Michael of St. Augustine (1622–1684)
The soul is far from being saddened when it is "deprived" of the embrace and kisses of the Beloved, when the feeling of tender, unifying love weakens, when it is led from pleasant solitude back into numerous activities. On the contrary: through the extraordinary favor of the Beloved, through such a friendly union with Him, through previous inner "immersion" in God, through the loving experience of God, it feels strengthened and filled with courage for what is difficult. For this very tender experienced love of union transforms into another kind of love, a love that is "strong as death" (Song of Songs 8:6). This acting love willingly goes without any consolation or any feeling of favor. For love, which is strong as death, causes the soul to die to all created things and to itself; yes, like death this love separates the soul from every inclination to cling to something, so that from then on it may live only in God.
When the bride wants to please God under all circumstances, in sweetness or bitterness, in gifts of comfort and loving embraces, as well as in abandonment and sorrow, she offers her bridegroom spiced wine and He is enchanted by the intoxicating love for her, for she loves Him without loving, without experiencing love or being conscious of it. This is the sweet juice of her pomegranates..., by which she wins His heart and intoxicates Him... and He – it seems – like one mad with love forgets His immeasurable majesty and speaks with her quite intimately.
In the night of abandonment then the Beloved feels the desire to dine with His beloved and comes uninvited. "Listen, my dear, He knocks: Open to me, my sister, my friend, my dove, my perfect one" (Song of Songs 5:2). Yes, these are the most delicious words of the Beloved, who wants to enter. He knocks at night: "I have a head full of dew, my locks with the drops of the night" (Song of Songs 5:2). Dew is formed at night; the Bridegroom comes at night and brings with Him the dew of divine grace. He wants to dine with His bride... He comes uninvited and wants to rejoice with His beloved at the moment when she least expects it.
Do you want to know what kind of eyes the bride must have? Such as praised the Bridegroom: "How beautiful you are, my friend, how beautiful you are, your eyes are doves" (Song of Songs 1:15). The bride must gaze upon her Beloved with the eyes of a dove; in spirit, she must cling to God with great innocence, simplicity, straightforwardness, and purity of life, and turn her eyes of faith and pure, unclouded love towards Him. About these eyes the Beloved said, "Her eyes are like doves, bathing in milk" (cf. Song of Songs 5:12), to express the extraordinary clarity of good thoughts, thoughts of friendship and love, with which the loving soul continually "gazes" upon God.
Excerpted from the book: Tanz der göttlichen Liebe
Published by: Elisabeth Hense, T.OCarm.
Released by: Herder, 1991
Translated and edited by: Norbert Žuška, OCarm.
