Vigils Reading – 27th Sunday

THEY ARE NO LONGER TWO

BUT ONE

From a commentary by Jacob of Serugh1

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In his mysterious plans the Father had destined a bride for his only Son

and presented her to him under the guise of prophetic images. Moses appeared

and with deft hand sketched a picture of bridegroom and bride but immediately

drew a veil over it. In his book he wrote that a man should leave a father and

mother so as to be joined to his wife, that the two might in very truth become

one. The prophet Moses spoke of man and woman in this way in order to foretell

Christ and his Church. With a prophet’s penetrating gaze he contemplated

Christ becoming one with the Church through the mystery of water. He saw

Christ even from the Virgin’s womb drawing the Church to himself, and the

Church in the water of baptism drawing Christ to herself. Bridegroom and bride

were thus wholly united in a mystical manner, which is why Moses wrote that

the two should become one.

With veiled face Moses contemplated Christ and the Church; the one he

called “man” and the other “woman” so as not to reveal the full splendor of the

reality. After the marriage celebration came Paul. He saw the veil covering their

splendor and lifted it, revealing Christ and his Church to the whole world, and

showing that it was they whom Moses had described in his prophetic vision. In

an outburst of inspired joy the apostle exclaimed: This is a great mystery! He

revealed the meaning of the veiled picture the prophet had called man and

woman, declaring: I know that it is Christ and his Church, who were two before

but have now become one.

Wives are not united to their husbands as closely as the Church is to the

Son of God. What husband but our Lord ever died for his wife, and what bride

ever chose a crucified man as her husband? Who ever gave his blood as a gift to

his wife except the one who died on the cross and sealed the marriage bond with

his wounds? Who was ever seen lying dead at his own wedding banquet with his

wife at his side seeking to console herself by embracing him? At what other

celebration, at what other feast is the bridegroom’s body distributed to the

guests in the form of bread?

Death separates wives from husbands, but in this case it is death that

unites the bride to her beloved. He died on the cross, bequeathed his body to his

glorious spouse, and now every day she receives and consumes it at his table.

She consumes it under the form of bread, and under the form of wine that she

drinks, so that the whole world may know that they are no longer two but one.