AN INTRODUCTION
Alright sisters, buckle up. Get those notebooks ready, your bibles opened and a blanket. We are going to be diving into one of the love stories of the bible, and what perfect timing, near Valentine’s Day. The book Song of Songs, can also be identified as the Song of Solomon or even the Canticle of Canticles. This book of the bible is located in the old testament and is a compilation of love lyrics and poems. The title alone means the greatest of songs. For all the English buffs out there, this book, although it is written poetically, the structure is unable to be pinpointed besides lyrical, and it being lyrical because it shows so many similarities to Mesopotamian love songs. Don’t you want your love with the Lord to be sung as the greatest song? I know I do.
So one thing that we must understand before reading this book is that they are written very sexual way. This is in order to reinforce that the sexual tendencies between the Lover and the Beloved are good and that even though the writing may seem a little sexual, this can be applied to our love and relationship with the Lord. You'll see He loves us, so that we can take that love into our relationships. Note = along the side of the text your bible translation may also tells you who is speaking: either the woman, the man, or the daughters of Jerusalem. As you read keep an eye on who the speaker is. (Our bible verse links at the top of the posts show the speaker, just in case your translation doesn't.)
Alright, so where are we going? On a journey. One of my favorite things about being Catholic is how certain parts of the mass, during prayer, or when reading the bible, my heart jumps out of my chest because the Lord is simply wooing me with what was written. So get ready to be wooed. This book is a lyrical compilation of what love is, how human sexuality is good, how it is applicable to marriage, and also how it can also be applied to the love between the Lord and his people. Wait, did you hear that? It’s not just between the love of man and woman, but on how that love can be reflected from Christ. The Lord is the the Lover, and we are His Beloved.
We are called to live a life of love, getting others to Christ and leading others to heaven. We do not have to be married to that person to do this! In the Song of Songs, through a collection of love poems, it is a way for us to see how much the Lord loves us and let him woo us during this lovey-dovey season. It doesn’t just have to be about the chocolates and sweets. But about how we are letting the Lord win over our heart and how he wants to show us how much he loves us. And in turn we need to reciprocate that love into our relationships; and should be the foundations to our dating, engagements, and marriages.
Are you ready?
