The Three Kisses - The First - The kiss of the feet

Thus says the Lord: The heavens are my throne, the earth, my footstool. Is.66:1

The kiss of the Feet

“However, I must not omit to speak of those spiritual feet of God to which the penitent’s first kiss, understood in a spiritual sense, ought to be directed. … it should not seem unreasonable to us to ascribe the feet to his humanity. Let us call one of these feet mercy, the other judgement. … With these very feet he finds his way into the souls of his lovers, tirelessly enlightening and searching the hearts and the loins of the faithful.” Ser 6:6-7

“Happy is the man then whose soul the Lord Jesus once sets these feet of his. There are two signs by which you may recognize such a one, for he cannot but bear upon him the imprint of these divine footsteps. These signs are fear and hope, the former presenting the imprint of judgement, the latter that of mercy. Truly, the Lord takes pleasure in them that fear him, and in them that hope in his mercy, for fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, hope the growth of wisdom. … It is clearly inexpedient to kiss the one without the other; a man who thinks only of the judgement will fall into the pit of despair, another who deceitfully flatters God’s mercy gives birth to a pernicious security.” Ser.6:8

“But you know what a teacher experience is; no longer of judgement alone or mercy alone, but of mercy and judgement I will sing to you, O Lord. I shall never forget your precepts, mercy and judgement will be the theme of my songs in the house of my pilgrimage, until one day when mercy triumphs over judgement, my wretchedness will cease to smart, and my heart, silent no longer, will sing to you. It will be the end of sorrow.” Ser. 6:9

CISTERCIAN FATHERS SERIES: NUMBER FOUR - THE WORKS OF BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Volume Two - Song of Songs I

"Let him kiss me with kisses of his mouth," - Song of Songs 1:2

Here follows one of the senses of the "kiss" that St Bernard preachs on. One is struck by the audacity of St. Bernard in his dismissal of the prophets, of all people, Moses. Similar sentiments are echoed in The Imitation of Christ, Book 3.2

St. Bernard's eloquence shines in this passage.

Sermon 2, Paragraph 2 on the Song of Songs

 2. The conscientious man of those days might repeat to himself: "Of what use to me the wordy effusions of the prophets? Rather let him who is the most handsome of the sons of men, 5 let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth. No longer am I satisfied to listen to Moses, for he is a slow speaker and not able to speak well. Isaiah is 'a man of unclean lips, 7 Jeremiah does not know how to speak, he is a child; 8 not one of the prophets makes an impact on me with his words. But he, the one whom they proclaim, let him speak to me, ‘let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth.' I have no desire that he should approach me in their person, or address me with their words, for they are 'a watery darkness, a dense cloud';9 rather in his own person 'let him kiss me with the kiss of his mouth'; let him whose presence is full of love, from whom exquisite doctrines flow in streams, let him become 'a spring inside me, welling up to eternal life.'10 Shall I not receive a richer infusion of grace from him whom the Father has anointed with the oil of gladness above all his rivals,11 provided that he will bestow on me the kiss of his mouth? For his living, active word12 is to me a kiss, not indeed an adhering of the lips that can sometimes belie a union of hearts, but an unreserved infusion of joys, a revealing of mysteries, a marvelous and indistinguishable mingling of the divine light with the enlightened mind, which, joined in truth to God, is one spirit with him.18 With good reason then I avoid trucking with visions and dreams; I want no part with parables and figures of speech; even the very beauty of the angels can only leave me wearied. For my Jesus utterly surpasses these in his majesty and splendor.14 Therefore I ask of him what I ask of neither man nor angel: that he kiss me with the kiss of his mouth.

 

7. Is 6:5.       8. Jn 1:6.         9. Ps17:12         10. Jn 4:14.     11. Ps 44:8     12 Heb 4:12 

13. 1 Cor 6:17.          14. Ps 44:5

CISTERCIAN FATHERS SERIES: NUMBER FOUR - THE WORKS OF BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Volume Two - Song of Songs I

Bernard of Clairvaux

 St. Bernard has a reputation for eloquence of his writings. Equally compelling as is the rhetoric in the quote that follows is the loftiness of the sentiment:

Sermon 1:11

"But there is that other song, by its unique dignity and sweetness, exceeds all those I have mentioned and any others there might be; hence by every right do I acclaim it as the Song of Songs

. It stands at a point where all the others culminate. Only the touch of the Spirit can inspire a song like this, and only personal experience can unfold its meaning. Let those who are versed in the mystery revel in it; let all others burn with desire rather to attain to this experience than merely to learn about it. For it is not a melody that resounds abroad but the very music of the heart, not a trilling on the lips but an inward pulsing of delight, a harmony not of voices but of wills. It is a tune you will not hear in the streets, these notes do not sound where crowds assemble; only the singer hears it and the one to whom he sings – the lover and the beloved. It is preeminently a marriage song telling of chaste souls in loving embrace, of their wills in sweet accord, of the mutual exchange of the heart's affections."

