Come Away, My Beloved
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
Song of Songs 2:10–14
“Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one, and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come. Arise, my beloved, and come!”
Grace Prayed For
Lord, open my ears to hear your voice calling me by name. Give me the courage to arise and follow you — out of my fear, my routine, and my comfort — into the new life you are preparing for me.
Reflection
There is something startling about this passage appearing in Lent. We expect sackcloth and ashes, not a lover’s voice singing through the lattice. We expect to earn our way back to God through effort and denial. Instead, we are met with tenderness: “Arise, my beloved.”
The voice in Song of Songs does not command — it woos. It does not point to a list of failures — it points to the flowering earth, the singing birds, the fig tree heavy with fruit. The Beloved is not calling us to do more. The Beloved is calling us to come.
This is the deeper meaning of Lent that we so easily miss. Yes, we fast and pray and give alms — but these are not payments on a debt. They are the clearing away of clutter so we can actually hear this voice. Winter, in this image, is not punishment. It is the necessary quiet before the thaw. It is the soil resting before it can bear fruit.
Where has winter settled in your soul? Where have you gone numb, grown heavy, pulled inward? The scripture today insists: that season is passing. The rains are over. Something new is trying to break through — and God is standing at the edge of it, hand outstretched, calling you by the most intimate name you have ever been given: beloved.
Lent asks us not only to give things up, but to show up — to arise from whatever small tomb we have curled into and walk toward the voice that has never stopped calling us beautiful.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post