“I am like a green olive tree in the house of the Lord; I trust in the mercy of God forever
and ever” (Psalm 52:8)
Between the exchange of rings and the formal wedding, the priest leads the couple on their first formal walk together from the back to the front of the nave. As they proceed, the choir sings the poignant Psalm 128:
“Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways!
You shall eat of the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy,
and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Lo, thus shall the man be blessed
who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion!
May you live to see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!
May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!
Here the Church offers a petition to the Lord that the bride and groom may live for many years to preside at their family table and host their grandchildren. There the olive tree is mentioned as a metaphor for stability, longevity and fertility. It alludes to the psalm above where the image is of a person who abides in the house of the Lord from an early age, hence the green color, one who appeals to God’s mercy and never loses faith in Him.
The olive tree is among the most precious of all trees in the Holy Land because it provides one of the staple foods as well as oil, a major source of income.
This tree lives on through many generations, indeed hundreds of years, at times a half millennium or longer, through many generations of human beings. We are born, grow up and die, our life spans “Like the grass of the field. The wind passes over it and its place knows it no more,” (Psalm 103:16) whereas the olive trees endure whole centuries.
This tree is green, therefore young, healthy and virile. The psalmist identifies himself with a similar energy. Green also, the sign of life and symbol of the Holy Spirit, source and Giver of life, present everywhere—in all living things including the tree and the heart of humans.
Anointed with oil, a major ingredient of the myrrh with which the Holy Spirit enters into us in a special way, marking all of our senses at the time of our Chrismation. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given for our use so that we may go forth and spend our lives enhancing the natural senses as agents of Jesus Christ in the world. By cleansing and purifying our souls, we are able to see with the eyes of the Dove, hear the voice of our loving Lord Jesus who guides us on the way to His Father’s Kingdom, follow the fragrance of life’s incense that overcomes the rotting odor of a world perishing in sin. Let us not eat of any forbidden fruit, but rather refrain from self-indulgence and gluttony, nourishing our souls and bodies on foods pleasing to God.
The olive branches will shade and shelter those in danger of storms, caring for a new generation that grows from its roots and protects them under its branches.
All the blessings come from the God of all mercy and love. We who have total faith in Him have no worry or fear, because we trust in His kindness and forgiveness; therefore, we abide in the house of the Lord and call on His Name forever and ever.