Thanksgiving and Surrender

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today remind us that thanksgiving and surrender activate our charity and generosity to others.

Action and Help

In the reading from the Book of Tobit, Raphael discloses his identity.

* [12:1–5] Tobit and his son generously agree to give Raphael far more than the wages agreed upon in 5:15–16.

* [12:6–10] In the fashion of a wisdom teacher, Raphael gives the two men a short exhortation similar to the one Tobit gave his son in 4:3–19.

* [12:6–7] The faithful considered the praise of God their most esteemed privilege. Without it, life was meaningless; cf. Is 38:16–20.

* [12:12] Raphael is one of the seven Angels of the Presence, specially designated intercessors who present prayers to God. Angelology was developing in this period. The names of two other of these seven angels are given in the Bible: Gabriel (Dn 8:16; 9:21; Lk 1:19, 26) and Michael (Dn 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev 12:7). See 1 Enoch for the names of the rest. (Tobit, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

Tobit offers thanksgiving to God.

* [13:1–18] Tobit’s hymn of praise is divided into two parts. The first part (vv. 1–8) is a song of praise that echoes themes from the psalms; the second (vv. 9–18) is addressed to Jerusalem in the style of those prophets who spoke of a new and ideal Jerusalem (Is 60; cf. Rev 21). Joyful praise: words for joy and gladness occur throughout this prayer (vv. 1, 7, 10, 11, 13, 14, 16, 18). (Tobit, CHAPTER 13, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus denounces the Scribes  and praises the Widow’s Offering.

* [21:1–4] The widow is another example of the poor ones in this gospel whose detachment from material possessions and dependence on God leads to their blessedness (Lk 6:20). Her simple offering provides a striking contrast to the pride and pretentiousness of the scribes denounced in the preceding section (Lk 20:45–47). The story is taken from Mk 12:41–44. (Mark, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

Suzanne Braddock (2021) comments  that Jesus raises up as our model for giving from the heart the lowly, the outcast, the despised, the overlooked in the form of a poor widow.

Surely he doesn’t expect us to donate every penny, thus impoverishing ourselves. He has set a high standard to make a point, to reveal a truth. And that point seems to me to be not to give ostentatiously, for show, but give all of yourself. Give with love. Give even the little things with great love, as St. Therese said. We are to love God with our whole heart, our whole soul, our whole mind. All that we are.

God wants to give us all of Himself, and yearns for us to give all of ourselves in grateful response.

Let’s challenge ourselves to meet God’s generosity with our own. (Braddock, 2021)

Don Schwager quotes “Mercy and compassion are never worthless,” by Leo the Great, 400-461 A.D.

"Although the spite of some people does not grow gentle with any kindness, nevertheless the works of mercy are not fruitless, and kindness never loses what is offered to the ungrateful. May no one, dearly beloved, make themselves strangers to good works. Let no one claim that his poverty scarcely sufficed for himself and could not help another. What is offered from a little is great, and in the scale of divine justice, the quantity of gifts is not measured but the steadfastness of souls. The 'widow' in the Gospel put two coins into the 'treasury,' and this surpassed the gifts of all the rich. No mercy is worthless before God. No compassion is fruitless. He has given different resources to human beings, but he does not ask different affections." (excerpt from SERMON 20.3.1.6) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Tobit 12:1, 5-15, 20 comments that Tobit, Sarah, and Tobias all blessed God because they never lost sight of how great and merciful God is. They clung to their belief in his goodness and his desire to bless them. So even in the most difficult circumstances, they could praise God.

This kind of prayer doesn’t always come easy. But it’s not impossible—as long as you remain rooted and grounded in your faith. Praising God on the good days makes it possible to praise him even on the rough ones.

Because God is good—all the time!

“Lord, I praise you for your unfailing kindness and mercy to me and those I love.” (Meditation on Tobit 12:1, 5-15, 20, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that Raphael identifies himself as on of the seven archangels who stand before God. The Scribes and Pharisees seek to be honoured at the centre of attention. Friar Jude notes the woman from the anawim who give all that she has to the treasury.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, invites us into a deeper experience of the Trinity through a conscious and embodied practice of the Sign of the Cross.

Let the sign of the cross be a body prayer for the rest of your life. We can’t understand it, we can only allow it. We can only allow that flow, that communion, that energy, that dynamism, that vitality, that love. We’ll know when we’re there and I hope we can recognize when we’re not there. That’s how we’ll know when we’re living in the Trinity or acting as a separate you and me, standing on the side of life, instead of living it. (Rohr, 2023)

We seek to  act on the guidance of the Spirit in our thanksgiving and response to the needs of others.

References

Braddock, S. (2021, June 5). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/061023.html 

Mark, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12?38 

Meditation on Tobit 12:1, 5-15, 20. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/10/703631/ 

Rohr, R. (2023, June 10). Trinity: Weekly Summary — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/trinity-weekly-summary-2023-06-10/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). This Poor Widow Has Put in More Than the Rest. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun10 

Tobit, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/tobit/12?1 

Tobit, CHAPTER 13. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/tobit/13?2 

Prayer for New Life

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today resonate with our experience of Love that reinforces our sense of eternal life.

Life and Love

The reading from the Book of Tobit is an answer to Prayer.

* [3:1] Pray: prayer is a significant theme, occurring at six major turning points in the story (3:2–6, 11–15; 8:5–8, 15–17; 11:14–15; 13:1–18).

