Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you shepherd, where you give rest at midday. Song 1:7

 Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you shepherd, where you give rest at midday. Song 1:7 (RNAB)

Shew me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou liest in the midday …. Song 1:6 (Vulgate)

 I will say to God: Do not put me in the wrong! Let me know why you oppose me. Job 10:2 (RNAB)

Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths. Ps 25:4

He guides me along right paths for the sake of his name. Ps 23:3

Lord, I love the refuge of your house, the site of the dwelling-place of your glory. Ps 26:8

Citing these scriptural passages St. Bernard begins to weave a homily on verse seven (vs. 6 in the Vulgate), chapter one, of the Song of Songs.

“Therefore the man who longs for God does not cease to seek these three things, righteousness, judgement, and the place where the Bridegroom dwells in glory.” Ser.33.1

 “But take note in the first place how exquisitely she [the bride] distinguishes spiritual love from carnal desire, when, in her wish to draw her Beloved’s attention by her affection rather than by his name, she does not say simply, ‘whom I love,’ but ‘O you whom my soul loves.’ Thereby indicating that her love is spiritual.” Ser 33.2

On display is St. Bernard’s gift for exegetical nuance. The phrase he interprets could easily be read as ‘whom I love’ in a casual reading.

“Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you shepherd, where you give rest at midday.”

Bernard now with the same exegetical skills hones in on, “where you shepherd, where you give rest at midday.” 

“II. Consider carefully then, what it is that gives her so much pleasure in the place of pasture. Nor must you ignore the reference to the hour of noon, nor above all that she looks for a place where he who feeds the flock, also lies down, a sign of great security. … in this place there is no need to stand and keep watch for the safety of the flock, since the flock freely wanders in the meadows while the shepherd lies down and rests in the shade. Happy the place in which the sheep move to and fro at will, [Jn 10:9] and no one to frighten them! … What can the bride do but yearn for that place of rest, of security, of exultation, of wonder, of overwhelming joy. But alas! Unhappy me, far from it as I am, saluting it from afar, the very memory of it causes me to weep with the affection expressed by those exiles: ‘By the waters of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, when we remembered Zion! (Ps 137:1) Let me cry out both with the bride and with the prophet: ‘Praise your God. O Zion! For he strengthened the bars of your gates; he blesses your sons within you.’ (Ps 148:1-2) Who would not be filled with vehement longing to be fed in that place, on account of its peace, on account of its richness, on account of its super-abundance? There one experiences neither fear not distaste, nor any want. Paradise is a safe dwelling-place, the Word is sweet nourishment, eternity is wealth beyond calculation.” Ser 33:2

St. Bernard was preaching to 12^th century monks. His rhetoric, encompassing the sweeping history of the people of God, from the melancholy Israel in exile to paradise where “the Word is sweet nourishment”, from the God of Abraham to the Son of God, evokes a passion in St. Bernard that we modern Catholics may find difficult to evoke in ourselves.

He continues to entreat his fellow monks:

“Let us make sure then my sons, let us make haste to a place that is safer, to a pasture that is sweeter, to a land that is richer and more fertile. Let us make haste to a place where we may dwell without fear, where we may abound and never want, where we may feast and never weary. For while passing judgement tranquilly on all things, (Wis 12:18) O Lord of hosts, you feed in security and with fairness all who dwell in that place, you who are at the same time the Lord of armies and the shepherd of sheep.” Ser 33.4

CISTERCIAN FATHERS SERIES: NUMBER SEVEN - BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX - Song of Songs II