I opened to my beloved; but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: my soul failed when he spoke: I sought him, but I could not find him; I called him, but he gave me no answer.
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Ambrose of Milan
AD 397
“I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had gone.” What is this going? Simply that he has penetrated into the center of the mind as it was said to Mary, “And his sword will pierce your soul.” For the living Word of God, as piercing as a sharp sword, comprehends both the limits of bodily thoughts and the secret places of the heart. - "On Virginity 11.67"
The bride says, “I sought him, but found him not.” How can the bridegroom be found when he does not reveal anything of himself? He has no color, form, quality, quantity, place, appearance, evidence, comparison or resemblance. Rather, everything we can discover always transcends our comprehension and completely escapes our search. Therefore the bride says, “I have sought him by my soul’s capacities of reflection and understanding. He completely transcended them, and he escaped my mind when it drew near to him.”
How can that which is always beyond everything we know be designated by a name? For this reason the bride understands every function of a name as a sign of the ineffable good. The significance of each word falls short and shows something inferior to the truth.…
The soul thus calls the Word as best it can. It cannot do so as it wishes, for the soul desires more than it is capable of. The soul does not wish what it is incapable of receiving, such as God himself, but its choice is i...
The Lord seeks us when he says, “I sought, and there was no one. I called, and there was no one who responded.” And he himself is sought by his bride, who mourns tearfully, “In my chamber at night I sought him whom my soul loved. I sought him, and I did not find him; I called him, and he did not answer me.” - "Conference 13.12.12"
