Evenings With Bede is a homily podcast. The episodes are taken from the Sunday solemn Plainsong Evensong services of Saint Paul’s, New Smyrna Beach, Fla., where I am Rector.

SEASON TWO is devoted to understanding the Song of Songs with the Venerable S. Bede as teacher. We will go verse by verse through the entirety of the Song of Songs.

The format is a short passage from the Song of Songs, then comes commentary from the Bede, and finally a reflective homily by yours truly expounding upon both. The audio for all three is found above. The text of the two passages is found below.

A Lesson from the Song of Songs, 1.15

Behold, you are beautiful, my friend; behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are those of doves. Behold, You are beautiful, my love, and comely. Your couch is full of flowers. The beams of our houses are of cedar, our paneled ceilings of cypress wood.

A Lesson from a Treatise by the Venerable S. Bede

Because the splendor of this beauty is accustomed to be known more clearly by hearts that are more serenely undisturbed by external activity, in accordance with that saying of the Psalmist, “Be still and know that I am God,” the Bride rightly adds: “Our couch is full of flowers.” For at times holy Church takes her rest with the Lord her Bridegroom on a couch, as it were, and at times she stands with Him in battle against enemies. Surely she stands in battle when very violent assaults of trials rise up and she faithfully engages in combat against the ungodly to the point of shedding her blood, but she takes her rest on a couch when the peace of untroubled times smiles on her and she is obedient to Him, and when she keeps her mind’s eye quietly focused on contemplating the glory of His majesty. For this reason the same couch is properly said to be full of flowers, because any of the saints who may enjoy times of tranquility then have leisure to devote themselves even more to readings, holy fasts, prayers, and other spiritual delights while they are resting from the labors of their tribulations. Then they lift themselves higher to contemplate heavenly things, when they receive a clam period of time without disturbances from outside. Now the Church’s couch is rightly understood as being full of flowers, not only because of the works of purity through which any of the elect attain the fruit of eternal life, but also because of the progeny of the faithful that the Church herself is accustomed to produce by water and the Spirit to be fragrant before God with the flower of faith. As we hear in Saint Mark: “With the Lord working with her and confirming the message,” she devotes herself all the more zealously to this activity when through His generosity she has received a time that is peaceful and undisturbed by persecution from her enemies. And through the entire text of this book, we should note that the Bride always desires to tarry with her Beloved in this house, whether on the couch or in some other interior place.

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