Be Filled

This episode we are continuing our discussion, with JPII, on the Song of Songs and how the Bride and Bridegroom are living out the spousal meaning of their bodies. JPII sheds light on how the theology of our bodies can transform our lives and relationships. We talk about how this applies to our marriages and how you can apply it in your life! 

Quotes: 

“The truth of love, which is proclaimed by the Song of Songs cannot be separated from the “language of the body”. The truth of love enables the same “language of the body” to be reread in the truth. This is also the truth of the increasing closeness of the spouses, which grows through love: and closeness means also initiation into the mystery of the person. However, it in no way signifies the violation of that mystery.” (TOB 111:1) 

“As an apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among young men. I sit in his shadow, for which I longed, and sweet is his fruit to my taste.” (Song 2:3-6) 

“The reciprocal closeness expressed through the body is above all a source of the growth of the intimate “language of the heart”. (TOB 111:2) 

“The verses spoken by the man-bridegroom…concentrate above all on the specific “revelation of femininity,” the visible expression of which more and more dominates the eyes and heart of the bridegroom.” (TOB 111:2) 

“I am my beloved’s and his desire is for me. Come, my beloved, let us go into the fields, and pass the night in the villages. Let us go out early in the morning to the vineyards; we will see whether the vines have budded, whether the flowers have opened and the pomegranates are in bloom: There I will give you my caresses.” (Song 7:10-13) 

“She goes to meet him with the readiness of the gift of self. The love that unites them is of a spiritual and sensual nature together…because the man and the woman together must constitute the sign of the reciprocal gift of self, which impresses the seal on their whole life.” (TOB 111:5) 

“One has the impression that in reaching each other, in experiencing closeness to each other, they ceaselessly continue to tend toward something.” (TOB 112:1) 

“Upon my bed at night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not….I will rise now and go about the city, through the streets and through the squares; I will seek the beloved of my heart.” (Song 3:1-4) 

“I sleep, but my heart is awake. Listen! my beloved is knocking. Open to me, my sister, my friend, my dove, my perfect one.” (Song 5:2) 

“In the Song of Songs, human eros reveals the face of love ever in search and, as it were, never satisfied.” (TOB 112:4) 

Reflection Questions: 

1. What spoke to your heart most in this episode? 
2. Did the dynamic of the Bride and Bridegroom resonate with your experience? 
3. What differences do you notice in your own experience between men and women? How do the differences compliment each other? 
4. Have you experienced a twisting of the goodness of the love your spouse has for you? 
5. What music or movies stir your desire for love? What truths do you see? What truths might be missing from those movies? 
6. What pierces your heart? Pay attention to what moves you and thank God for it. 
7. Have you considered the honor it is to really know your spouse? Take this to prayer. Consider sharing with your spouse what you appreciate about him/her. 
8. How do you receive your spouse's way of expressing love? 
9. Are there ways in which you could better communicate your needs to your spouse? Pray with this and be open to the ways that God is calling you to grow. 
10. Have you experienced the ache of not having enough of a person? 
11. Is God the source of all your love you pour out? Or are you trying to pour out from your own resources? Pray with this and ask God to open your heart to receive all the love you need from Him. 

Resources: 

Understanding Women: Unlock the Mystery by Alison Armstrong

Consider a week with your spouse at the TOB Institute! Click here for the schedule! 

“Never Enough” 

Book of Tobit 

Music from #Uppbeat

https://uppbeat.io/t/mark-july/chase-the-sun

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