Black and Beautiful

Balkis ., Queen of Sheba (-1000 - d.) - Genealogy

I am black and beautiful, O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon

--The Song of Songs, 1:5 (trans. from the Greek LXX)

The early Church Fathers believed that the Song of Songs in the Old Testament was a love poem composed by King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (today’s Ethiopia), who was a beautiful woman with black skin. In their allegorical vision, this couple symbolized Jesus and the Church.

As Fr. Cyprian Davis writes, “Solomon is a type of Christ, and just as the queen of Sheba came to Solomon to consult him because he was wise, so the Church comes to Christ who is Wisdom himself. As a result, since the queen of Sheba is black, so must the church be black and beautiful. Her very blackness is a symbol of her universality; all nations are present in her.”

In America, having black skin carries a heavy burden. Black men routinely see others cross the street to avoid sharing a sidewalk with them. Police “stop and frisk” teenagers and detain drivers for “driving while Black.” In countless subtle ways, Black Americans are told they are less beautiful, less worthy, less human. Yet Scripture tells us that the beloved of Christ is black and beautiful. That we who call ourselves Christian are incorporated into a black body that is the image of universality, completeness, and the unity of all peoples in time and eternity.

Questions

What might it mean for us to picture the beloved of Christ as a black woman? What might it mean for me to imagine myself incorporated into a black, beautiful feminine body? In a Church where our icons of saints, angels and Jesus himself are so often white (even when the people they represent were black or brown), can I begin to reconceive of blackness and identify it with holiness?

Prayer

O God who dwells in mystery and darkness, we pray with longing for the day when we are brought into one in You and in the body of your Beloved. Help us to see your image in the faces of Your Black children, shining with beauty, holiness, and dignity.

Comments

Render unto God

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time Oct 17/18, 2020 Somehow, in the great providence of God, our readings for mass today are the famous “render unto Caesar” Gospel passage. With 17/ 16 days to go in our presidential election, what on earth does God have to say to us about politics and civic engagement in the midst of this chaotic, stressful, and divisive election year? Much ink has been spilled and many sermons given on Catholics’ faithful citizenship and participation in our democracy. In my reading and prayer preparation for today, however, I began to feel that “Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,” is not the important part of Jesus’ response, even though those are the words we remember and quote. The critical words here are from the second half, “render unto God what is God’s.” How often do we give Caesar more than his due? How often do we give Caesar what belongs to God? [Reminder of the...

A Son is Given to Us

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/122520-mass-at-night.cfm In the first reading tonight, we hear a very familiar passage from the prophet Isaiah proclaimed: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light… for a child is born to us, a son is given to us. Upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” Six years ago at midnight mass, I heard these words while sitting in the pews. My wife, Kate, and I went with my family to Holy Trinity parish. I remember it vividly because ten days before the two of us had found out that she was pregnant. Our Christmas Eve was in that electric time when no one else, only she and I knew the secret: a great joy had just entered into the world. Holy Trinity that night was jammed packed. So full that we sat in overflow seating in a separate section of the church with no view of the altar and with the audio piped into our room. That suited us fine because she needed to sit cl...

Jeremiad and the Sparrow

Deacon Ned Berghausen St. Agnes June 24/25, 2023 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062523.cfm If the psalm prays, pray. If it laments, lament. If it rejoices, rejoice. If it hopes, hope. If it fears, fear. For everything which is written here is a reflection of us. St. Augustine. There is one book of the Bible that we hear at almost every single mass, both on Sundays and at daily mass with the exception of only four days of the year [where we hear canticles]. It is the longest book of the Bible. Do you know what it is? It’s the Book of Psalms. Today we heard Psalm 69 which we sung together, led by our cantor [name], in between our first and second reading. It’s sometimes easy to miss or forget that these songs are Scripture, just as much as the other readings and the Gospel. When we approach the Bible, we may think of it primarily in terms of narrative stories, law codes and rule books, parabl...

Foot-washer

Search This Blog