10 When he arrived in Media and was already coming within reach of Ecbatana, 11 Raphael said to the lad, “Tobias my brother!”
He replied, “I’m here!”
Raphael said, “Tonight we must lodge with Raguel your relative. He has a daughter named Sarah.
7: Tobias and Raphael arrive at Raguel’s house
1 When they[a] entered Ecbatana, Tobias said to him, “Brother Azariah, bring me at once to Raguel our relative.” So Azariah took him to Raguel’s house. They found him sitting at the gate of the courtyard and greeted him first.
Raguel said to them, “Many greetings, brothers. You have come generously and in health!” Raguel brought them into his house[Footnotes:
Tobit 7:1 Or he]
7: Tobias marries Sarah
9 Raguel slaughtered a ram from his flock and eagerly entertained his guests. When they had bathed and washed, they reclined to eat dinner. Tobias said to Raphael, “Brother Azariah, tell Raguel that he should give me my relative Sarah as a wife.”
10 Raguel overheard Tobias’ comment and said to the young man, “Eat, drink, and be happy tonight! There is no other man except you, my brother, for whom it is proper to marry my daughter Sarah. What’s more, I have no right to give her to any man except for you since you are my nearest relative.
“But, my lad, I must tell you the truth. 11 I have given her to seven men among our relatives, and they all died the night they tried to have sex with her. Now, however, eat and drink, my son, and may the Lord act on behalf of you both.”
Tobias replied, “I won’t eat or drink here until you resolve the matters that have to do with me.”
Raguel said to him, “I will do it. She is given to you according to the ruling of the scroll from Moses, and it has been decided in heaven that she be given to you. Receive your sister! From now on you are her brother and she is your sister. She is given to you from today until eternity. And tonight may the Lord of heaven grant success to both of you, my son, and may he shower you both with mercy and peace.”
12 Raguel sent for his daughter Sarah, and she came to him. He took hold of her hand, delivered her to Tobias, and said, “Take her to be your wife according to the Law and according to the ruling written in the scroll from Moses. Take her and lead her to your father safely. And may the God of heaven grant both of you success with peace.”
13 Then Raguel called for her mother and told her to bring a scroll. He wrote a marriage contract, stating how he was giving her to him as a wife according to the ruling of the scroll from Moses. Then he sealed it.[a] 14 From that point on, they began to eat and drink.
15 Raguel called his wife Edna and said to her, “My sister, prepare the other bedroom and take Sarah there.”
16 She went and got things ready in the bedroom, just as Raguel had told her. She brought Sarah there and cried for her. Then Edna dried her tears and said to her, “Take courage, my daughter! May the Lord of heaven give you joy in place of your pain. Take courage, my daughter!” Then she left.[Footnotes:
Tobit 7:13 DSS Aram, OL; LXX2 omits Then he sealed it.]
8:4 Then the parents left and shut the door of the bedroom. Tobias got up from the bed and said to Sarah, “Get up, my sister! Let’s pray and beg our Lord to show us mercy and give us deliverance.”
5 She got up, and they began to pray and to ask that they might be delivered. Tobias then began to speak:
“Blessed are you, God of our ancestors, and blessed is your name for all generations. May the heavens and all your creation bless you forever! 6 You created Adam and you created Eve his wife to help and support him, and from the two of them has come the human race. You said, ‘It isn’t good for the man to be alone; let’s make for him a helper like himself.’ 7 I’m not taking this sister of mine now out of lust but with honest integrity.[a] Grant that she and I will be shown mercy and grow old together.”
8 Together they said, “Amen, amen.” 9 Then they fell asleep for the night.
Upon getting up during the night,[b] Raguel summoned his servants, and they went with him and dug a grave.[Footnotes:
Tobit 8:7 Or with truth
Tobit 8:9 OL; LXX2 omits during the night.]
9th Week in Ordinary TimeBe brave, my daughter. May the Lord grant you joy in place of your grief! (Tobit 7:17)
One of the joys of wedding celebrations is that everybody gets to hear how the bride and groom met and fell in love. It can be quite moving to learn how the Holy Spirit answered the couple’s prayers, intersected their paths, sparked their affection, and brought them together in this beautiful sacrament.
This may explain why a part of today’s first reading has become one of the most commonly used readings at weddings. After all, the story of Tobiah and Sarah can sound like a magical “how they met” story. Imagine the scene: just as Sarah is praying to God in anguish because of the death of her seventh husband, Tobiah’s father prays for relief from his blindness and poverty. In response, God sends the angel Raphael to accompany Tobiah to Media, arrange his marriage to Sarah, and return home to heal his father. Imagine the stories this young couple will tell their children!
What is your “how we met” story? How did God hear and answer your prayers? And more important, how did you find the courage to follow the Spirit’s promptings? Sarah’s mother encouraged her to be brave and marry Tobiah, even though she knew such a union was risky. What risks did you face? They were probably a lot less dangerous than Sarah’s, but they were still there. After all, you decided to give yourself to another person, and that’s always a little scary!
Looking back on your marriage—or your religious profession or your ordination or any other vocation you chose—can do more than just kindle a warm nostalgia. It can help you recall the lessons that you learned as you took that risk. It can remind you that it never hurts to trust in God as you move forward into the future, ready to face whatever comes your way.
If you feel God nudging you down a certain path, know that he will be traveling that path with you as well. So go ahead, and take that next step. Remember all the past times that you’ve seen the Spirit move in your life, and know that he will grant you joy as you step into the future he has planned for you.
“Lord, give me courage to walk in the path you have set out for me.” Amen!
Psalm 128:(0) A song of ascents:
(1) How happy is everyone who fears Adonai,
who lives by his ways.
2 You will eat what your hands have produced;
you will be happy and prosperous.
3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
in the inner parts of your house.
Your children around the table will be
like shoots from an olive tree.
4 This is the kind of blessing that will fall
on him who fears Adonai.
5 May Adonai bless you from Tziyon!
May you see Yerushalayim prosper
all the days of your life,
Mark 12:28 One of the Torah-teachers came up and heard them engaged in this discussion. Seeing that Yeshua answered them well, he asked him, “Which is the most important mitzvah of them all?” 29 Yeshua answered, “The most important is,
‘Sh’ma Yisra’el, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai echad [Hear, O Isra’el, the Lord our God, the Lord is one], 30 and you are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your understanding and with all your strength.’[a]
31 The second is this:
‘You are to love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]
There is no other mitzvah greater than these.” 32 The Torah-teacher said to him, “Well said, Rabbi; you speak the truth when you say that he is one, and that there is no other besides him; 33 and that loving him with all one’s heart, understanding and strength, and loving one’s neighbor as oneself, mean more than all the burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Yeshua saw that he responded sensibly, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared put to him another sh’eilah.[Footnotes:
Mark 12:30 Deuteronomy 6:4–5
Mark 12:31 Leviticus 19:18]
____________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment