641B
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| “St. Hildegard von Bingen” artist and date not cited. |
Readings and Commentary: [2]
Reading 1: Song of Songs 8:6-7
Set me as a seal on your heart,
as a seal on your arm;
For stern as death is love,
relentless as the nether world is devotion;
its flames are a blazing fire.
Deep waters cannot quench love,
nor floods sweep it away.
Were one to offer all he owns to purchase love,
he would be roundly mocked.
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Commentary on Sgs 8:6-7
This short phrase from a love song in Song of
Songs begins with the notion of undying fidelity in love. ("Set me as a seal on your heart – Seal: this could be worn bound to the arm,
as here, or suspended at the neck, or as a ring (Jeremiah 22:24). It was used for identification and signatures.
Stern . . . relentless: in human experience, death and the nether world are
inevitable, unrelenting; in the end they always triumph. Love, which is just as
certain of its victory, matches its strength against the natural enemies of
life; waters cannot extinguish it nor floods carry it away. It is more
priceless than all riches.”) [3] In this context the
image of chaste love of God reflects the virgin’s virtue.
CCC: Sgs 8:6-7 1611; Sgs 8:6 1040, 1295
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 45:11-12, 14-15, 16-17
R. (11)
Listen to me, daughter; see and bend your ear.
Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
forget your people and your father’s house.
So shall the king desire your beauty;
for he is your lord, and you must worship him.
All glorious is the king’s daughter as she enters;
her raiment is threaded with spun gold.
In embroidered apparel she is borne in to the king;
behind her the virgins of her train are brought to
you.
or:
R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.
They are borne in with gladness and joy;
they enter the palace of the king.
The place of your fathers your sons shall have;
you shall make them princes through all the land.
or:
R. The bridegroom is here; let us go out to meet Christ the Lord.
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Commentary on Ps 45:11-12,
14-15, 16-17
Psalm 45 is a royal psalm originally sung in honor
of the king’s marriage to a queen (of foreign extraction). It is likely that it
influenced St. Paul’s instructions on virgins and marriage. It emphasizes the
beauty of the sacramental relationship (see 1 Corinthians 7:25-35).
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Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
"The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten
virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the
bridegroom.
Five of them were foolish and five were wise.
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their
lamps.
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!'
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their
lamps.
The foolish ones said to the wise,
'Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise ones replied,
'No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for
yourselves.'
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding
feast with him.
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!'
But he said in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'
Therefore, stay awake,
for you know neither the day nor the hour."
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Commentary on Mt 25:1-13
St. Matthew’s Gospel gives us the parable of the
Ten Virgins, continuing the Gospel theme of preparedness and vigilance
(although strictly speaking this parable is about foresight). In this story the
idea of vigilance is expanded to include being prepared. The Jewish wedding
customs of the time would have dictated a procession [at night] from the house
of the bride to the house of the groom. The whole act is symbolic of the coming
of the messianic era also portrayed as a wedding in Matthew 9:15, Matthew 22:1-14 and John 3:29. The wise virgins brought oil for their lamps
while the foolish ones did not. The oil is interpreted by some scholars as
referring to good works.
The overarching symbolism is the lamp of faith
(light of the indwelling Holy Spirit) being kept burning with oil (good works).
Hence, without good works (oil), the lamp will not continue to burn (James 2:17) and the virgins, so deprived of light, are
excluded from the heavenly kingdom.
CCC: Mt 25:1-13 672, null796; Mt 25:1 672; Mt 25:6 1618; Mt 25:13 672
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Reflection:
As the tenth child of a wealthy landowner, Hildegard was “tithed” to the church as was the local custom during that time in what is modern Germany. She was known to have visionary abilities from a very young age and when she was just 8, she became an oblate at the Benedictine Abbey of Disibodenberg, where in 1115 she made her religious profession.
Her literary accomplishments which, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012, earned her the title “Doctor of the Church” have been long recognized as lamps of wisdom which come only from those truly inspired by the Holy Spirit. Her spirit of holiness has long been established as she cared for and instructed her sisters in cloister at her abbey in Bingen. The details of her story should inspire all of the Christian faithful.
Let us examine the Sacred Scripture assigned for her feast day as they highlight St. Hildegard’s holiness. In the Song of Songs, a love song to God, the singer pledges eternal, indelible love, “as a seal on your heart.” In this same spirit, St. Hildegard devoted her life to God’s glory through song and words. During a time when the Church was being caught in chaos, she brought stability through her love. The song of King David echos this compelling call: “he is your lord, and you must worship him.”
[1] The Picture is “St.
Hildegard von Bingen” artist and date not cited.
[2] The readings are
taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its
response which were developed by the International Committee for English in
Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for
private use only.
[3] NAB footnote for Song of Songs 8:4-7.
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