the Bridegroom, she says: I went down into the garden of the walnut tree to see in the birth of the torrent. For where is the Church, if not where the rod and grace of the priesthood flourish? There it is often tested in bitternesses and temptations. By the walnut tree we understand bitternesses, by the torrent temptations, but nevertheless tolerable, for it is written: Our soul has passed through the torrent (Psalm 123:5). And so he descends into a place of bitterness, where diverse and manifold fruits flourish, resembling a covering that protects the whole body with faith and charity.
16. Therefore, in that bitterness, the soul did not recognize itself. For the corruptible body weighs down the soul, and the earthly dwelling is quickly inclined. However, one must always know oneself. But Peter was tempted, and did not know himself and Peter; for if he had known himself, he would not have denied his creator. But Christ knew him. Finally, he knew, because he also looked back; for the Lord knows those who are his, and like a good ruler with the reins of his mercy, he called him back from his fall: therefore, Christ is our ruler. Unde et sequitur:
17. (Verse 11.) Aminadab set me as a chariot: because the soul is joined to the body, and like one of those raging chariots, seeks its driver. For Aminadab was the father of Naason, as we read in Numbers (Num. I, 7), who was the chief of the people of Judah, whose figure is related to Christ, who, as the true prince of the people, ascends the soul of the righteous as a charioteer, guiding it with the reins of the Word, so that it is not carried away by the madness of violent horses into precipices and ravines. For there are as it were four horses of the soul: anger, desire, pleasure, and fear. When these are raging and acting, she does not at all know herself. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and, like the chariot of irrational animals, drags her unwillingly, while personal cares roll on like a kind of violent impulse, until the passions of the mentioned body are calmed by the power of the Word.
18. This is the providence of the Word, like that of a good driver, so that the soul, which is not subject to death in itself, may not make the action of the body, which is subject to death, difficult. Therefore, first, it tames the swift motions of the body and restrains them with the bond of reason. Then, it takes care that they do not entangle themselves in movements that are not in harmony, like a horse; so that the good may not be stained by the evil, or the slow may impede, or the turbulent may disturb. For the horse rages with malice, and by tossing itself, it damages the chariot, and it burdens the yoke. This good charioteer soothes and sends into the field of truth, avoiding the twists and turns of deceit. Safe is the course to higher things, dangerous is the descent to lower things. From there, as if well-deserved, those who carried the yoke of the Word are led to the Lord's manger, in which there is not hay as food, but bread that comes down from heaven. These are the wheels of this chariot, of which the Prophet said: 'And the spirit of life was in the wheels' (Ezek. I, 20); because the chariot of the soul spins, smooth and round, without any obstruction.
19. Aminadab put me on a chariot. Therefore, the chariot is the soul, which supports a good charioteer. If the chariot is the soul, it has horses, either good or bad. Good horses are the virtues of the soul: bad horses are the passions of the body. Therefore, a good charioteer restrains and controls the bad horses, and incites the good ones. There are four good horses: prudence, temperance, courage, and justice; and four bad horses: anger, desire, fear, and injustice. Sometimes the horses themselves disagree with each other, and either anger or fear extends itself; and they hinder each other and slow down the course. But truly, good horses fly and raise themselves from the earth to the upper regions, and elevate the soul; especially if they have a sweet yoke and a light burden, saying: Take my yoke upon you; for my yoke is sweet and my burden is light (Matthew 11:29).
He himself is the charioteer, who knows how to guide his own horses, so that the course of all is equal: prudence slows down the swiftest, justice admonishes the slower with its own whip; temperance makes them gentler, fortitude makes them harder. He knows how to unite the discordant ones, lest they should scatter his chariot. Therefore, it is allowed to see, in a visible spectacle, each soul being snatched up to heaven with the utmost effort, the horses hastening so that the first may reach the reward of Christ, and on their necks the palm is first placed. These are the horses subject to the yoke of faith, bound by the bond of charity, restrained by the reins of justice, held by the reins of sobriety.
21. Therefore, he beautifully said: Aminadab, which means, the father of the people, has placed me in the chariot. And he himself who is the father of the people, is also the father of Naason, which means, of serpents. Now you recall who, like a serpent, suffered on the cross for the salvation of all, and understand that soul to be the peaceful one, whose leader is God the Father, and Christ is the guide; for it is written, and this name is in our language: Father, father, guide of Israel (2 Kings 11:12). Therefore, this guide says:
22. (Verse 12.) Turn back, Shunammite, turn back. He speaks well, and as if he were a charioteer, he says: Turn back, Shunammite, that is, be at peace; for a peaceful soul quickly turns and corrects itself, even if it sinned before. And Christ ascends more to rule and govern it, to whom it is said: Mount your horses, and your chariot is healing. And elsewhere: You sent your horses to Tharsis (Habakkuk 3:8). Hi sunt equi Christi. Ascendit ergo equos suos Christus: ascendit Verbum Dei animas pias. Cum fuerit anima nostra pacifica, ut dicatur ei: Convertere; convertere Sunamitis, quod pacificam significat: tunc accipiet in se sicut signaculum Christum, hoc est, imaginem Dei, ut sit ad imaginem; quoniam Qualis coelestis, tales et coelestes, et oportet nos portare imaginem coelestis (I Cor. XV, 48), id est, pacem. And so that we may know it to be true, you have in the same Canticles, in the last part of the perfectly developed soul, what the Lord Jesus also says to me: Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm (Song of Solomon 8:6); so that peace may shine in my heart, and in my works Christ may be formed, wisdom, righteousness, and redemption may be formed in me.