Song of Solomon 2:14 My dove, hidden in the clefts of the rocks, in the holes of the mountains, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is pleasant and your appearance is lovely.
Pigeons are fragile, peaceful birds; they prefer to flee from danger rather than attack, but... Is the pigeon's voice and song pleasant? Not at all. Other birds are much more distinctive, and we choose them for their harmonious trill. But the pigeon has more of a sad, distant growl that conveys no grace. Consider the appearance of its face. Is it beautiful? Hmm... It's not very colorful, nor do it have elegant feathers on its crest; they are rather shorter.
The fact is that, for her owner and lover, both her voice and her face were unique; she simply captured his heart. While for others it wasn't, for the beloved, his companion was special, and he saw her with eyes no one else could.
King Solomon fell in love with her, like that, tanned by the sun, with her skin dry from the country wind, with her hands tanned by hard work, mistreated by her stepbrothers, stripped of her inheritance, like that, He loved her, He loved her by pure grace.
Look, these words spoken by Solomon to his bride are equivalent to the expressions of the Lord's heart toward His Church, of the Lord to each one of His people.
This is the love God has for you. You will have qualities, but also flaws; aptitudes, but also marks from very deep wounds and perhaps shameful scars. The image of God in you may have been disfigured, but for the Lord…
Isaiah 49:16 I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…
It is the springtime of growing love between both the Church and her Beloved; this deep desire of the Beloved to see your face, hear your voice, and long for intimacy with you.
Even if the elusive dove hides and seeks the wrong refuge... He waits for her. The Beloved, the Promised One of the Nations, waits for you; he longs to see you, hear you, embrace you, save you...
Raquel Toro
Dawn in Gethsemane
