Lovers

Katie over at the HuMAMAE Vitae blog provided plenty of sources of those who want to study more about the Catholic Church's teaching about Mary's Virginity.

I said in my last post that it's rude to ask a woman if she's a virgin or not. Of course in Traditional Practicing Catholic Land, one would assume that if you're single, you're a virgin, and if you've been married more than 24 hours or even12 hours, you are not.

Anyway, speaking of lovers, I read today Song of Songs verses 2:10-14. That is because on Wednesday, I'll be reading this passage as the first reading at my aunt's funeral Mass. It is about God calling my aunt to heaven. I'm not sure who picked out this reading, but my aunt requested before she died that I read a reading. My cousin-in-charge said to skip over the dove in the cleft or rocks part because "it's too confusing to people."

Here is what I'll be reading in bold.

My lover speaks; he says to me, "Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!

11

"For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone.

12

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land.

13

The fig tree puts forth its figs, and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance. Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come!

14

⁵ "O my dove in the clefts of the rock, in the secret recesses of the cliff, Let me see you, let me hear your voice, For your voice is sweet, and you are lovely."

I think it's a very lovely reading and if only we all could be so assured of God's love and affection for us that we'd stop doing bad things to ourselves.