Thursday of the 9th Week of Ordinary Time
Tob 6: 10-11, 7: 1bcde, 9-17, 8: 4-9a; Mk 12: 28-34
Deacon Larry Brockman
So “To love him… and to love your neighbor…is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices”! This is what Jesus found so worthy in this Scribe because it showed that the man understood that a commitment to God must be with the heart, not just with the head. God is looking for something more than compliance, even lavish compliance.
Do we have burnt offerings and altar sacrifices today that turn God off? Maybe not literally; but how about this: Some attend Mass every Sunday, but they leave early and race out of the parking lot to get to the Sunday special before the crowd arrives. Other folks can give their fair share in the collection by all reasonable standards of measure, but they ignore a grieving or disaster stricken co-worker or neighbor. Still others can smile and compliment the priest on his great message every Sunday, but forget the message the moment they return to their regular weekly routine. God is looking into our hearts continually, looking to find who we really are, not who we think we are. And our actions speak louder than our words and our wallets.
It seems to me that the story in Tobit kind of reinforces what God is looking for. First of all, the story in the Book of Tobit is one of the most engaging and fascinating tales in the Bible. It grieves me that our selection has left out the part about the fish. Yet I am confident that just telling you that much will get some of you interested in reading the whole story.
From the selection we do have this morning, something is really clear. Sarah must have been an unusually attractive woman. Seven other men tried to marry Sarah. All met a disastrous end and died on their wedding night. One would think that after the second husband’s demise, the third through 7th suitors would have learned something; but apparently not.
Now, all 7 were entitled to marry her legally. This is clear from the description of how meticulous her father Raguel was in the rest of the book. Raguel would have followed the customs of the Jewish culture to the letter. Each one of the seven former husbands would have followed the required law as well. But something was amiss in their motivation. Whether it was lust over Sarah’s beauty or Raguel’s riches, we don’t know, but they were preoccupied with themselves and their own will. Clearly, the Lord intended Sarah for someone else.
On the other hand, something really stood out about Tobiah. Tobiah met all the legal requirements to the letter as well. But Tobiah was, first and foremost, following the wishes of his father, and he trusted in the Angel, God’s messenger, for guidance.
Following the wishes of the Father; trusting in the subtle guidance of a guardian angel- does that sound familiar?
Not only that, Tobiah’s mental attitude was different. His first priority after entering the bridal suite was to offer a prayer to God. And what a beautiful prayer it was as well. He blesses and praises God; and then asks for a blessing from God for a long and fruitful marriage according to God’s will.
Loving God and our neighbor is a matter of the heart. When we come to Mass; we should come eager to participate. When we give; we should give of our time, talent, and treasure in ways that help us in our continual conversion of the heart; and when we hear the word of God, we should do our best to make it live in us.
That’s a tall order for all of us, to love God and our neighbor that way. In involves accepting God’s will and trusting in Him as we go along. That’s what the Scribe understood. It’s what Tobiah put into practice. And it is our challenge this morning.
