THEOSISGregory the Great
My essence blossomed beside the waters, as noted in Job 29:19. The root springs forth from the water when the mind's thoughts are unveiled for the acceptance of the streams of truth. As previously mentioned, the term 'root' in Scripture often signifies a concealed understanding. Hence, we open ‘our root with waters’ when we reveal the hidden thoughts within our hearts through divine enlightenment. This phrase can also be interpreted in relation to the Holy Church, where the 'root' symbolizes the very Incarnation of our Savior. The reason it is said that 'the root is opened by the waters' is that in Christ, the Invisible God became visible to us by assuming human form.
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The Creator, whom we were unable to perceive in His divine essence, took on our humanity so that He could be seen among us. Thus, 'the root was opened by the waters' indicates that the Creator of all, through His human nature, made Himself evident to mankind. Therefore, the Psalmist wisely states, "And he shall be as a tree planted by the streams of waters" (Psalm 1:3). Here, the 'streams of waters' represent the constant flow of mortals passing away. Christ Himself remarked, "If they do this to the green tree, what shall be done to the dry one?" (Luke 23:31), and indeed, He is 'a tree planted by the streams of waters' because in bearing fruit and providing shade for us, the Creator was manifested in the flesh, so that through His Resurrection, He might restore humanity, which daily succumbs to death because of the fall. It continues, "And the dew shall remain on my harvest" (Job 29:19). This reflects the harvest of the Holy Church—rightly understood—as the righteous souls that depart from their earthly bodies and are gathered like harvested grain into the heavenly storehouses. It is by heavenly grace, rather than our own merits, that we are esteemed, as articulated in the phrase: "and the dew shall remain on my harvest." The dew descends from above, while the harvest is reaped below. Thus, 'the dew shall remain on my harvest' signifies that grace flows from above, nurturing those who are taken from this world. It is solely through this grace, which waters us from on high, that we yield the fruits of righteous living. As Paul rightly states, "But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and his grace which was bestowed upon me is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:10). If one were to ask what dew descends from above, the answer would be that it is by the grace of God that I am what I am. Additionally, he notes that this grace is not without purpose, as he laboriously worked more than all others.