The very first chapter in the Book of Psalms is only six verses long, but it sets the tone for the entire liturgical Psalter. Maybe we could call it “The Psalm of Psalms.” There is great wisdom given to us by God to be contemplated in the first few verses of the Book of Psalms.
Here is a reflection I wrote about the first chapter in the Book of Psalms.
I think if I had to draw an illustration of this psalm, I would draw a picture of a fork in the road, because this psalm places us at a decision point with the free will God has given us. We each have to decide what road in life we choose to take.
Do we follow “God’s narrow Way,” or do we follow the dark path of “The My Way Highway”? God’s way leads to light. The man made way leads to darkness.
It is a perfect time for self-assessment. What spiritual road are we on in life? Who do we associate with in person, on TV, on the internet? Are we walking with God?
Psalms 1:1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
I don’t know about you, but I can think of some changes I want to make in life this year. It’s time to raise the bar with Bible study. It’s time to stop following the world’s enticements less and meditate on Jesus and his Word in prayer more. It’s time to pay less attention to today’s news and trends and pay more attention to God in all things.
What about meditating on God? Mental prayer? It is the narrow way.
Most people won’t.
Most people don’t.
Do this.
Psalms 1:2
Rather, the law of the LORD is his joy; and on his law he meditates day and night.
Can I meditate on God like the saints? I can start trying. We can always try.
Is my life fully rooted in the ways of God? I would say in some ways yes, and in some ways, no. Our minds are like gardens. What we choose to plant in our garden matters.
Psalms 1:3
He is like a tree planted near streams of water, that yields its fruit in season; Its leaves never wither; whatever he does prospers.
I was baptized, yes I was, and so was Jesus. Jesus, the Holy One, was baptized to make the water holy for us. I am called to be like Jesus. I want to plant my tree near the holiness of Jesus. In what ways are we doing that, and in what ways are we drifting on “The My Way Highway”? That’s the thing about free will. The fork in the road is always there ahead of us. And we can drift off course.
We can get lost and follow the sinful ways of the world, lost in our selfish desires, neglecting Jesus like we were a drifting tumbleweed for years and years.
Psalms 1:4
But not so are the wicked, not so! They are like chaff driven by the wind.
Or maybe another analogy would be to think about being on a boat, even if it is just an aluminum boat floating around in a farm pond, we are on the boat. Without the Word of God as our rudder in life we are going to drift along with the winds of a deceitful and idolatrous world. Drifting away from Jesus and his Way would be inevitable.
The commands of the Gospel are the rudder for keeping us on the right course, the protection that keeps our salvation secure. – St. Cyprian, bishop and martyr (258 A.D.)
That quote is written by an ancient martyr who gave his very life and blood for Jesus. He did not convert to the Roman Catholic faith until he was forty-five years old.
Think about the ancient Israelites. They wandered around in the desert for forty years before they reached the Promised Land. All of that wandering and suffering is symbolic of our pilgrim journey here on earth. But eventually there is an end point with all of it for each of us. Will we get to cross over? How much did we murmur?
What did we choose to follow, Jesus or the world?
1 John 2:17
Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.
Joy, justice, righteousness, love, these are some of the holy building blocks of God’s goodness. We are called to be a building block in his Church. Are we truly building blocks for God, or are we buried under a mire of murmuring, selfishness and sin?
Psalms 1:5
Therefore the wicked will not arise at the judgment, nor will sinners in the assembly of the just.
God can see through each one of us. He knows what is in our souls, good and bad.
Psalms 1:6
Because the LORD knows the way of the just, but the way of the wicked leads to ruin.
In the last verse it says the Lord “knows” the way of the just. I think on one level that means that Jesus knows us because we have a living relationship with him. Jesus knows us because we have received his mercy and his body and blood in the holy sacraments. Jesus knows us because we have allowed him to talk to us and form us in his Word. Our very lives are rooted in his Word. Are we blessed like that?
What are we reading?
Who are we hanging out with?
Who are we following on TV?
Who are we following on social media?
What do we follow on our devices and tablets?
What words does God see written on the tablets of our hearts?
Does God’s favor rest on us?
Psalms 1:1
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the way of sinners, nor sit in company with scoffers.
If we experience joy and love at the deepest level then Jesus is there because true love and mercy comes from him. Every blessing we receive in life is a gift from God above (Jas 1:17) But if we go on rejecting Jesus and his narrow Way again and again how can we expect to cross over if we abandon the very cross in life God gave us to strive to carry? How can Jesus know us as his friends if we keep ignoring him and denying him?
Matthew 7:23
Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.’
Just six verses of Sacred Scripture can change the course of our lives. Which way will we go? Who will we spend time with in public and private? How will we build on our lives from this day forward? Will we build our lives on God’s Word?
Let us choose wisely.
Matthew 7:24
Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
