Verses 1-8

Verse One

"Blessed is he who walks blameless in the way, walking in the law of the Lord."

"The path," writes Theodoret, "here the prophet calls the life that we all pass through from birth to the grave."

Blameless in the way are those who live blamelessly, avoiding all sin. "Whoever has never sinned in anything," says St. Athanasius the Great, "is blameless." Those walk in the law of the Lord who, in the words of Theodoret, "live in accordance with the laws of God," fulfill every commandment that comes in the course of life, without omitting anything that is recognized as obligatory and without renouncing anything; otherwise, they do all kinds of good.

Thus, these two points command the same thing that the prophet expresses in other places with the words: "Turn away from evil and do good," answering the question: "Who is man, who desires life, loves the days to see good?" (Psalm 33:13, 15) or who in the first Psalm first: "Go not to the counsel of the wicked," and then: "In the law of the Lord is his will."

So that's who is blessed!

Such a person always rests in the bosom of God's providential and benevolent love. This is here; That is why the holy prophet says: "they will not be blessed," but "the essence."

What will happen – "do not pour" (1 John 3:2). There will be something that cannot even occur to a person — so complete, lofty, and of great value! But the path is the same: a blameless life according to the commandments of the Lord. There is the fatherland; here is the foreign side; Life is a procession to the homeland. Meanwhile, everyone lives; Consequently, everyone goes to the end, but not everyone goes to their homeland, they aim in the wrong direction, the path leads them in the wrong direction. Oh, if only "such a mother-in-law, so that they may comprehend!" (1 Corinthians 9:24). What has become the result? Ineffable bliss is promised; but who does not desire blessedness, who does not seek, who does not sacrifice everything for him? And we are sinners, sin-loving, for what reason do we love sin? "For the sake of finding bliss in him by tea; And though he deceives us, and instead of bliss he torments and torments us, and we all wallow in him, perhaps we shall see bliss! Yes, we will wait, like figs from a burdock.

Everyone desires and seeks blessedness; it is the motive force of all human actions and enterprises, both large and small. But not everyone understands what it is and how to reach it, and even having understood, not everyone is so disposed to act as necessary in order to attain bliss. There is something incomprehensible in this. A person tangibly endures deception and even some violence, and goes where he is in vain.

Blessed Augustine makes a lengthy speech about this. "This psalm from the very beginning calls us to blessedness, the object of every man's desires. Is there anyone, has ever been, or will there be, who would not wish to be blessed? What need is there to call for that to which the human soul strives of its own accord? For when someone calls for something, he inclines the will of the one to whom he addresses himself to strive for what he offers. Isn't this superfluous speech? "No, it's not superfluous; Everyone desires bliss, but not everyone knows how to attain it. The words "Blessed are the blameless" seem to say: I know what you desire, you seek blessedness, so if you want to be blessed, be blameless. But the fact of the matter is that everyone desires blessedness, and very few desire that without which it is impossible to attain what is desired by all. And so he sets before all the desired blessedness, and immediately offers chastity through walking in the law of God, so that through that which all desire may also be disposed to that which not all desire. To be blessed is such a great blessing that it is desired by both the good and the unkind; and it is not surprising that the good for his sake are good; but it is worthy of all wonder that even the unkind are unkind out of a desire to be blessed. And he who is given over to sensual pleasures, and he who seeks wealth and honors, and who is entangled in all kinds of vices — all seek bliss. It is to these wanderers who await themselves of bliss from destruction that this Divine voice calls to the proper path, if only it is heard: "Blessed are the blameless in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord." It goes like this: Where are you going? You are dying without knowing it. Where you wish to reach, there you go by a different road than by which you go. Of course, you desire bliss; but the road that you walk leads to destruction. Cease to seek such great good on such an evil path. That's where you're going, that's the way you're going! Forsake the destruction of corrupt ways, you who cannot forsake the desire for blessedness. In vain do you suffer to go where you only stain yourself. Blessed are not those who stain themselves with sin and walk in the corruption of the world; but those who are "blameless in the way, and walk in the law of the Lord."

And it is true that this path is difficult and dangerous. The way of the commandments is pure in itself; but those who walk along it walk incessantly in a rain of dirty spray, which, if they fall, do not remain on one surface, but eat inside. They do not have to be washed and washed off, but cut out and burned. St. Macarius depicts this path as running among thorns and mire, where poisonous reptiles and beasts are hidden, and spears and swords are stuck in places. How much attention, tension, work, and struggle are required here! For this reason the word "blameless" in the original is the same as the lambs appointed for the Passover sacrifice. This, among other things, indicates that those who have entered the path of the commandments, in order to be blameless, must condemn themselves as to the slaughter. Only he who at the very beginning decided to consider himself already dead, as it were, will be able to resist all temptations and difficulties: for who considers himself dead, what else can he encounter that is unbearable? All this is less than death. This is what it means that the Lord said: "Whosoever willeth after me, let him turn away" (Matt. 16:24).

If it were possible that when he did what was due, and when he did not, then it would be more handy. But you can't do that; nothing will come of such an action. This is the same as building and destroying; To go, so to go. The Greek word "walking" gives the idea that those who walk walk without stopping, paying no attention to anything, not being afraid of obstacles — they walk like some majestic river flowing until it enters the sea. "The prophet," says Blessed Theodoret, "blesses those who unswervingly walk the royal path and, following the promptings of the law, do not turn away either to the right or to the left," and St. Ambrose continues: "He who walks blamelessly in the law of the Lord never ceases to walk this way, lest he cease to be blameless, he does not deviate either to the right hand or to the right hand (neither to the right nor to the left), he does not look here and there, does not stand motionless, as if waiting for something, but walks, "forgetting in the rear, but stretching out in the past," keeping his way to a certain goal, "to the honor of the highest calling" (Phil. 3:13, 14). This is what must be achieved! And then many begin to flow, but do not reach the end. "It is not only necessary to enter the path, says St. Hilary, but also to continue to walk it to the very goal. As long as one walks the path, he has not yet achieved what he strives for. That is why Blessed Paul says: "Not as thou hast attained... I'm chasing you away..." (Phil. 3:12). So he strove, and strove so that he forgot the back one. Only he attains blessedness who so aspires with hope to the future."

Verse Two