“Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence: but his will is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he shall meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree which is planted near the running waters, which shall bring forth its fruit, in due season. And his leaf shall not fall off: and all whatsoever he shall do shall prosper.”
The Psalter begins with an exhortation to wisdom, to immerse oneself in the words of the Lord and live by them, for this is the walk of true love: “How beautiful are thy steps in shoes, O prince’s daughter” (Song 7:1). The Hebrew term for “blessed” here indicates a state of enjoyment due to a good already attained, and this blessedness comes from a life pleasing to God. The happy life is one that is oriented God-ward, for it is a life of love, with Him unveiling His perfect love to the person that walks more and more into His loving arms. Blessed are you, then, when you avoid the words of those whose love is fixed on what is temporal: “Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world” (1 John 2:15); when your way of life is centered on the love of God alone: “Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction” (Matthew 7:13); and when your beliefs in God are accurate, for harmful doctrine is a chair in which one can sit and be utterly infected by falsities: “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees… Then they understood that he said not that they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6, 12). No, take the words of Sacred Scripture and live them all out: “If you keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love” (John 15:10), for this is to subject your will to the law of the Lord, to take the yoke of love upon your back: “Put thy feet into her fetters, and thy neck into her chains…For in the latter end thou shalt find rest in her, and she shall be turned to thy joy” (Ecclesiasticus 6:25, 29). Take upon yourself a new way of loving, loving according to God’s love rather than your own previous way. Then you shall be as a tree, which always reaches heavenwards, planted beside streams of water, meaning that the roots of your very being will be watered with love, allowing you to grow ever higher in the knowledge of the love of God. It may be a long time of growth, with seemingly nothing taking place, just as a sapling must develop, grow branches, and endure storms before its fruit emerges, but when the time is right, when the Lord knows that the fruit will be of particular sweetness and nourishment, you will bloom in your own expression of love: “The fig tree hath put forth her green figs: the vines in flower yield their sweet smell” (Song 2:13). The leaf that does not fall off is the love that is cultivated, for you will be judged on love alone. “Love never falleth away: whether prophecies shall be made void, or tongues shall cease, or knowledge shall be destroyed” (1 Corinthians 13:8); “Lay up to yourselves treasures in heaven: where neither the rust nor moth doth consume, and where thieves do not break through, nor steal” (Matthew 6:20). This is the leaf that never falls away, and all that is done in love is done well. It does not matter if all your undertakings become complete failures, if your every action is done with love, then all that you do prospers, laying up treasure in heaven and in the hearts of others.