CISTERCIAN FATHERS SERIES: NUMBER FOUR - THE WORKS OF BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Volume Two - Song of Songs I

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

 Looking for some spiritual readings I came across Mystics, by William Harmless, S.J. Typical of many books on my shelf it is one of those only partially read, left unfinished due to another book capturing my all too fickle attention. Opening to a section on St. Bernard I began to read and was immediately taken by the very spiritual nature of the writings of St. Bernard, highly reminiscent of St. Augustine's Confessions.

In his Confessions St Augustine spoke to the heart of the seeker, in a way that elevated my sense of the transcendent and grew my desire for spiritual growth. St. Bernard writes in the same fashion. 

I'll be posting a series of quotes from St. Bernard's writings. Mostly from his Sermons on the Song of Songs. Here is a start from Sermon 1.2:

...there are two evils that comprise the main enemies of the soul:

a misguided love of the world and an excessive love of self. The two Books [Wisdom and Proverbs] can provide an antidote to these infections. One uproots pernicious habits of mind and body with the hoe of self-control. The other by enlightening reason quickly perceives a delusive tinge in all the world holds glorious, truly distinguishing between it and deeper truth. 

CISTERCIAN FATHERS SERIES: NUMBER FOUR - THE WORKS OF BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX Volume Two - Song of Songs I

More to come .......

God’s word is an inexhaustible spring of life

 

From a commentary on the Diatessaron by Saint Ephrem, deacon
God’s word is an inexhaustible spring of life

Lord, who can comprehend even one of your words? We lose more of it than we grasp, like those who drink from a living spring. For God’s word offers different facets according to the capacity of the listener, and the Lord has portrayed his message in many colors, so that whoever gazes upon it can see in it what suits him. Within it he has buried manifold treasures, so that each of us might grow rich in seeking them out.

The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. As the Apostle says: They ate spiritual food and they drank spiritual drink.

And so whenever anyone discovers some part of the treasure, he should not think that he has exhausted God’s word. Instead he should feel that this is all that he was able to find of the wealth contained in it. Nor should he say that the word is weak and sterile or look down on it simply because this portion was all that he happened to find. But precisely because he could not capture it all he should give thanks for its riches.

Be glad then that you are overwhelmed, and do not be saddened because he has overcome you. A thirsty man is happy when he is drinking, and he is not depressed because he cannot exhaust the spring. So let this spring quench your thirst, and not your thirst the spring. For if you can satisfy your thirst without exhausting the spring, then when you thirst again you can drink from it once more; but if when your thirst is sated the spring is also dried up, then your victory would turn to your own harm.

Be thankful then for what you have received, and do not be saddened at all that such an abundance still remains. What you have received and attained is your present share, while what is left will be your heritage. For what you could not take at one time because of your weakness, you will be able to grasp at another if you only persevere. So do not foolishly try to drain in one draught what cannot be consumed all at once, and do not cease out of faintheartedness from what you will be able to absorb as time goes on.

A Lenten Reflection

The author of this piece of English poetry  is unknown. The pieces of the poem below offer a flavor of its theme. Although we are now in the Easter season it is good to remind ourselves of why we are so elated. The full version can be found online.

exerpts from "The Dream of the Rood", translated by Craig Williamson

Lo, I will tell the dearest of dreams

the sweetest vision that crossed my sleep in the middle of the night

when speech-bearers lay in silent rest.

I seemed to see a wondrous tree

Lifting up in the air wound in light,

The brightest of beams.

…

I was seized with sorrow

tormented by the sight of that beautiful cross.

…

I heard the best of woods begin to speak:

“Many years ago – I still remember the day – I was cut down

at the edge of a forest, severed from my trunk,

removed from my roots.

…

Then I saw the Lord of mankind hasten to me, eager to climb up.

…

With a keen heart and firm purpose.

climbed up on the cross, the tree of shame,

bold in the eyes of many, to redeem mankind.

…

I was seized with sorrow, humbling myself to men’s hands

bowing down with bold courage.

They lifted up almighty God,

raising his body from its burden of woe.

…

A sorrow-song at evening, as they began to depart,

drained by the death of their glorious Prince.

He rested in the tomb with few friends.

But we stood by weeping, unquiet crosses,

when the cries of men had drifted off.

…

Now you have heard, my dear dreamer,

How I have endured such sorrow and strife.

The time is come for all men on earth and throughout creation

to honor me and offer me prayers to the sign of the cross.

The son of God suffered on me for a while –

Now I rise up in heaven a tower of glory,

And I can heal any man who holds me in awe.

…

Now I command you, my dear friend,

to reveal this dream to other men,

disclose to them that the tree of glory was Christ’s cross

where he suffered sorely for the sins of man

and the old deeds of Adam….”