* [3:6] It is better for me to die than to live: in his distress Tobit uses the words of the petulant Jonah (Jon 4:3, 8), who wished to die because God did not destroy the hated Ninevites. In similar circumstances, Moses (Nm 11:15), Elijah (1 Kgs 19:4), and Job (Jb 7:15) also prayed for death. Everlasting abode: a reference to Sheol, the dismal abode of the dead from which no one returns (Jb 7:9–10; 14:12; Is 26:14). See note on Tb 4:6.

* [3:7] From here on, the story is told in the third person. Verse 7 relates one of the several marvelous coincidences that the storyteller uses to suggest divine providence; see also vv. 16–17; 4:1; 5:4. Ecbatana: Hamadan in modern Iran; this was the capital of ancient Media. Raguel: the Greek form of the Hebrew name Re‘u’el, “friend of God.”

* [3:8] Asmodeus: in Persian aeshma daeva, “demon of wrath,” adopted into Aramaic with the sense of “the Destroyer.” It will be subdued (8:3) by Raphael (v. 17), whose name means “God has healed.”

* [3:11] Toward the window: that is, looking in prayer toward Jerusalem; cf. Dn 6:11. “Blessed are you” and “Blessed be God” are traditional openings of Jewish prayers (Tb 8:5, 15; 11:14; 13:1). (Tobit, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)

Psalm 25 is a prayer for Guidance and for Deliverance.

11-13, 15b-17a

* [Psalm 25] A lament. Each verse begins with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Such acrostic Psalms are often a series of statements only loosely connected. The psalmist mixes ardent pleas (Ps 25:1–2, 16–22) with expressions of confidence in God who forgives and guides. (Psalms, PSALM 25, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus addresses the Question about the Resurrection.

* [12:13–34] In the ensuing conflicts (cf. also Mk 2:1–3:6) Jesus vanquishes his adversaries by his responses to their questions and reduces them to silence (Mk 12:34).

* [12:18–27] See note on Mt 22:23–33. (Mark, CHAPTER 12, n.d.)

Larry Gillick, S.J. (1999) comments that Tobiah and Sarah begin their togethering by including the love of God in their love for each other.

Weddings are so beautiful when they begin with the prayer of trust in the God Who has called them together.  Anniversaries are perhaps even more beautiful as the married couple recall the fidelity of God they have revealed in their living of their own commitment.  The daily Christian life is beautiful as well when we all live the greatest of all His commandments by allowing God to love us in such a way that we can love the same self God does.  When this spiritual interchange takes place the marriage of God with us God's people takes place and is experienced by our brothers and sisters with whom we share our living out of this great command to love in word and deed.  In the words of Tobiah, "This is a noble purpose." (Gillick, 2023)

Don Schwager quotes “No marriage in the resurrection,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"What did the Lord say to the Sadducees? He said, 'You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they marry neither husbands nor wives; for neither do they start dying again, but they will be equal to the angels of God' (Mark 12:24-25; Matthew 22:29-30). The power of God is great. Why do they not marry husbands or wives? They will not start dying again. When one generation departs, another is required to succeed it. There will not be such liability to decay in that place. The Lord passed through the usual stages of growth, from infancy to adult manhood, because he was bearing the substance of flesh that still was mortal. After he had risen again at the age at which he was buried, are we to imagine that he is growing old in heaven? He says, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' He eliminated the assumption of the Jews and refuted the objection of the Sadducees, because the Jews did indeed believe the dead would rise again, but they had crude, fleshly ideas about the state of humanity after resurrection. He said, 'They will be equal to the angels of God.' ... It has already been stated that we are to rise again. We have heard from the Lord that we rise again to the life of the angels. In his own resurrection, he has shown us in what specific form we are to rise again." (excerpt from SERMON 362.18-19.30) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 12:18-27 comments that God created us to love one another and to be in communion with one another. So why shouldn’t that love continue on in some form after death?

There’s no need to worry about whether your close relationships will disappear in heaven. In fact, these relationships will be perfected. You’ll experience the ultimate form of togetherness—a union in worship founded in the eternal, overflowing love of God. It doesn’t get any better than that! So thank the Lord that he has such an amazing plan for you—and for those who are dearest to you.

“Lord, I am longing for the day when my loved ones and I will be together in your presence!” (Mark 12:18-27, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the state of mind of Tobit and Sarah prior to the healing they receive through “God heels” Raphael. The concept of being punished for the sins of our ancestors was believed by survivors of exile. Friar Jude reminds us that Abraham, Isaac, and Israel exist in some realm connected to the God of the living.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, uses the language of “flow” to further our experiential understanding of what it means to live in a Trinitarian cosmos.

You can live this Trinitarian mystery yourself. Trust love, trust communion, trust vulnerability, and trust mutuality. Always seek to be in relationship, finding little ways to serve others, to serve people who are sick or poor and cannot pay anything back. Know that our hearts have been given to us so that they may be handed on, just like the Trinity. And we’ll begin to know ourselves inside this mystery called Love. There is actually nothing more to say. We could end our discussion right here.  

Don’t try to work this out too much with your head. Just trust the flow of the most natural, dynamic, and positive energy that’s already flowing through you. It will always feel like Love. (Rohr, 2023)

We have the gifts of the Spirit to reinforce our commitment to acting in Love as our “yes” to community and care for each other.

References

Gillick, L. (2023, June 7). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/060723.html 

Mark 12:18-27. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/06/07/701595/ 

Mark, CHAPTER 12. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/12?18 

Psalms, PSALM 25. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/25?2 

Rohr, R. (2023, June 7). Living in the Flow — Center for Action and Contemplation. Cac.org. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/living-in-the-flow-2023-06-07/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). You Know Neither the Scriptures nor the Power of God. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2023&date=jun7 

Tobit, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/tobit/3?1