Metropolitan Anthony (Packanich) about the psalm that helps to repent devoutly.

The First Psalm is phenomenal. It is filled with a variety of meanings of different levels, accommodates human wisdom and the wisdom which is above this world. It refers to specific historical events, periods and goes beyond their time frames. And also it enunciates the general and affects everyone. Besides the prophecy about Christ, which David laid down by this psalm and continued in the following ones, we can also find here a revelation about the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John, about the way of salvation, about good and evil:

«Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers».

The mission of the prophet John is to prepare the way before the Lord (Malachi 3:1), which implies the moral preparation of the people for the coming of the Messiah.

And this task was completed at a specific historical moment, but the Forerunner hasn’t left his good mission to this day. He continues to implement it, by helping everyone who has taken the path of salvation to prepare his heart for the coming of Christ into it.

The Saint guards the righteousness and purity. He is a faithful prayer and assistant in all good impulses.

The Prophet John is an angelic man. The greatness of his faith boggles the imagination. The strength of his love and devotion to God are second to none. Spiritual and physical deeds are seen as back-breaking for a person, and humility, courage and patience are completely beyond the limits of human comprehension.

He remains as the main assistant for the penitent soul:

«But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night».

A person who distances from sin and evil, who is devoted and obedient to God, who fulfills His commandments, is like a powerful, strong, healthy, fruitful tree. Saint John was just such an evergreen tree of faith in the desert of unbelief, feeding from an inexhaustible Source of spiritual food and spiritual renewal. The saint has also become a life-giving oasis in the desert of our heart:

«That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither — whatever they do prospers».

The Forerunner was a "bright morning star" that shone brighter than all the other stars in the dark firmament, foreshadowing a new morning of a blessed day, illuminated by the spiritual Sun — the Christ.

It is not for nothing that the Old Testament prophecies end with what the Gospel begins with – the story of John the Baptist.

Calling people to repentance, having become an example of humility and obedience, the Forerunner is the root of Christianity. And it is a pity for those who do not take root after him in virtues, who float like a dust. They have no strength and durability:

«Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous».

The Lord sees in the heart. The wicked one will not be able to escape from the judgment of God, even if he has covered himself with a blissful disguise in front of people. You can't lie Lord. He knows all the ways, thoughts and secret desires of men. He is waiting for the fire of repentance, prepared by the Forerunner of the Lord, to be lighted in our hearts, and then He will enter it as His home:

«For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction».

Recorded by Natalia Goroshkova