 …

Then I prayed to the cross with an eager heart and a zealous spirit ….

…

Now my life’s great hope is to see again Christ’s cross

And honor it more keenly than other men.

The cross is my hope and my protection.

…

I live each day, longing for the time that I saw before in a wonderous dream

will come back again to carry me to the joys of heaven,

to an everlasting bliss, to the Lord’s table

where the company of Christ feasts together forever and ever,

where I can dwell in glory with the holy saints, sustained in joy.

I pry for God to be my friend, the Savior who suffered sorely

on the gallows tree for the sins of men;

who rose and redeemed us

with everlasting life and a heavenly home.

….

Saul's Metamorphosis

After reading Sholem Asch’s account of St. Paul’s journey to Damascus I began to reflect on my own road to Damascus. When I began to delve into my Catholic religion I wanted to know “the facts”. What were those of my beliefs that were grounded in fact and verifiable in experience? There came a time when I gained confidence in my religious beliefs. 

I attained what I believed to be an intellectual understanding of my faith. I called it an integration of my faith with my daily life. Sure, there were still mysterious aspects to my religion. Those I had to take on faith. After all, religion by definition requires that we believe is some things that we cannot prove. I had the assurance that my knowledge of Scripture and the teachings of my Church provided me with a solid faith; a faith that could guide me through life, however imperfectly I could follow it.

Yet, Asch’s fictional account of Saul’s metamorphosis to Paul caused me to reflect on a transition of my own. Asch portrays Saul as a well-educated Pharisee, stubborn and self-assured in his understanding of Jewish beliefs. He knew for sure when he was hearing blasphemous and heretical teachings being preached in the Synagogue! Can my own self-assurance blind me to the spirit of my Faith as it did with Saul?

Have I undertaken a transition from my “intellectual” understanding of my faith to a “spiritual” understanding? How far along am I on that transition? To what degree am I living an intellectual faith? When will I, like Paul, come to the metanoia from a self-assured, intellectual approach to my Faith to an acceptance of and submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Through a series of “seizures” and nights of visions and mental wrangling Saul's assurance in his faith begins to weaken. He is zealously attempting to eradicate those of the new sect who were undermining his religion. He witnesses in those he is punishing a quiet acceptance of the reprimands, imprisonments and lashings he is inflicting on them. Rather than being angry with him they exhibit an assurance in their faith in the recently crucified messiah. Their patient endurance begins to work its way through his beliefs. His intellectual understanding of his religion begins to take on a spiritual understanding.

Sholem actually begins his account of the metamorphosis of Saul immediately after the scene where Saul with two other witnesses attends the preaching of Reb Istephan in the synagogue. He is convinced of Reb Istephan’s blasphemous preaching. Asch describes Saul’s condition as he is on his way to his sister’s house.

From the book:

“There were certain signs by which Saul of Tarshish recognized the beginning of the onset…. All day long he had felt it gathering above him, like a storm cloud. A fiery circle was pressing against his temples, and increasing darkness was shed upon his eyes. Nevertheless there was within him a bright stirring, as though a new soul were being poured into him. Saul of Tarshish hated this condition, which made his footsteps uncertain, and deprived him of self-control, turning him over to a power over which he had no influence…. And yet he longed for it, as a man longs for the warm, encircling arms of a beloved wife…. It was with him as though he were being sped beyond the limits of this world and entering into another which knew no limits and no boundaries; a world in which there was neither yea or nay, only in infinite space of blazing brightness, through which he fell forever… and continued to fall… through infinite time…. In that condition the impossible became possible… he dreaded to enter into this world, as a man dreads to cross the threshold of the unknown, as a man dreads to cross the threshold between life and death…. Yet he was drawn irresistibly toward the threshold, and the nearer he drew to it the more powerful became the attraction of the unknown, of the infinite, of the limitless, of the impossible-possible. He had been fighting against the pull of that condition all day long; he fought against it now as he hastened toward the house of his sister. He stumbled rather than walked through the narrow streets of Jerusalem; his limbs obeyed his will and memory when he himself could no longer direct them. At last he reached the door of his sister’s house, but he could go no further. There the condition fell upon him, as if it had been a murderer lying in wait, and flung him to the ground.

…

In the midst of his seizure Saul beheld an angel of the Lord cleaving the air in downward flight toward him. The Angel sank, feet downward into the earth, and only the upper half remained visible, but that upper half was blinding white, as though it were all fire within, covered by a human skin. The angel lifted his wing-arms to heaven, as if in prayer, and the face of the angel, which shone with divine fire, was likewise upturned, and on it rested a vision of eternal grace, as if the eyes of the angel had penetrated to the glory….

When Saul came to he marked, as always after one of his seizures, that he had for a time lost the power of sight. In the darkness which surrounded him he saw, in recurrent visitations, the angel which he had beheld during the seizure, and he wondered greatly over the meaning of the vision….” pp. 105-106