Advent III: Ordinariate Reading

A reading from Richard of St Victor, The Mystical Ark

The holy soul and friend of the true Bridegroom ought always to thirst with great longing for the coming of her Beloved, being always prepared to run to the One who calls and to open to the One who knocks. I say, the soul ought always to be anxious about this matter and to be found prepared, lest the One who comes suddenly and unexpectedly finds her less adorned and less splendidly dressed and lest he endure any of the trouble of a long period of waiting when shut out for a long time. Troublesome and very burdensome to one burning with desire are these words, 'Command, command again; command, command again; wait, wait again; wait, wait again; a little here, a little there' (Is 28: 10, 13). These surely are words of a lazy soul, a soul that is tepid, less careful and excessively ungrateful. For what can such a soul say when she is found in her sordidness, when she grieves that she has been caught off-guard by an unexpected coming of the lover and is ashamed to be found less adorned and less splendidly dressed? She says, 'I certainly ought to have known  beforehand about your coming so that I could receive you solemnly and run meet you with all due swiftness in the way in which I ought. In the future  therefore, announce your coming to me in advance and inform me before hand of the hour of your coming by means of a messenger who comes in advance And so, let a messenger run between, to teach me what you wish me to do. Say, let an intermediary messenger run between us, to instruct me concerning individual things and teach me not only about my condition but even about your condition. Let him teach me how it is with you and what from me will be pleasing to you. And so: Command and command again; announce and announce again. It is not fitting for lovers not to know mutual pursuits and mutual longings for one another; nor does it suffice for a soul that is seething with burning desire to hear only once. Therefore,  I beg you: Command and command again; command and command again'.

Perhaps he greatly loves and burns greatly with desire for those things which he so and seeks so urgently by an intermediary. Let us see, therefore, what he must do. Behold, according to his word, after messengers have been sent often and have been sent again, finally at last he follows after his messengers so that the soul may enjoy fully the desired embraces and may be caressed with mutual love. Behold now he stands before the door; behold now he knocks at the door. Behold the voice of your Beloved as he knocks: 'Open to me, my sister, my friend, my dove, my unstained one, for my head is full of dew, and the curls of my hair are full of the drops of the night' (Song 5:2). What, I beg 'you; what, I say, does it profit that he sent messengers in advance, if he finds a closed d001Q But at the very least, why at the voice of the Beloved do you not spring up, open, bring in and fall into an embrace? [. . .]

He stands behind the wall, looking through the windows, gazing through the lattices. Hear him calling; receive as you wish the One who knocks. Lo, your Beloved is speaking to you: 'Arise, my friend, my love, my beautiful one; be quick and come' Song 2:10).

(The Mystical Ark IV xiii)